This marks the seventh release under the Call of Duty name and promises to deliver a number of additions to the first person shooter platform. The game is scheduled for release on the 9th of November and is currently being developed by Treyarch. 

 

Among the most significant announcements surrounding the game is the confirmation that it will be released on PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. In addition to this South African gamers will be happy to know that dedicated servers will be put in place to support the PC version. 

 

 

One of the biggest criticisms levelled at the most recent Call of Duty iteration, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, was that it lacked the functionality to allow to player to ‘lean’ in game. Treyarch recently announced that this has been duly addressed and that the ‘lean’ ability, which is a hallmark function for many popular first person shooters, will be featured in the game.

 

Other additions include a new stealth movement mode, more advanced AI (artificial intelligence) and a deeper class customisation. 

 

In terms of game mechanics Treyarch has also confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops is being developed on a heavily modified version of the engine used for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It will ship standard with Modern Warfare 2’s standard host migration for multiplayer gameplay but will feature an updated server browser which should make navigating Call of Duty: Black Ops' online play more simple. 

 

 

In keeping with Call of Duty tradition the game will focus on a particular period in history which represents governmental instability. In this instance Black Ops will circulate around the events of the Cold War and may even see the player re-enacting the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy in 1963. 

 

Thus far a limited weapon (see below) list has been revealed to the press. Although this certainly does not represent the final make up of the arms found in the game it gives a good insight into which weapons players can expect. 

 

Overall the gaming world is currently abuzz with rumours and information surrounding Black Ops. Developers Treyarch has also confirmed that new details will be revealed at the annual E3 conference in Los Angeles, USA which is due to take place in mid June.