Call of Duty: Black Ops Message Board older than one year ago

Premiering during tonight's Sunday Night football game is this Rolling Stones-infused Call of Duty: Black Ops trailer which proclaims - for once in advertising, not hyperbolically - that it's the "biggest game of 2010." What makes it so big? We could point out the base jumping, the SR-71 Blackbird, or any of the other cinematic touchstones that Treyarch is trotting out for its fourth take on the blockbuster series. Instead, we're going to suggest that any marketing budget that licenses The Rolling Stones for a Sunday Night Football spot is enough to convince us it's a "big" video game. Either that or it's Windows 95.

#rumor This is a SPOILER. Note that it is in all caps. That means I'm really serious about just how spoiler the following information and images are. Don't want to know? Move along and don't read this post. DON'T click on the link. More »

- US Presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon appear in the game - they are discussing the Cuban Missile Crisis with Fidel Castro - US Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara is around as well - the group of people is descended upon by zombies - Kennedy reveals a hidden stash of weapons and jokes: “Gentleman, lock and load.

Here's the latest installment in a tale as old as time -- according to German games site PCGames.de, the region will receive a censored version of Call of Duty: Black Ops. This time around, though, there's a new twist for people who were hoping to download and play a different country's version of the game on PC -- both downloaded and retail versions of the game have to be run through Steam for authorization before playing, and in Germany, Steam will only verify local versions of the title.

Seems like Germany's video game censorship policy is only getting more and more strict -- though that's good news for our pay-per-minute phone hotline, where German gamers can call in and listen to us describe our fully violent games. Those calls ... they get pretty weird.

#callofdutyblackops Jack-of-all-trades Ice Cube is lending his voice to the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops. More »

Online splitscreen, custom game editor explained.

#rumor Here's a glimpse at the mutliplayer map select and killstreak screens of upcoming shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops. More »

#treyarch Treyarch is declassifying information on Call of Duty: Black Ops' many multiplayer features, offering a quick briefing on the online half of the game a few weeks before launch. For example, did you know that Black Ops supports split-screen online multiplayer? More »

Hello! I’m Josh Olin (aka JD_2020), and thank you for the opportunity to highlight some of the features that Call of Duty: Black Ops will deliver to PS3 fans when it launches on November 9th. A number of these features are ones that I think the community has been wanting for a long time, which is why we’ve worked really hard to deliver. So let’s get started!

Multiplayer Online Split-Screen Support

Let’s get started with what I believe is the most unknown, yet confirmed, aspect to Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer – the online split-screen support we’ve re-introduced to the franchise!

The Facts:

• You can connect a second controller and bring a guest online (i.e. “JD_2020” & “JD_2020(1)”).
• Guests can rank up, earn unlocks, etc – all guest progress goes away once signed out.
• You can bring a second, full PSN account online!
• Both players with full PSN ID’s can rank up while playing together in split-screen, as if on two separate consoles.

Custom Games Editor

Allow me to introduce the Black Ops Custom Games Editor! Private matches have never been this customizable. Players will have the ability to structure their games at all new levels of granularity. From variables as simple as Time Limit and Score Limit, or as deep as which weapons, Perks, and gear are available. You want a Pistols Only match? Make one! No longer do custom game modes rely on the “honor system.”

Furthermore, any Custom Game you create and configure can be placed in your File Share, for friends and the community to browse, download, and enjoy. You just might create the most addictive new game mode of all time from the comfort of your own living room!

In-Game Friends List

We’ve integrated a built-in Friends List into the in game user interface. You’ll be able to browse Recent Players, Friends, navigate their File Shares, Recent Games, Combat Records – all within this in-game menu system designed to streamline the social process within the game. Sending game invites and joining Friends’ games has never been simpler than in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Regional Matchmaking & Party Privacy

Call of Duty: Black Ops will support regional matchmaking filters on a global scale. So, no matter where you’re at in the world, you will have the ability to specify whether you want to match with players from other geographical regions, or only those local to you. This will make communication and lag a much less intrusive variable on your gameplay experience.

Additionally, given Black Ops will support joining games in progress via an even simpler built-in in-game Friends List interface, we’ll allow a Party leader to lock down his lobby to Invite Only, Friends Only, or even Close it altogether if he wants to be in complete control over who enters and exits the Party Lobby.

Emblems Do NOT Reset with Prestige

This one is pretty cut-and-dried. A frequently asked question is, “Will my kickass emblem I spent hours perfecting be lost when I prestige?” The answer is “NO!” Emblems are one of the only aspects of Black Ops MP that do not get a full reset upon entering Prestige. Things that will reset when you Prestige are: XP, COD Points, Challenge progressions, Loadouts, and so forth.

So that’s just a few of the lesser-known components to Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer, confirmed for the first time here on the official PlayStation.Blog! For more information regarding Black Ops, and all the new features included in multiplayer, head over to our official YouTube channel and watch all the different trailers we have highlighted from the game. Additionally, you can follow me on Twitter (@JD_2020) for more news and updates.

Some would say a soldier's most important quality isn't accuracy, tenacity, bravery or valor -- but rather, thrift. If you're planning on jumping in on the Call of Duty: Black Ops action day one, you can show your militaristic penny-wisdom by pre-ordering the game on Amazon, and saving a whole $5.

