Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Review – The Future of War is Awesome

Call of Duty fans have been taken on a wild ride through different game developers visions of warfare. The popular first-person shooter series hit a serious plateau during its Modern Warfare phase, which was followed by a dose of WWII scenarios and Black Ops campaigns. With the 2014 iteration of this annual shooter comes a welcome deviation from the well-worn formula. Sledgehammer Games has managed to throw on a fresh coat of paint and a whole bunch of Exoskeleton suits into the newest COD: Advanced Warfare.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare takes games onto one of the best single-player campaign rides ever produced. As a member of the Marines, you and your closest friend embark upon a routine mission. However, your loyal ally loses his life in an explosive manner that’s shocking to witness. After grieving over a fellow fallen soldier, the father of your now deceased friend welcomes you to this all-too powerful Private Military Company – Atlas. The bossman at the middle of it all (which is performed by the always awesome Kevin Spacey) gives you access to futuristic gear and powerful allies as you’re sent to take down terrorist threats and protect the freedom of the U.S.

The character interactions within the single-player campaign are decent enough, but you won’t find yourself getting emotionally invested in anyone. The acting here is on par with that of your typical military thriller film, which means you’ll hear all manners of passionate screaming and patriotic speeches. Thankfully, the amazing visuals make your jump boosting allies and charismatic boss look…well, amazing. You’ll be in awe during each level due to the insane set piece moments (the explosion of a power plant is visually mind-blowing) and applaud the impressive audio throughout. The current-gen version of this COD sports the visuals needed to back such a multi-billion dollar series.

Advanced Warfare’s single-player campaign ranks among the best in the entire series. The presence of  Exoskeleton suits and its accompanying abilities given to you during each mission keeps things fresh. Boosting over obstacles, slowing down time to line up shots and even climbing up the sides of walls are just a few of the cool new action you can perform. One minute you’ll be riding on hover bikes while being chased by a helicopter and the next minute you’ll be stealthily picking off terrorists. Getting the chance to use your upgrade points to make your Exo suit and abilities even stronger is welcome. While the story itself is somewhat predictable and unmemorable, the missions themselves are all fun in their own way.

Once you’ve gotten through the amazing single-player campaign, you’ll most certainly make your way to Call of Duty’s tried and true multiplayer modes. The familiar modes are still present. The new “Pick 13” system (a slight change up from Black Ops 2’s “Pick 10” system) gives you the option to choose from a huge variety of customization options. It’s nice to see the game give not-so-great players the chance to be on equal footing with veteran players with this system. New players who aren’t capable of nabbing those scorestreaks can opt to attach more weapon customizations of exo suit abilities instead. The “Pick 13” system makes character customization more of a joy this time around.

The multiplayer modes still offer players a fast and fluid set of games fans have enjoyed for years. The addition of exoskeleton suits, smart grenades and other types of futuristic gear makes everything feel just a little differently. Matches now seem to fall into soldiers jumping all over the place and staying mobile to stay ahead of the other soldiers. The co-op survival mode is just as fun, thanks to its unpredictable enemy setups and all-around addictive team play. That being said, this is still a Call of Duty game so you’ll know what to expect here. The feel of the game isn’t dramatically different from its predecessors, so fans looking to come back to the series might not get too attached once again.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is an excellent addition to a well-worn series. The incredible single player campaign, Exoskeleton abilities and always solid gunplay are all here. The plot itself is your typical Hollywood warfare material and the game itself still hangs onto a formula that’s hitting a state of staleness. All in all though, Advanced Warfare still does enough to change up the formula and give longtime fans a new take on war.

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 Images: Activision, Sledgehammer Games

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Gets The Hollywood Trailer Treatment

It’s the beginning of November and we all know what that means: A new Call of Duty game is about to hit the shelves. Whatever your opinion might be on the games, we can appreciate the advertising blitz that Activision Blizzard puts up every year to market the game. Whether it’s seeing Jimmy Kimmel and Kobe Bryant dodging bullets and rockets, Sam Worthington teaching Jonah Hill the ropes in tactical combat, or watching Robert Downey Jr. take down people in his fighter jet during Guy Richie’s commercial spot, we can always rely on some fun times for the game’s release.

