14 DAY TRIAL // Call of Duty: Black Ops is the latest installment in Activision's hugely successful first person shooter franchise, and is getting ready to hit the global market on November 9, for the PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and DS.
The game looks set to break the records set by its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, as it already surpassed it in terms of pre-orders.
But while Modern Warfare 2 relied on the prestige of its developer, Infinity Ward, and of the paradigm shift set by its direct predecessor, Modern Warfare 1, Black Ops is really banking on content to lure in consumers.
Even though it managed to sell over 20 million copies, Modern Warfare 2 didn't exactly offer a lot of varied content for the 60 dollars people spent for it.
You had a pretty short single-player campaign, which didn't exactly match the impressive one in the first Modern Warfare, the separate co-operative Spec Ops mode, and a very solid multiplayer that, for many, justified the price tag, while others didn't even touch it.
This year, Treyarch, the developer of Black Ops, is adding more modes and new types of experiences for a Call of Duty game, and is making sure that it will satisfy all types of players.
First off, we have a very interesting single-player campaign, taking you through the most exciting parts of the Cold War, and with a character, Alex Mason, that will display more emotions than previously seen in the franchise.
Next up we have the co-operative modes, including the already famous Zombies one, plus the as-of-yet unannounced Dead Ops Arcade, not to mention the fact that we might have another mode present.
Last but not least, there's the multiplayer, which will build upon the foundation of Modern Warfare 2, and add things like Wager Matches for COD Points, so that people can put their virtual money where their mouths are, and even the ability for splitscreen multiplayer on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Wii owners are also being taken care of, as Treyarch is implementing a lot of the features from the high definition Black Ops into their version, including the voice chat support.
Also, don't forget that Activision will make sure to supply a steady stream of donwloadable content, even if it may be a bit overpriced.
Still, offering all of the aforementioned things for 60 dollars makes Black Ops one of the most feature-rich Call of Duty titles in recent years.