14 DAY TRIAL // With the launch date for Call of Duty: Black Ops II now officially set for November 13, it seems that both developer Treyarch and publisher Activision Blizzard are ready to offer some more information on the features of the new first-person shooter.
And one surprising detail is that Black Ops 2 will actually integrate some non-linear choices that will influence the overall story in limited but significant ways, via a new mechanic called Strike Force Missions.
The developers have explained that at certain points during Call of Duty: Black Ops II gamers will need to choose from a number of Strike Force possibilities, locking themselves out of the opportunities they are uninterested in.
The battle will take place in various areas of the globe and will allow players to experience a number of new battlefield roles without feeling that they are taken out of the core single-player story.
There are multiple ways to approach each Strike Force mission and will be able to use a number of tools like different squad members, tanks and drones in order to make progress.
The way gamers perform in the missions will influence the way the single-player campaign plays out and will see a number of reactions from Raoul Menendez, the big bad evil mastermind of Black Ops II.
It’s not clear whether players will be able to completely change the ending of the game or the Strike Force mission influence is more limited and only affects details on the periphery of the game experience.
Still the fact that there are multiple paths through a Call of Duty title is quite an innovation for a series that previously included completely linear single player.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II is set to launch on the Xbox 360 from Microsoft, the PlayStation 3 from Sony and the PC on November 13.