This year is no different as Peter Berg steps up to the director’s chair for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and brings along his long time buddy Taylor Kitsch from Lone Survivor and Friday Night Lights, the most underrated show on television in the last 10 years. We get Taylor showing you, in a first-person perspective, the ropes of Advanced Warfare. In this new Call of Duty game, you have a jet pack for added mobility. Jump, strafe in mid-air, slide…this pretty much adds a whole new dimension to the game and the former Tim Riggins is going to show you how to do it.

Oh yeah, Emily Ratajkowski shows up too. Just in case you really need this trailer to be more geared towards the male demographic.

Back to the task at hand, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is coming out on November 4th, 2014. Of course, you can get the Day Zero Edition and play the game 24 hours before the release date in case you just need to scratch that itch. Kevin Spacey figures prominently into the game although he only makes a digital cameo in the trailer above. It should be some good times and maybe this exoskeleton and new combat mechanics could be what the doctor ordered in order to revitalize this game franchise. On that note, I leave you with my favorite commercial from the Call of Duty series, starring the incomparable Peter Stormare as “The Replacer.”

Are you excited for the game or have you had enough? Let us know in the comments below or just comment on our Facebook page as well!

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Images: Activision Blizzard

Call of Duty: Ghosts – Squads Game Mode Revealed

Evolution in an iterative game franchise is obviously slow-going; it’s difficult to try new things when your games are released annually. The Call of Duty series has often been criticized for being the same repackaged game year after year, but a new console generation opens the door for innovation and the upcoming Call of Duty: Ghosts seems to be one of the largest steps forward for the franchise since Modern Warfare took the world by storm so many years ago.

In addition to hiring writer Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana) in a concerted effort to improve on the single player aspect, Ghosts seems focused on driving multiplayer further by introducing a slew of new refinements to expand on their current MP experience, including sliding, peeking around corners, and dynamic maps. Now, Infinity Ward has revealed a whole new game mode to multiplayer called Squads, which offers a whole new facet to the multiplayer platform.

Squads introduces a whole new level of competition to Call of Duty: Ghosts. Combining the unrivaled Multiplayer experience with cutting edge AI, Squads lets you play a variety of new game modes with your customized squad-mates. Play solo against another player and their squad, or cooperatively with friends, competing versus an AI-controlled squad. Best of all, the XP earned in Squads is directly connected to your Multiplayer progress!

In Squads, players create a number of different units, each with their own loadouts and customizable features, and drop into several different game types which test your ability to create a balanced, skilled team. There are a number of game types within Squads that allow players to play alone against AI or with friends, either co-operatively or against one another. Your squads will also remain active and gain XP even while you’re offline, which means multiplayer in Ghosts will have a level of persistence – Yes, Call of Duty is becoming even more addictive.

Squads looks like an interesting combination of traditional competitive multiplayer and online co-op along the lines of the Spec Ops game mode in previous CoD titles. If it works well, players will lose even more hours to the black hole that is Call of Duty multiplayer, and it’s a unique way for the series to differentiate itself from Battlefield, which continues to push open environments and vehicular combat as its foundation.

Call of Duty: Ghosts Unveils Multiplayer and Adds a Dash of Eminem

Just when you think that Call of Duty couldn’t get any bigger, you’re reminded that it happens to be one of the most recognizable brands in gaming. So much so that the marketing is out in full force four months before the game is actually released. You know the game is big time when we get an hour-long live stream revealing the multiplayer elements of the game. Not only that, but one of the biggest rappers in the world, Eminem, has graced your game with a never before released song for its trailer. With Call of Duty: Ghosts due out in November, we are starting to get some more details about some new aspects of the game and from the looks of things, smiles are about to materialize on many a gamer’s face.

