Thoughts: Black Ops 2 and the Future of Call of Duty

Call of Duty, I think we need to talk about where this relationship is going...

Another year, another unabashedly high-octane, explosion-filled trailer for, yes, another Call of Duty game. As someone who lauds originality above all else, and would have happily aborted the concept of ‘constant sequels’ before birth, you’d think I would utterly detest this franchise by now, as indeed many gamers seem to. On the face of it, the games are little more than rehashing, repackaging, and re-wildly-succeeding with the same formula since 2007. This is the series that virtually defines the word ‘divisive’, it managed to bring gaming to the mainstream in a way nobody could have anticipated, and is also, however indirectly, at least partially responsible for some of the most loathsome trends we see today. Sequel fatigue, annual releases, social network integration, market saturation, 'casual gaming', we have reams of detestable crap to thank Activision for, and I’m sure that the longer this whole thing continues, the worse it will become for anyone who truly dislikes the way the industry is headed. Yet, as much as it does pain me to admit, I like these games. They have some alluring appeal that never fails to seduce me. Maybe it’s my lifelong love of action movies coming to bear, my infuriating addiction to maddeningly unbalanced multiplayer progression, or hey, maybe it’s just the fact that, as much as many will strive to deny it, these games are pretty damn good.

I could go on all sorts of rambles about Call of Duty and the state of gaming, yada yada. However, let’s instead keep our focus on the only thing people have been talking about for the past week or so, Black Ops 2. Black Ops was a fantastic game, it, like every Call of Duty, brought its own small iterations to the formula, some additions and some changes. I often like to compare modern Call of Duty to a sculpture or painting, not too far from being a masterpiece at its grand unveiling in 2007, and in the years since the likes of Treyarch and Infinity Ward have delicately added their own small new touches to this sculpture, re-moulded certain parts, delicately changed it here and there, re-releasing it to the public each year. It’s always very clearly the same sculpture, but just different enough each time to keep the world interested and yearning for more. Black Ops was perhaps the first real time the sculpture was unveiled to a collective, resigned sigh. It was in 2010 where perhaps the concept of diminishing returns could finally begin to apply to the global gaming phenomenon. Yes, the game would go on to do fantastically well commercially and critically, but even the die-hard fans began to realise that maybe this Call of Duty thing was getting a little stale, maybe it did play a little too much like all those that had gone before. Modern Warfare 3 did little to ease concerns. There was something of a reluctant acceptance amongst fans of the franchise, we knew we had something great, and still enjoyed the games tremendously, but it was beginning to become clear that the people behind Call of Duty had very little intention of ever truly breaking the mould.

Well maybe that’s about to change. I write this with as much exposure to Black Ops 2 as most people, that is to say, very little. I’ve seen the sole trailer, and read whatever articles I can find. There’s certainly not any real volume of information out there yet, but there’s a surprising amount we can gather from what has been shown and said, and while it would be foolish to get excited already and proclaim Black Ops 2 as some saviour of the franchise, there’s definitely reason to at least indulge in every gamer’s old friend; cautious optimism. Beginning with the obvious; the setting. This will be the first Call of Duty game set more than a few years into the future, opening up all sorts of avenues for an original story, with original conflicts, characters, weapons, and so on. Of course, it isn’t Call of Duty 2142, it’s still a sequel to Black Ops, with the names Mason and Woods playing their parts, so this is, of course, a continuation of that story, but Treyarch have gone so extreme with it that they really do have license to tell a completely unique tale with this game. There’s certainly a lot of potential with this setting. It’s probably the best thing a Call of Duty fan could have hoped for. Instead of trudging through famous battles or history-inspired conflicts with weapons of old yet again, we will at least get to experience genuine original creations, not only in the story, but in the arsenal, which leads me nicely onto my next point. Robots. Robots everywhere. Flying attack drones, tanks with legs, the military equipment shown off so far simply looks fantastic and holds so much potential. Again, the futuristic setting allows Treyarch to play with crazy ideas, and if there’s anything I can commend the studio on, it’s their creativity and attention to detail, so there’s reason to have faith in their ability to craft some pretty unique gear.

Just like Call of Duty, it looks like this tank is walking in the right direction

A new setting, with so much original content could really be the breath of fresh air the franchise needs, and then to top it off, Treyarch only went and mentioned the ideas of a sandbox campaign, and branching storyline. The game will play out in different ways depending on your actions, missions will have multiple angles of approach and objectives to choose between, and the areas of conflict themselves are said to be much more open, bringing something to the table that many would say has been sorely lacking from the Call of Duty franchise; choice. The individual touches that Treyarch are adding may be minor, but together they hold the potential of delivering a freedom to players that we’re yet to see in a franchise that has been such a traditionally linear, on-rails experience.  There’s even talk of objectives that can be failed without causing a game over, having a knock-on effect to the story and introducing the idea of a player’s skill impacting the way his or her story plays out. Multiple ending variations and a plot that changes with the way you play have been commonplace in gaming for a long time, so this is hardly new ground for the industry, but there’s a lot to be said for Treyarch seemingly trying to push the boundaries of what a Call of Duty game can be, being unafraid of taking some risks with the formula, and doing more than perhaps most will have expected of them. The multiplayer side of things also holds reason to be optimistic, with Treyarch vowing to look at each and every part of the franchise’s competitive mode, and rebuild or modify any they see fit. This, combined of course with the whole new futuristic setting and weaponry to play with, may provide hope for those who want more than the usual annual perk-reshuffling and rise in level cap.

Zombies! One of the more divisive aspects of the Treyarch games, but an irrefutably popular feature nonetheless. This time out, the developer seems determined to continue building on the foundations they have laid over the past two games. Zombies was little more than an amusing and unexpected mini-game at first, back in World at War, but the mode became so popular that more maps were delivered, rich with new features. Teleporters were introduced, perk vending machines, George Romero, and more madcap weaponry than you’d find in a Borderlands treasure chest. There’s even a somewhat incomprehensible backstory and ludicrous easter eggs tucked away for the most hardcore zombie fans to uncover. This time around, the team seems focused on really delivering for those fans, and it was only a matter of time before someone said this so here I go: Zombies looks set to be bigger, badder, and better than ever before in Black Ops 2. Ouch. As cliché as that little line was, it doesn’t seem far wrong, Treyarch have not only mentioned new modes, but have gone as far as saying Zombies will have its own fully-realised world. Now what exactly that combination of words means, and how it will actually play out, we can’t be sure, but it certainly seems like due care is being taken to ensure that our co-operative undead-slaying experience will be more than enjoyable than ever before.

Overall, the future remains a cloudy shade of grey for Call of Duty, money will continue to stream in, the hype train will continue to roll, everyone will go on having remarkably extreme opinions on the franchise, and these games will keep on coming out, for better or worse. The only question is whether or not the developers will ever take the risks we hope for, and somehow recapture that magic of 2007, or will these games continue to be shovelled out the door with fewer and fewer iterations, dying a gradual, painful death and losing their fans one by one. For now, all us optimists can do is put our trust in the clear potential that Black Ops 2 has. While most of the world waits and expects just another Call of Duty. Maybe this time a few of us might be allowed to hope for something more.