[...] it looks like Treyarch might have a winner on their hands / IMG Source: callofduty.com
A few days ago, Activision and Treyarch released a teaser trailer to prepare fans for the imminent reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Yesterday, the reveal trailer launched, showing off the high octane action that fans came to expect from the series, set on the battlefields of the future.
Today, info accompanying the trailer surfaced and it looks like Treyarch might have a winner on their hands.
Let's start off with changes to the singleplayer campaign. Black Ops III is bringing campaign co-op back to the series. Instead of having to rely AI controlled teammates, players will be able to play the campaign from start to finish with up to four friends online or two locally. As Studio Head Mark Lamia explains it,
This Call of Duty campaign is all about choice. Your investment in your character is going to mean something more than it ever has before in any Call of Duty"
Lamia hopes that upgradable abilities and adding co-op to the campaign will encourage players to keep coming back to the mode after the first playthrough.
Call of Duty Black Ops III
Treyarch seems to be taking the customization aspect in the singleplayer to a level never before seen in the series. Aside from being able to upgrade abilities, customize weapons, and change the appearance of their characters, players will also be able to pick the gender of the protagonist. As Lamia explains it, picking a gender won't just be a simple model swap, but will also affect character interaction:
It's not just a female head on a male body. It's a different set of animations for the entire game."
What's more, Campaign Director and Senior Executive Producer Jason Blundell adds that,
we knew we were going to do fully unique male, fully unique female for all scenes and all the customization that goes for both,”
and that the game's protagonist will be fully voiced regardless of gender.
Zombies mode will also return, much to the delight of fans. The frantic survival mode will have its own dedicated progression system and will be made more accessible for players that found the previous iterations to be too difficult.
Now let's get down to the bread and butter of Call of Duty - multiplayer. As David Vonderhaar, the game's Game Design Director, explains it, the multiplayer mode will focus on "winding the combat loop extremely tight." This means that anything that slows down or gets in the way of the continuous combat action has been removed.
First of all, traversal has been revamped. Unlimited sprint is now universal - player can run indefinitely, regardless of the class chosen. Vaulting over objects has become automatic as well. What's more, jumping over obstacles no longer relinquishes the player's control of the weapon – aiming down sights while climbing over cover is now possible. Another change to the traversal system is the addition of “thrust-assisted jumps.” Those jumps, governed by a slow-burning meter, will allow players to gain altitude and boost in any direction. Other new additions include the ability to power slide, wall run, and swim. Following the game's mantra of never taking control away from the player, hip fire and aiming down sights is still possible while performing those feats.
Call of Duty Black Ops III
Secondly, player and weapon progression still play a huge part in Black Ops III and Treyarch plans on expanding the system by adding a few new wrinkles to it. For example, gunsmith mode will allow player to add a bit of personality to their weapons of choice. Black Ops III will also introduce Specialists - nine pre-set characters with their own unique playstyle and destructive weaponry. Those characters will be powerful, but there's a catch – they can only take their weapon or special ability into combat.
Call of Duty Black Ops III
Mark Lamia claims that Black Ops III will be "the deepest and richest Call of Duty ever." Considering all the changes and additions to the game, his words might prove to be something more than just empty marketing talk.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III will launch on November 6, 2015 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Players who pre-order the game will receive access to a beta test of Black Ops III.
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Source: Call of Duty YouTube channel / endgadget / IMG Source: callofduty.com