As you can see from the trailer above for the multiplayer elements, there’s a lot of brand new stuff to dissect. First off, Eminem is providing the music with his new song “Survivor” to pump you up and take down your enemy. It reminds me of his song “Won’t Back Down” with Pink and I’m sure it will be played non-stop once people find the means to download it. One of the big things is seeing the dynamic maps, where you can destroy parts of the map or take out structures to distract someone, or even take out a whole squad. This will add a fun element to the destruction of environments and another thing to account for as you run around on all the maps. Another big part is seeing the fluid movements of your soldier as he (or she, we’ll get to that in a minute) can slide or hop over obstacles while still being able to aim and shoot. Being able to slide and jump back up to avoid a shot and take someone out then hop over a barrier to stab the next enemy in your sights will deliver a lot of multi-kills and satisfying killstreaks.

There is also a ton more customization when it comes to this new game, probably the most prominently marketed will be the inclusion of female soldiers. Yes, despite the last series that developer Infinity Ward did being subtitled Modern Warfare, Ghosts will mark the first time that female soldiers will be stepping into the Call of Duty multiplayer arena. You’ll also be able to modify more characteristics such as race and body type, plus the standbys like gear, clothing and of course, weapons, in order to make your multiplayer avatar your own. As many as 30 new weapons will enter this iteration of the game so expect to see a lot of new guns lying around waiting to be tried. A new class will accompanying this game called the Marksman Rifle, which is an intended hybrid of the Sniper and Assault Rifle class. This will allow those gamers with the option of using the scope or getting in closer for a semi-auto or one shot kill. There’s also another new, and potentially awesome, game mode is called Cranked. This mode borrows from the Statham movie and gives you 30 seconds to find and kill someone before you die. It’s effectively a game of tag where the clock resets when you take out an enemy. You’ll also get your typical multiplayer modes that have been featured in all the previous games but this one will be something to get excited about.

There’s a lot of stuff to get excited for an that’s just a small bit of what to expect from the new game when it comes to challenging and fighting friends online. The trailer above is from the one hour live stream that they did on Wednesday so check it out, there’s a lot of other great info about the game. Again, Call of Duty: Ghosts comes out on November 5th, 2013 on Xbox One, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 4 and the Wii U. Also below is a fun trailer for the new collector’s edition. If anything, it’ll make you yell, “BREACH!” every time you walk through a doorway.

New Call of Duty DLC ‘Vengeance’ Comes Out Next Week: Summer Officially Postponed

So it’s that time again, we have a new Call of Duty DLC coming out just in time to make sure you avoid the beach and stay pale playing indoors for the next few months. There’s actually some cool goodies in this pack which has the standard four new multiplayer maps as well as a new zombie map We also get to see a new weapon in the zombie map, which is cool because it’s an updated version of my favorite gun to take down the undead. But first, let’s let you watch the official trailer below, introduced by our favorite pitchmen: The Replacers.

It’s actually a heckuva lot shorter video than what we’re used to and provides very minimal use of the awesome Peter Stormare. Sucks because the previous Replacers trailers were awesome but no matter as we’re really interested about the gameplay itself. With Call of Duty: Vengeance, we have four new maps starting out with Cove, which for some odd reason reminds me of the Koopa Beach map on Mario Kart. Cove seems like a cool map as you’re surrounded by water on an island of rock and rainforest plus a downed plane. Just think of it like the cast of Lost got stranded with guns. With less confusion and smoke monsters too. It looks to be a sweet map though that breeds chaos and yelling at the television; my favorite combination in a Call of Duty map. Next up, we have Detour – a multilevel bridge map that keeps the action head to head and in front of the players. It looks to be a cool map that will have the short range players underneath and the long range players battling up top. Plus lots of exploding cars so more people will be angry when a stray grenade takes out the car and takes them out in the process as well.

