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Activision's Next Call of Duty is Definitely Black Ops II, In Case You Were Still Wondering

Activision inadvertently let the cat out of the bag this morning, along with some setting details.

So. Many. Drones.
So. Many. Drones.

As perhaps was expected, we now definitively know what the next Call of Duty game is, many hours before its scheduled reveal. If you thought this year was going to be different, that the NBA Playoffs would be just that much sweeter thanks to the exclusive, all-encompassing reveal planned for tonight's game on TNT, sadly, once again you are disappointed. More likely, however, you don't care at all, and just want to know about the frigging game. Understandable.

Well, thanks to Activision accidentally putting up the game's UK promotional site a smidge early, we now know this year's Call of Duty is, as expected, the sequel to the mega-successful Treyarch-developed Black Ops. Black Ops II is coming to all the expected platforms, and it's doing so on November 13.

But wait! There's more! In addition, we now know a few basic details thanks to some plot and screenshot leaks. Here's the premise of the game, according to the website:

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 propels players into a near future, 21st Century Cold War, where technology and weapons have converged to create a new generation of warfare.

So, basically, hey, remember how the Cold War setting of Black Ops was kind of neat and slightly different from all of the other modern shooters out there right now? Yeah, well, screw that. They're doing their own future guns and modern-ish imaginary conflicts, just like all the other games with future guns and modern-ish imaginary conflicts. Oh, and drones. There are a lot of drones, if these screenshots are to be believed. So that's something, I suppose.

We won't be seeing any video until tonight's TV reveal, unless of course someone decides to leak that too. We'll keep an eye out for that.

Alex Navarro on Google+

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alex

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Edited By alex
So. Many. Drones.
So. Many. Drones.

As perhaps was expected, we now definitively know what the next Call of Duty game is, many hours before its scheduled reveal. If you thought this year was going to be different, that the NBA Playoffs would be just that much sweeter thanks to the exclusive, all-encompassing reveal planned for tonight's game on TNT, sadly, once again you are disappointed. More likely, however, you don't care at all, and just want to know about the frigging game. Understandable.

Well, thanks to Activision accidentally putting up the game's UK promotional site a smidge early, we now know this year's Call of Duty is, as expected, the sequel to the mega-successful Treyarch-developed Black Ops. Black Ops II is coming to all the expected platforms, and it's doing so on November 13.

But wait! There's more! In addition, we now know a few basic details thanks to some plot and screenshot leaks. Here's the premise of the game, according to the website:

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 propels players into a near future, 21st Century Cold War, where technology and weapons have converged to create a new generation of warfare.

So, basically, hey, remember how the Cold War setting of Black Ops was kind of neat and slightly different from all of the other modern shooters out there right now? Yeah, well, screw that. They're doing their own future guns and modern-ish imaginary conflicts, just like all the other games with future guns and modern-ish imaginary conflicts. Oh, and drones. There are a lot of drones, if these screenshots are to be believed. So that's something, I suppose.

We won't be seeing any video until tonight's TV reveal, unless of course someone decides to leak that too. We'll keep an eye out for that.

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impartialgecko

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Edited By impartialgecko

Here we go again.

EDIT: Actually, this thing turned out pretty swell!

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Akyho

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Edited By Akyho

I found it strange when a friend said "Tomorrow they announce Black ops 2." Not much of an announcement if people already knew. And the joys of now people going "Black ops is better than MW3! well Black ops 2 is better than MW3, nah Black ops it better than all!" so fun times.

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stryker1138

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Edited By stryker1138

Knew exactly who was writing this article from the headline.

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rockinkemosabe

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Edited By rockinkemosabe

So it's basically modern warfare GRAW?

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cornbredx

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Edited By cornbredx

Colored me uninterested. The whole franchise is generally uninteresting to me but I liked the whole historic like feel of Black Ops. Not really all that interested in modern military though. This will be a pass for me.

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Cloudenvy

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Edited By Cloudenvy

21st Century? I'm uninterested already.

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adoggz

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Edited By adoggz

so its basically Call of Duty: 20 seconds into the future warfare. meh.

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jacdg

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Edited By jacdg

Well, I'm going to be that one person.

Super stoked for this, i loved Black Ops and I've really not enjoyed the last two Infinity Ward games, so I'm more than ready for some more Call of Duty, honestly really looking forward to getting back into the online first person shooting, since both Battlefield and MW3, as I mentioned before, completely underwhelmed and bored me more than they should've. Black Ops 2 hypetrain, get on!

