Activision and Treyarch certainly left this whole ‘Black Ops 2’ business very late indeed.
We all knew another entry to the Call of Duty series of first-person shooters was on the way – it’s been an annually available franchise since Call of Duty 2 in 2005 – and we all knew that this new game was in development at Treyarch, but there was still a question over the name and setting.
All Hell Breaks Loose
As any Call of Duty game commands, rumours and speculation ran rife all the way until Activision’s April announcement that a ‘reveal’ of some kind would hit on May 1st – it was then that we would know the true nature of the publisher’s next industry stomper.
And we sure got that reveal.
As promised, and on May 1st, Activision and Treyarch unleashed a flood of media and information on the pair’s next game: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
Debut gameplay details. Screenshots. Box Art. Trailer. It was an exciting time… but not as exciting as actually seeing and playing the game for the first time.
Eyes Wide, Hands On
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was fully unveiled at E3 2012 and El33tonline was there to see the game’s singleplayer and brand new Strike Force missions in action – you can read our initial impressions of the new features of this year’s campaign (with more choice and exciting weaponry) over here, as well as our thoughts on what could very well be the game’s most innovative feature, Strike Force, over here.
Shortly thereafter, it was announced that ‘everyone’s’ favourite multiplayer map, Nuke Town, would be making an appearance in Black Ops 2 as a pre-order incentive, while heavy hitting Hollywood and musical talents would be contributing their work to the game, too, but this all paled in comparison to an all-new trailer for the game showcasing some of the incredible action we could expect at the end of the year.
But that was all singleplayer campaign stuff. What about multiplayer?
Over the Waves and Far Away (In Germany)
We got our first glimpses at Black Ops 2 multiplayer soon enough with the debut reveal trailer, but the real information and excitement poured down during gamescom 2012 in Germany.
Not only was El33tonline in attendance in the audience at the world’s very first Black Ops 2 multiplayer livestream during gamescom 2012, but we went eyes- and hands-on with some of the online modes, too.
Multiplayer designer David Vonderhaar was on hand to provide a detailed walkthrough of the game’s new online features, while we also played through a few multiplayer games during the event – read our initial impressions of the game’s modes and features here.
Questions still remained, though. Would Black Ops 2 feature Treyarch’s signature zombie modes?
For the Horde(s)
As we soon discovered, there was no need to worry about this mystery, because following the reveal of the monstrous collector’s editions for Black Ops 2 and a full unboxing video of the enormous Care Package edition, Treyarch made the official announcement with a terrific trailer – zombies are back in Black Ops 2, and better than ever!
We also received some great news regarding the game’s Season Pass and a bounty of free online features, as well as the announcement of a partnership with YouTube to allow for livestreaming of multiplayer games, while one last television advertising effort helped stir hype for Black Ops 2 with an awesome trailer starring some well-known personalities:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 – ‘Surprise’ Live-Action Trailer
Our favourite piece of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 media, however, has to be the game’s launch trailer, tailor-made for South African audiences with a quote from your very own El33tonline – you can watch that over here.
The question remains, however: Will you be playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 2?
Have you had your fill of Call of Duty, or are you still raring to go, ready and waiting for a brand new trip into bombast and spectacle?
Whatever the case may be, we wish you a happy Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Launch Day, everybody – the game is out now around the world!
Tags: activision, callofdutyblackops2, treyarch