Next map we have is Rush, which is probably going to become my favorite new map. It’s basically a paintball obstacle course. Indoor, outdoor, close quarters running around, it’s got the makings of a brilliant map. Should be almost as fast paced as Nuketown in my opinion with barely any cover and the need to press forward at all times. The last multiplayer map is Uplink, but everyone actually will recognize this map as Summit from the original Call of Duty: Black Ops game. This one will probably be a favorite of Kronner’s as Summit was his boy. The major difference is no snow and it’s during the nighttime but for the most part, it’s a nice call back for a classic map.

Of course, we have the zombie map called Buried and it’s basically an Old West town that’s underground. With zombies. Of course, there’s one major wildcard and it seems to be a giant, somewhat hick-ish type NPC that you can either confront and try to kill (if it’s like Romero in Call of the Dead, good luck) or use to your advantage to clear the path. Either way it looks to be exciting and even more so because I get a new ray guy out of it too. The ray gun has always been my boy and now they have upgraded it with the Ray Gun Mark II. Apparently it’s a lot more powerful and laser-like as it can cut through a whole row of zombies. So yeah, that definitely sounds like my boy right there.

Of course, this all comes out on July 2nd on Xbox Live first so Xbox 360 gamers will get the first experiences with this DLC. From the looks of things, it won’t disappoint at all. Below is a more in depth trailer about the maps so watch it, love it, and I’ll see you guys online. I’ll be the guy swearing and being berated by 12 year olds with no sense of morality or political correctness.

Xbox One Has Been Revealed! Our Editors Debate Yay or Nay

So we finally got our big reveal for the next generation Xbox and it is called the Xbox One. It is being billed as the next revolutionary step  in not only gaming, but home entertainment. The ‘One’ concludes that this will be the only entertainment console and device that will be connected to your television because of its expansive features that will cater to all. From the new Kinect, technological innovations, partnerships with Skype, the NFL, and Comcast, Microsoft wants to be your exclusive hub for all things media. Of course, we have a varied range of opinions of the staff and we’re going to share our thoughts on the system, the press conference itself, and other things. Amanda Denton, Scott Fraser and myself dive into the essentials below, after the video of the reveal part of the press conference courtesy of IGN.

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First, let’s just go through everything that’s been announced so far today. One of the big things they are pushing today is the Kinect. From the outset, this is a major part of the console as they have concentrated on improving the use of the Kinect and its integration into navigating the system. They called it ‘rocket science’ type stuff and while skeptical, for the most part it was impressive. Showing off the use of the system in tracking the unique voice and person, the system seamlessly moved between the Xbox Dashboard to cable TV to movies previously watched as well as music recently listened to. This is a result of the architecture inside which uses multiple operating systems and the new hardware that allows for a quick transition. Also taking advantage of the upgrade is the sensor that can recognize things with more accuracy, such as joints and being able to follow gestures of the body, to give a more accurate performance for games that need to track precise movements.

You are also able to enable something called ‘Snap Mode’, which allows you to run two windows or apps at the same time. By saying ‘Snap Mode’ and ‘Skype’ for instance, you can watch your movie on one edge of the screen and then enable a Skype call to your body and multi-task. It’s a nice feature that should cater to the ADD masses, as well as anyone that wants to have say, a television show in the background and not have to feel interrupted when a Skype call comes through. Also using hand gestures, you can easily go between modes and minimize and maximize windows as need be.

Going through the technical details, it’s probably best to lift the image from the presser and put it below before we dissect it:

I’m sure none of this matters to a bunch of you but it’s important to note that it’s a powerful system inside. Plus a Blu-ray player is what most people are looking forward to and Sony has lost that advantage now from their gaming console. Again, the most impressive feature is the three operating systems that will run the system as you are able to switch back and forth between applications and windows as need be. Being able to go from game to the dashboard, to live TV and other applications will go a long way in trying to establish the Xbox One as the only machine that should be under your television. Getting back to the live television part of it, the demo they used was from Comcast television but they only said that it will work with compatible TV providers and no mention of exclusivity of certain providers. This is something that we need to keep an eye on just in case.

Speaking of TV, Xbox One will now carry original television programming. That’s right folks, get ready for a Halo television series produced by none other than Steven Spielberg.