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Sackmanjones

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Edited By Sackmanjones
@stryker1138

Knew exactly who was writing this article from the headline.

Same here



You know what. I might not be a giant call of duty fan but this could be neat depending on how "near future" they go. It also helps that Black Ops is probably my favorite Call of Duty next to 4. 
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impartialgecko

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Edited By impartialgecko

I hope they try and remove the word "Respawn" from the multiplayer

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Animasta

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Edited By Animasta

@CornBREDX said:

Colored me uninterested. The whole franchise is generally uninteresting to me but I liked the whole historic like feel of Black Ops. Not really all that interested in modern military though. This will be a pass for me.

same.

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LordLOC

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Edited By LordLOC

So this is basically Battlefield 2142, except in the 2000's and on the Quake 3 engine still? Oh and no vehicles. Also, kill streaks?

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Edited By Sackmanjones

I would like to also point out that the call of duty franchise now has 2 series currently going. Is that the correct way to say it? The modern warfare series and the black ops series under the call of duty franchise? My head hurts.

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Edited By Icemo

So, that's a thing, I suppose?

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Xeirus

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Edited By Xeirus

@stryker1138 said:

Knew exactly who was writing this article from the headline.

Congrats, no one cares.

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GeekDown

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Edited By GeekDown

This will be the first time that I won't be buying a Call of Duty game. I never really liked Black Ops and MW3 was a bit underwhelming. So yeah, I'm pretty much done with the series at this point.

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Edited By zyn

@GeekDown said:

This will be the first time that I won't be buying a Call of Duty game. I never really liked Black Ops and MW3 was a bit underwhelming. So yeah, I'm pretty much done with the series at this point.

ditto.

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Voxus

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Edited By Voxus

-.-

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BBQBram

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Edited By BBQBram

I don't care, if you were still wondering.

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moffattron9000

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Edited By moffattron9000

So basically they are getting rid of the slightly off kilter (if you can say that about call of duty) feel the first games had going for it to capture a market that they already have near total control of. To say the least i'm not getting my hopes up for Zork 2 to be in this game which is a shame because I really liked how Treyarch went and threw everything that they could at the first one.

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Edited By Scrawnto

@LordLOC said:

So this is basically Battlefield 2142, except in the 2000's and on the Quake 3 engine still? Oh and no vehicles. Also, kill streaks?

So it's like the Eater bunny, except it's not a rabbit and it doesn't lay eggs? It's kind of weird that you would start out calling the two things similar and then explain how they're hardly alike at all.

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Bell_End

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Edited By Bell_End

i don't care about this game. yet im still going to post into a thread about it. you'd think if i had no interest i just wouldn't click on the thread and just ignore it.

but i didn't

i took the time to create a post to basicaly post nothing of any value or worth.

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xrolfx

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Edited By xrolfx

So that's like, a thing.

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Edited By Justin258

@zyn said:

@GeekDown said:

This will be the first time that I won't be buying a Call of Duty game. I never really liked Black Ops and MW3 was a bit underwhelming. So yeah, I'm pretty much done with the series at this point.

ditto.

Yep.

@LordLOC said:

So this is basically Battlefield 2142, except in the 2000's and on the Quake 3 engine still? Oh and no vehicles. Also, kill streaks?

I've never played 2142, but if BC2, 1943, and 3 are any indication, the Battlefield series' multiplayer isn't at all like Call of Duty's multiplayer, save for a similar setting.

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Edited By halberdierv2

futuristic warfare? bah, MW has oversaturated my taste in that stuff. I wanted a 1980/1990 game.

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AvianFlame

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Edited By AvianFlame

I can't even read comments on Call of Duty-related articles anymore. So full of blabbering with nothing to say.

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Edited By Robaota

The last 5 Call of Duty games released on the XBOX 360 are in the top 10 selling games of all time for the system (based on this perhaps dubious site: http://www.vgchartz.com/platform/7/xbox-360/). I will make a bold prediction in saying that this will break that run.

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Edited By Rirse

Can this series die already?

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MordeaniisChaos

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Edited By MordeaniisChaos

In before 90% of people use the phrase "Color me uninterested."

I for one am not just writing this off based on a very short article that just says "It's been announced and is probably a thing."

Near future games aren't THAT commonplace. And if they go crazy with it, like the world has been in a constant Cold War all the way through to the 21st Century, then they have to be creating all kinds of fiction and new/completely different technology.

