A Complete Reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops Multiplayer

     There was some confusion with my previous post. I, along with about 3 thousand other people who were on ActivisionCoD's Ustream channel, thought that the Black Ops conference would be streamed live through that channel. As it turned out, the channel never went on air. In fact, recording the event was strictly not allowed. They caught someone who had recorded small bits of the conference, and forced him to delete everything he taped.

     Fortunately for the rest of us, tweeting was allowed, as well as liveblogging. There were plenty of people tweeting everything that was happening during the conference. I got a lot of information from Hutch's twitter, along with a liveblog by Dan of OneofSwords. In addition to these two, ThePolishPenguin from www.youtube.com/ProjectBlackOps hosted a stream on Justin.tv relaying information that a girl from WeTheGamerz was giving them. Their channel will have exclusive videos of Black Ops, so go check them out (after you read this, of course.)

     There is so much to talk about, I'm not even sure where to begin. It looks like Treyarch definitely stepped up to the plate in terms of making a whole new game. Let me just get this out of the way now - there will be noobtubes. The good news is, it doesn't look like there will be any commando. No more knives in the back from 10 feet away.

     First of all, Treyarch has done a complete overhaul on the way you unlock things like killstreaks and attatchments. As you play online matches, along with gaining exp, you also gain COD Points (CP). You can use this CP to buy whatever you want to unlock. You can also use CP for  insane customization for your guns and emblem. They've gone beyond camo. You can change the look and texture of the gun. you can have your emblem and clan tag put on the gun. You can even change the look of your sights. As Dan of OneofSwords said, "..Red dot doesn't have to be red or a dot."
     You can now also start contracts, which will take the place of challenges. If you can complete whatever the contract asks in the amount of time it gives, you will receive a bigger bonus, whether the bonus being exp, CP, or both.

     Of course, with all that extra CP, you will be able to bet it against other players in the four new Wager Matches. Who ever comes first, second, and third in the match are 'in the money', and walk away with a profit. Everyone else goes home empty-handed.
     The first of the four matches, and the one that will probably be my favorite, is called One in the Chamber. The game is basically what the title suggests - you are given a pistol with a single bullet, and a whole mess of enemies. If you can shoot and kill your opponent, you get their bullet and a chance to kill someone else. If you miss, you will have to run around knifing for more ammo. You are only given three lives in this one, so don't miss.

     The next one is called Gun Game. Basically, you start out with a pistol. This will be called Tier One. Every time you kill someone, you move up a Tier. You go from a pistol, to akimbo pistols, to a variety of shotguns, etc. As you go up, the weapons get more and more deadly. However, if get knifed, you get set back a tier. The first one to get a kill with all 20 Tiers of weapons wins the match. This seems very anti-camper, since you won't have time to sit around with a pistol and wait for someone to come while everyone else already has rocket launchers.

    Another match type is called Sticks and Stones. It is basically played with three preset weapons, the crossbow, the tomahawk, and the ballistic knife. It is played like a regular Free For All. You get three regular rounds and one explosive round for the crossbow, and two shots with the ballistic knife. The tomahawk will take place of the throwing knife from Modern Warfare 2. If you kill someone with it, you bankrupt them, and any money that they earned throughout the match will be gone.

     The last of the four is called Sharp Shooter. This seems like the most balanced of all of the game types. Everybody starts out with the exact same random weapon. The match goes on with that weapon for a set amount of time, and then the weapons cycle into something completely different. Everyone will have the same weapon at all times, so you won't be caught off guard by a noobtube.

         As made so famous by the Multiplayer teaser, Call of Duty: Black Ops will be having a theater mode. This will allow players to save their best gameplays, and will have after-effects options to use, allowing for making montage clips and for giving the gameplay a more dramatic look. You can even tag your friends in the videos. They will be given a message telling them to check themselves out in the gameplay.

     Another feature that I am really interested in is the training system. If you are new to FPS games, or just never felt like getting into the multiplayer world, now is your chance. The training system uses AI players to fight against you. This will be useful for everyone, whether you don't want someone screaming in your ear, if you want to train yourself with a weapon or map, or if you are just trying to learn the ropes.

     Finally, we come to specifics. Here is a list of everything that I know is confirmed to be in the game. I will add more as I learn more. Feel free to add in the comments, and I will add them here.
   Weapons:
mp40, ak74-u, mp5 prototype, m4a1, m21, automatic FAMAS, Death Machine (gatling gun), bolt-action rifle, m14, m16, mp5k, AK-47, Aug prototype, m1 grand, crossbow, tar-21 prototype, RPG, several launchers, Skorpion (now akimbo), Spas (not spas-12)
There will not be any automatic shotguns. Some sniper scopes will have multiple zoom lengths, like in Halo.
  Secondaries:
ASP, m1.911, Makerov, g18, TMP, Magnum, Python, possibly Desert eagle, Ballistic Knife
  Attatchments:
Extended Mags, Dual Mags, Reflex, ACOG scope, Red Dot Sight, MasterFLX(??), Flamethrower, Grenade Launcher
  Perks:
First Perk - Lightweight, Scavenger, Ghost (cold blooded), Flak jacket, HardlineSecond Perk - Hardened (bullet penetration), Scout (longer breath), Steady-Aim, Sleight of Hand, Warlord (bling)
Third Perk - Marathon (like extreme conditioning), Ninja, Second Chance (last stand), Hacker (sitrep), Tactical Mask (tear gas and flashbang resistant)
  Extras:
Lethal - Frag grenade, Semtex, Tomahawk
Tactical - Nova Gas, Tactical Insertion
Equipment - Camera  Spike, C4, Motion Sensor, Claymore, Radar Jammer
  Killstreaks:
3 kills - Spy Plane (UAV), RC-XD (RC car)
4 kills - Counter-Spy Plane, SAM Turret (anti-air)
5 kills - Care Package, Napalm Strike, Sentry Gun
6 kills - Mortar Team
7 kills - Attack Helicopter, Valkyrie Rockets
8 kills - Black Bird, Rolling Thunder
9 kills - Chopper Gunner
11 kills - Attack Dogs, Gunship
These are all of the 15 available killstreaks. There are two specific killstreaks that are only available through a carepackage, the Grim Reaper (a controlled rocket) and the Death Machine (a gatling gun).