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Details are still up in the air but it should feature live-action and be done in conjuction with 343 Studios, the people in charge of Halo 4. You can debate that as you will but with the hiring of an ex-CBS programming exec, it was in the works for awhile. Other things we can look forward to is the use of the Cloud in order to record gameplay and saves so you can move from console to console or even to brag to other gamers about your achievements. Also having an editing platform for your videos will be included, as well as a built-in DVR function. With that, expect a constant internet connection to be required because the use of the Cloud and the promise of live updates for your system while not in use will make it essential to be connected at all times.

The new controller still is very familiar, with a few different button placements. The most important thing to note is the battery is now internal so the bump on the back will disappear and will now probably charge just like the PS3 controller. The new design also allows for more accuracy in the analog buttons and new triggers as well. Of course, we’ll probably have to wait until E3 to see what other differences there are when we can get our hands on it.

As for game announcements, there were…uhh…not a lot. Obviously the big one would be Call of Duty: Ghosts, as well as EA Sports showing off their Ignite next-gen engine, as well as the new Remedy game Quantum Break for Xbox One but it was very light on games. Forza did look impressive but they are probably saving the rest of the big guns for E3 in the next coming weeks.

Overall, I came away from the press conference a bit underwhelmed. Maybe it’s just the gamer in me that wanted to see more games but the Xbox One seemed to really hammer the idea of the Kinect into our heads and the living room experience. That’s all fine and dandy but I honestly want to see why I should get this gaming system over the PS3. Technologically, the system is impressive but to demo that with Skype calls, Windows 8 interfaces, and the ability to switch to Live TV because it’s easier than hitting the Input button on your remote felt like pandering to the casual person. Which is great in a business sense but it didn’t grab me like I wanted it to.

Talking with Amanda and Scoot, our opinions varied a bit as well. Scoot noted that he was underwhelmed as well but he’s still excited. He also added the Kinect will be the big thing they are pushing which is odd considering that the current iteration has mixed opinions in the current gaming community. Amanda came away as impressed although wanted to hear if backward compatibility will make the jump to the Xbox One. I also asked them about things like the original programming. Scoot said the new system opens the door for television on the console, especially with going as far to produce an original Halo series for the console. Original programming also has Amanda excited despite the hiring of an ex-CBS exec for “original” entertainment.

She’s also excited about the use of the Kinect and expanding on that technology as well. With Microsoft pushing for this to be the only thing that you need for your television, Amanda also believed it could accomplish that task. With it having a Blu-ray and the use of Netflix and Hulu, there’s no real point in having a bunch of boxes when one will do. Scoot agreed with that assessment as the Blu-ray player plays a big part in the entertainment package for the living room. I also asked my fellow editors one the top feature they saw, the most disappointing and what they want to see in the next reveal at E3. Scoot said his favorite part was the Halo TV show because of the huge step Microsoft is taking with the inclusion of original programming but that it was also the most disappointing because he felt that was the top thing they were trumpeting with the system. He wanted to see more XBox One exclusives and more info on the new tech running the system, possibly of the rumored projector system. Amanda thought the top feature was the inclusion of the Blu-ray and the expanded Kinect integration. She’s most skeptical of the new programming chief for original programming because CBS doesn’t have the best track record in terms of ground-breaking entertainment. As for what she wants to see next, she wants more information about the television aspect, such as if a contract with Comcast is involved with it or the tuner being built in, or even if it’s included in the initial price point. Also, say you don’t have Comcast and are they the only TV provider? There’s still a lot of questions that need to be answered.

We do know that it will be released at the end of this year, most likely in time for the holiday season so hopefully we’ll get more information around E3 time. Of course, please share your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page. What do you think, is Xbox One a game-changer or do you need to see more to make it the one and only system for you? In case you want more info, check out Wired’s and Techcrunch’s take on the new console as well!