Or it could just be MW4. But I feel like "future warfare" games are being about as overcounted as "zombie" games have been constantly. Having zombies in a game doesn't make it a flipping zombie game, a zombie game focuses on the fact that the world is filled with zombies, not that the world is a hellscape and has zombies, not that you're in albion and there are zombies, not that magic and there are zombies. And WW3 isn't really near future, because A) wasn't that all pretty much taking place during the time period of release? And B) did they have any technology that was less ridiculous than a sentry gun that you could just throw down wherever? Cause those have been around since MW2 (and maybe MW? I forget if that was one of the originals) so I never really take their devotion to time appropriate tech of any kind. If a game is going to be near future, that means tactics, technology, and weapons systems that DO NOT EXIST.

I actually think it'd be cool to see all of the prototype weapons and vehicles currently being assessed to replace things like the SAW, HUMVEE, M4, etc. Right now the US military is in approaching a large restructuring and is going to go into a phase of assessing it's current technology and weapon/vehicle systems and deciding what to replace and what will replace it. That could be a cool thing for them to get into, because some of the replacement HUMVEE options look like the bad guy trucks from Red Faction: Guerrilla. Which is to say pretty damn cool.

This of course is just speculation, but then, so is anything any of us is assuming or hoping or worrying about with this game right now.

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Edited By cikame

This is probably the best way to escape reusing assets in CoD games, looks like they might be inventing guns rather than re-texturing the old ones.
The more unique story and best of the series multiplayer is why Black Ops 1 is my favorite CoD game, this might do the same.

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Shady

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Edited By Shady

I thought this was a new MGS based on the screenshot.

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Edited By AlexW00d

@Robaota said:

All 5 Call of Duty games released on the XBOX 360 are in the top 10 selling games of all time for the system (based on this perhaps dubious site: http://www.vgchartz.com/platform/7/xbox-360/). I will make a bold prediction in saying that this will break that run.

All 5? There have been 7 CoD games on 360.

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Edited By jasonefmonk

I ended up getting rid of my copy of Black Ops not long after launch. It had some fun changes (wager matches), but the last few games have looked and played in a very similar way. After that I didn't bother with Modern Warfare 3. They need new consoles, new engines, and a fresh look at the CoD franchise.

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Edited By Jerome85

Sounds interesting, can't wait to hear more details.

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OldGuy

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Edited By OldGuy

...and here I was hoping for a World War 1 setting and trench warfare... Oh well.

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Edited By Aegeri

The question is, what will they do to ensure this isn't just yet another generic FPS (minding, that's how they sell these things - by being extremely well crafted but incredibly generic FPS games). I honestly can't say I care for the unlock system in Call of Duty MP either, so that leaves me thinking this is another CoD game I won't be buying. But again, they could do something really cool and unexpected, I just don't think they will. Personally, I am holding out for CoD: American Civil War. Spending around a minute or so reloading your rifle to take another shot will make for some thrilling multiplayer!

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Edited By Pop
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Edited By rox360

Okay, with the greyscale digital camo on that walker thing, and the fact that it's a large, square-ish walker, how am I not supposed to think of Battlefield 2142? Seriously, it looks almost exactly like someone took the EU APC from that game and stuck the EU Walker's legs on it.
 
All this is doing is making me want a 2142 sequel...

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Edited By Nadafinga

I'm becoming more and more convinced that these "accidental leaks" are usually completely intentional. It gets people talking about your game, thinking they have some insider information, which naturally gets you excited.

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Edited By porr

I still think CoD1,2,UO and MW1 were the only ones worth playing....

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Edited By Zoombini

Super looking forward to this, Black Ops was the best COD game since the first Modern Warfare and I am very looking forward to seeing what Treyarch do with this future-modern style setting.

It also helps that I am a massive GRAW fan and this sounds like they are going for a similar feel technology-wise.

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Edited By musubi

Well....looks like they got me again. Near future setting = big win

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Edited By theodacourt

If this game isn't about the numbers, Mason, then I have no interest.

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Talis12

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Edited By Talis12

@zyn said:

@GeekDown said:

This will be the first time that I won't be buying a Call of Duty game. I never really liked Black Ops and MW3 was a bit underwhelming. So yeah, I'm pretty much done with the series at this point.

ditto.

tritto

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Edited By YOUNGLINK

Thanks Alex, but I have 5 other games over the last 5 years that are the same thing. I think activision wants my money or something o_0

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Edited By Romination

@AvianFlame said:

I can't even read comments on Call of Duty-related articles anymore. So full of blabbering with nothing to say.

It's a lot of chest-pounding that then goes to shit when everyone buys a copy of the game anyways.

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Edited By Ravenlight

And here I was hoping they'd announce Call of Duty: Medieval Warfare.