#callofduty Treyarch and Activision have been relatively quiet on the single-player side of Call of Duty: Black Ops. But it appears Alex Mason, the main protagonist of the next Call of Duty, will have a lot to say. More »

We’ve seen blue and we’ve seen red, but what the hell does black mean? This doesn’t look like an official logo to me, but multiple retailers are using this boxart. I’m wondering if we’ll see the logo replaced with an official Nintendo one before launch. Thanks to Jassim for the heads up!

When you have one of the year's most anticipated games, you'll also have people who want to get their hands on it as soon as possible -- at any price or, in some cases, any risk. Such was the case with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 last year, and it's happening this year with Call of Duty: Black Ops, which is already making the rounds in bootlegged form.

Contrary to its approach to Modern Warfare 2's piracy, which was to seek arrests for anyone found selling illegal copies of the game, Activision is simply asking Black Ops pirates to cut it out, and quite politely it seems. VentureBeat has posted the story of one bootleg buyer who has uploaded a series of videos detailing being tracked down by the publisher's private investigators, IP Cybercrime, on YouTube. According to the article, rather than report individuals such as him to the police, IP the firm is requesting that they "stop selling and to tell them where they got their wares," adding that "Most of the pirates were scared, surrendered their game copies and cooperated."

That's not to say the investigators aren't willing to employ more serious methods in dealing with people who don't give in to the "good cop" approach. "One young pirate was being a 'wise ass' and adamantly refused to cooperate," VentureBeat reported. "So the investigators called his mother."

#piracy On YouTube, in four parts, there is the tale of a man with military training and a $250 outlay spent on an illicit, leaked copy of Cal of Duty: Black Ops. He got busted by the piracy police and confesses. More »

Though it was sort of announced by Treyarch in a post on the Call of Duty forums, Valve has now officially confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops will use Valve's Steamworks for auto-updating and achievements. It'll also use the Steam Cloud for storage of profile and configuration settings. The game is available for pre-order now on Steam.

If you're wondering whether your computer will even allow you to play it, Treyarch also announced the minimum specs. You've got 12GB free, right?

Most anticipated title of 2010 prepares for PC launch.

The $33,500 four-door Jeep Wrangler "Call of Duty: Black Ops Edition" comes standard with "aggressive" 32-inch tires, "unique" military style and Call of Duty "graphics." Now, just imagine what happens when you add a "heart-pounding" soundtrack to that.

#callofdutyblackops The Jeep Wrangler Call of Duty: Black Ops Edition hits dealerships next month for a suggested retail price of $30,625 and $33,500. But why does it even exist? More »

#screengrab At last, the first picture of the Call of Duty: Black Ops-themed Jeep Rubicon. Black Ops decals replace the Wrangler and Rubicon decals and the "Trail Rated" badge. You can get it in any color, as long as it's black. More »

G4 has a couple of Call of Duty: Black Ops videos showing off the single-player Kowloon level and the welcoming multiplayer "Jungle" setting -- which we believe, according to intel from one Axl Rose, is where one would find "fun and games." If you got the money, honey.

Yes, you'll be able to play the Wii version of Call of Duty: Black Ops online -- and even use voice chat, if you happen to have the proper equipment. To that end, PDP has announced the $25 "Headbanger Headset."

Conveniently, PDP is releasing the headset on November 9, timed with the release of the game. It'll be available in white, or in a "limited edition" Call of Duty: Black Ops version -- meaning: in black with the game's logo printed on it. That way, when someone asks you what you're playing, you can simply point at the side of your head, without the need for more conversation; which is good, because nobody would want to talk to you after that.

#clips This latest Call of Duty: Black Ops trailer gives us a much better sense of what we can expect from the upcoming shooter, both the story and gameplay. More »

Activision debuted the latest, single-player campaign focused trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops during Monday Night Football this evening. It's okay if you didn't catch the game -- you can watch the entire thing (the trailer, not the football broadcast) just past the break.

PDP's online multiplayer chat headset to support most anticipated title of the year.

Developer N-Space, perhaps best known for the GameCube title Geist, is working on DS versions of both Call of Duty: Black Ops and GoldenEye 007. A company working on high-profile names like those doesn't seem like a likely candidate for financial troubles. That's exactly what CEO Dan O'Leary announced on the developer's blog this weekend, though he declined to offer a significant number.

The reason for the layoffs (which left N-space "down, but definitely not out"): a deal with an (unspecified) licensor fell through, and no other publishers were found to help support the company's ongoing projects, which include "7 titles this year (plus an iOS game we'll be announcing next week), 5 of which were approved in September."

O'Leary lamented the changing state of the games industry in his message. "Huge budget titles have to sell massive numbers to return a profit and the App Store has disrupted our industry in the same way iTunes changed consumer expectations for music. People that use to buy many games every year now buy a few AAA titles, supplementing their need with games that are free or cost less than a pack of gum. Anything in the 'middle' is struggling." That "middle" includes the Wii and DS, where N-Space releases the majority of its products. The 3DS, he said, is "a brave new world the publishers are excited about but also very cautious to enter."

Monday Night Football fans will be the first to see Activision's brand new trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops, featuring footage of the game's single player campaign. To tease the trailer airing on ESPN next week, Activision has created a teaser trailer of the trailer, teasing you to watch a longer version of the trailer you just watched.

#clips Alright, well, that should get you to watch Monday Night Football. At least until the Call of Duty: Black Ops singleplayer campaign trailer hits. The game begins at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. More »