Call of Duty: Ghosts Reveal Trailer Released and It’s Pretty

It’s Call of Duty. That’s really all that should be said but this time developer Infinity Ward has moved on from the Modern Warfare series. This time, we’re getting a more interactive experience and new story. Plus you get a dog as a teammate, and what better way to take on the rest of the world than having man’s best friend at your side. Call of Duty: Ghosts promises a more intimate experience with the story, which has been written by Academy Award Winner Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana) and more emphasis on your teammates. Below is the new trailer for it so let’s take a gander at it together:

It looks beautiful, doesn’t it? Seeing the lush rainforest and other environments should make this a great game to play on the next-gen systems. Having the game take place in a time where governments have fallen is an interesting twist on the genre and if anything, having Gaghan on as the writer increases the clout of Infinity Ward delivering a great single player story. Plus, it helps that the trailer plays like a movie as well. We can all hope for a Band of Brothers type of experience with your teammates being that they are all you’ve got. Of course, the trailer is still pretty vague so that and other aspects of the story remains to be seen. It should still be a great gaming experience to look forward to. Plus, the screenshot below just looks pretty as it came from the Xbox One presser earlier on Tuesday. As for this game, look for it November 5th, 2013. That day will also be known as the day several people call off work and the workplace comes to a grinding halt. Sign me up for that as well.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 – Uprising DLC is Coming!

The Replacers are back and it looks like we’re about to get ourselves from new Call of Duty DLC for Black Ops II! The new DLC is called Uprising and it will arrive for Xbox Live users (sorry PS3 and Wii U peeps) on April 16th which means not only are we being treated to a double XP weekend, but we’re getting a new Replacers ad with the always looking for a job Peter Stormare. Looks like he brought along a new friend, Mr. J.B. Smoove from Curb Your Enthusiasm amongst other things. While not as great as the first one (if anything because that one was brilliant in that we didn’t know what to expect), it’s still a funny ad to check out. Naturally, it’s embedded just below for your enjoyment:

Alright, onward with the DLC news. We are getting four new maps called Magma, Studio, Vertigo and Encore. Magma takes places in an Asian village that is being overrun by an active volcano. This introduces the element of lava bearing down on the people and some short and long-range points of attack. We also get Encore which takes place in an amphitheater that is wide open with the center stage being touted as the best position. Personally, this will probably be a sniper haven because of its wide open space so we’ll have to see how it all goes down. Vertigo follows as it’s a skyscraper level and it instantly reminds me of more dangerous Hotel combined with the Die Rise zombie map from the last DLC for Call of Duty. I like the idea of having to jump from space to space and it’ll probably be hilarious to see one Brian Kronner fall off the map repeatedly. The next map, which is destined to be my favorite one judging from how they are selling it, is called Studio. It takes place at a movie studio back lot where all the sets are up from the various genres of movies. But did catch my eye was it’s reference to Firing Range, that awesome level from Call of Duty: Black Ops. Seems to be a good one to check out for sure.

Of course we have to mention the zombie map Mob of the Dead. This map will actually take place in a prison from the 1950s that resembles (if not, an exact replica) of the famous Alcatraz prison. It will also feature four actors portraying old school gangsters like Michael Madsen, Ray Liotta, Chazz Palminteri and Joe Pantoliano that were planning to escape, but get the unfortunate luck of having to blast a few zombies on the way out of the prison. There will be a storyline involved with building a plane out of parts to help escape the island so could we actually get an ending for once? Time will tell but I’m already excited at the prospect of playing this map. There’s also a new mode called Afterlife that is being introduced to where if your character dies, they can see through walls and interact with objects your living teammates cannot touch. Also you get to fire electricity from your hands to battle zombies as well as powerful some perk machines. So this should get interesting…

All in all, this should be good times and you can check the below video to get more details on the Uprising DLC. Until then, we shall see you on April 16th, 2013 on Xbox Live. I guarantee you’ll see the Grizzly Bomb team online and swearing and throwing controllers complaining that was effin’ BS whenever we get killed.