     Lastly, it was announced that no beta will be made for PS3. However, although it is not confirmed, there is a likely chance that there will be a beta for xbox 360 players.

     If you have anything you want me to add, let me know in the comments. All in all, this game looks really intense. I can't wait for November.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Multiplayer Reveal

     If you are a fan of the blockbuster series Call of Duty, you will be thrilled to know that today marks the day of the full multiplayer reveal of the franchise's new addition, Black Ops. Today's date, September 1st, has been thrown all around on the Call of Duty website.

     Activision will be holding a press conference at Gamescom. From what I have read, this is  where they will be doing a complete reveal of the new multiplayer features of the game. Fortunately, for the most of us who aren't going to Gamescom, the conference will be streamed live via Ustream at Activision's Call of Duty channel.
Click here to go to the stream page.
Or, click here to watch the stream live through Facebook.

    The stream goes live at 6pm PDT. If you live in the EST time zone like me, it will start at 9pm. If you aren't in the EST time zone, you will have to do the time conversions yourself. Sorry, I'm too lazy to convert it for every time zone. Just google it.

     If you haven't already seen the Black Ops multiplayer teaser video, you can watch it here. To be honest, I was starting to lose my energy for the game, but when I saw this teaser, I was blown away.

Check back at this blog in the next few days. I will be doing a recap on the press conference, reviewing what Activision has to say. I'm hoping for a beta, or a demo at least. I'm really looking forward to that RC car killstreak.

Portal 2 Teasers and Opinions

     I am really psyched about Portal 2 coming to its release date. I have always been a fan of the original Portal. If you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out. It basically is a puzzle-platformer where you use the ability to shoot blue and orange portals onto walls in order to transport yourself around the map, using physics and well-timed moves to try and complete the puzzle and get to a checkpoint. You do this through a variety of 'tests' that the antagonist, GLaDOS, forces you into. Unlike other games, instead of having a specific character as a foe, the entire facility that the game takes place in is the one out to get you.

     Originally, Portal was never meant to blow up as such a popular game. It was released as an extra in Valve's Orange Box; a package deal containing Half-Life 2 (another fantastic game developed by Valve) along with its two expansions Episode 1 and Episode 2, Team Fortress 2, and, of course, Portal. As Portal gained its stardom in the gaming world, it was re-released to be purchased by itself.

     I believe Valve really outdid themselves this time with Portal 2. If you have seen any of the previous teaser trailers, you will find that the new game takes place several hundred years into the future, and the facility is in ruins. Trees are growing up through the floors and vines are hanging down from the ceiling. GLaDOS tries to rebuild the facility, and judging by the trailer, it is looking better than ever.

Teaser Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tax4e4hBBZc

     To be honest, what really grabs me into this game is the fact that you get to play through it as everything is being built and rebuilt around you. Old, decrepit walls can be seen falling off as new, sparkling ones take their place. New places that you never even thought would be inside the facility in the original game are now coming to life as you run through them, such as a robot assembly line that you have to jump across without being killed by the cranes and blowtorches.

New Areas: http://news.filefront.com/portal-2-wheatley-footage/
The bot Wheatley is voiced by comic actor Stephen Merchant.


     There are many new features available in the new game that will make it extra crazy, and the satisfaction of finally solving the puzzles so much sweeter. One new feature will be the Aerial Faith Plate. This will fling anything and everything that touches it across the map. There will also be this blue goo, called Repulsion Gel. This one is kind of hard to explain, but it basically can bounce you much higher and further than you would ever be able to go alone. Once you watch the demonstration, you will see what I mean.

These two features in action: http://news.filefront.com/two-more-portal-2-trailers/
Looking at the video, it seems Valve definitely stepped it up a notch in terms of graphics.

     Finally, what a lot of people are really hyped up for is the multi-player option. The previous Portal was solely a single-player game. In Portal 2, there will be a whole mess of obstacles that you can only get across with a buddy to help you out. I imagine the co-op levels will be separate from the actual game, seeing as how two players would contradict with the storyline. Still, it will be fun flinging a friend across the map on those Faith Plates.

Co-Op Teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgUokKsatAM

     Portal 2 is scheduled to be released February 9th. I personally can't wait for it to come out. Ever since I finished the original for the third time, I've been eager for something new to play with. I think this game will be one of Valve's best creations.

What Do You Want Me To Write About?

There are thousands of games released to date on a variety of different consoles. So, instead of me choosing what to write about, it would be better if YOU did. Comment on this post letting me know what would interest you all. I'm thinking about even doing reviews.
So, give me some ideas. It could be a game title that you think should be reviewed or that I should check out, or a topic that you want me to talk about. This will be a lot easier if I know what my viewers will want to see.

Let's Do This

I'm going to be blogging about all sorts of gaming-related topics. I've always been a fan of gaming, and wanted to somehow write about the news of the gaming world. I will talk about topics from all sorts of systems. I hope you enjoy.