Using the crossbow as an example, the enemies could be picked off with the standard arrows, allowing for a stealthy entrance; or explosive tips could be used to distract the soldiers and cause chaos in the area. The player actually stuck an explosive arrow into one of the soldiers, which took out several enemies in the area when exploded.
But the interesting thing about
Call of Duty: Black Ops is that it's not based on just one particular conflict. The Cold War era encompassed many different battles with several countries, and the story is threaded throughout a lot of these, I'm told. Alongside the key operations against the Soviet Union, we will also get to experience events that took place during the controversial war between the United States and Vietnam.
I was shown a level that reflected the style of combat in the Vietnam stages, appropriately named Slaughterhouse. If the snowy WMD was all about stealth, then this is all about balls-to-the-wall, relentless gunplay. Set in Hue City in 1968, your helicopter gets gunned down in the middle of an intense battle on the streets. Your character ends up crashing into a burning building, and you need to fight your way through a huge number of enemy rebels to rendezvous with the Marines that are currently pinned down.
This is urban warfare, powered up – you get access to a shotgun and some incendiary ammunition, which leaves a burning trail when fired at targets. Your route is constantly blocked off by towering flames and showers of bullets, so the journey becomes a fast-paced battle through an entire residential block. Once you find the soldiers you're looking for, it's time to call in air support – at which point a helicopter comes into frame and starts pummelling a nearby building full of lead.
Slaughterhouse, particularly in this segment of the game, looks quite incredible. Seeing small meteors of concrete fly off of an opposing building, flames licking the back of the windows... it's a great thing to witness. Similarly impressive is the range of gameplay mechanics Treyarch is willing to throw at this thing to keep the action fresh – although I hope that use of such moves isn't an act of insecurity on their part.
What I'd hate to see would be levels that feel like 'jack of all trades' offerings. If the mechanics don't flow into one another seamlessly, it might as well be a first-person mini-game compilation. But so far, so good for the boys at Treyarch. The real proof will be in the actual playing of the game – something we hope to do at E3 this year. Stay tuned.