More Call of Duty: Black Ops 2? You Got It Thanks to the Revolution DLC…and Peter Stormare

This could possibly be my favorite Call of Duty video of all time. I’ll get into the rest of the article you view the video but I give props to Peter Stormare, he made this video awesome.

“Now you go pick up my sh*t.”

Obviously it’s not the official trailer of the map but just a fun promotional bit. Luckily there is another trailer for what to expect with the new Revolution DLC, coming out on January 29th first on X-Box Live. It boasts four new multiplayer maps, a new zombies co-op map, a new game mode for zombies, and a new multiplayer weapon called the Peacekeeper that is exclusive to the game mode. There’s more in the video below, which serves as the actual trailer and preview for the new DLC.

Hydro seems like a cool map and having the spillway used to flood and flush out people seems to be a cool element, a la the train in Express. Grind is just going to be a giant chaos map with no real place to hide or hug walls although I can imagine it being a sniper’s haven to like Carrier, which would annoy the living crap out of me. I know Downhill will be a big hit because of people of the white stuff…the snow I mean, not cocaine. Mirage looks cool too because it seems to incorporate wide open space and claustrophobic environments to satisfy everyone involved…unless you’re on the losing end of course.

Die Rise is the new zombie map that takes place in a skyscraper and I’m looking forward to this map because I haven’t gotten into zombies that much in this iteration of CoD but this somewhat reminds me of Die Hard in the high rise so if it provides that type of element to it, I’m sure we’ll play it non-stop. With that, comes the new game mode called Turned, where this time, you take control of the zombie and hunt down the lone human player. If you’re successful at doing so, you then become the lone human player and take turns killing others and the one with most kills as the human player seems to be the winner. At least that’s my assumption looking at the video itself. Regardless, it’s about time we get to see the other side and stalk our human compatriots and make their life hell.

Lastly, we have a new gun called the Peacekeeper coming to multiplayer exclusively.  The gun is a hybrid between a submachine gun and assault rifle so you get a bit of the stopping power of the assault rifles, with the versatility of the SMG. Overall, I think this will be a giant success and am looking forward to the new DLC dropping on XBL on January 29th. Too bad for the other systems though because they don’t get the map packs until later but hey, pick up a 360 and join some of the Grizzly Bomb people. I guarantee you’ll be way better than us.

Guy Ritchie’s “Black Ops II” Live Action Trailer. Featuring Robert Downey Jr.

All that’s missing are Jägerbombs and misogyny. Guy Ritchie became the favorite filmmaker of fratboys everywhere when he made Lock Stock and Snatch. Between pounding shots and subjugating women, 20 year old collegiate males the world over high-fived over Brad Pitt’s unintelligble accent and then played some rounds of Call of Duty, the record-shattering military shooter that single-handedly gobbled up the profits of an entire industry in 2010. It’s only natural, given the matching demographic, that Treyarch would bring on the man to direct a live-action trailer for the second iteration in the Black Ops franchise, but to cap it all off, you’ll spot RDJ in the mix as well:

The trailer is only a minute long but manages to squeeze in a lot of information if you’re paying attention. In a simulated single shot, the camera bounces from one recognizable face to another (YouTube stars iJustine and FPSrussia make appearances too) but the trailer tries to focus the insane arsenal of gadgets at your disposal in Cod Blops 2. The trailer closes on a swarm of zombies, hinting at the added emphasize to the secondary zombie mode that became an instant fan favorite in World at War, and was expanded even further in the last game.

The first Black Ops crammed so much content onto disc that it was nearly impossible to argue against its value. A globe-trotting popcorn movie campaign, the most popular multiplayer platform in console gaming and extras and minigames pouring out of every nook and cranny made it a tantalizing offer. Blops 2 looks to be offering a similar experience this time around, but they’ve rebuilt the multiplayer from ground up, promised a much beefier single-player experience and a much much bigger zombie mode than ever before. The new features of Black Ops 2 are all explored in Game Trailers’ latest episodes of Bonus Round, if you haven’t heard about them yet.