053game you’re made aware of how
your choices affected the story. “We
want to make it really clear, the
different choices you made or didn’t
make, and how those affected the
world and the characters around you.”
It’s also about what you don’t do.
There will be two optional side-
missions in
Cold War, and
which you
choose to do,
or not do, will
make a
difference.
The game is
“breaking out
of the normal traditional Call Of
Duty structure,” says Vondrak.STRANGER THINGS
One mission that combines this idea
with the classic Black Ops tropes
of mind control and uncertainty is
a flashback mission to Vietnam. It
looks like some clue vital to Perseus
is trapped in a lost memory and you
revisit the war under what appears
to be hypnotic regression. As you
replay the battle, new memories
unlock with mind-bending resultsas doors appear in the jungle or you
walk through a frozen battle. “Our
goal with this level was to create a
mission structure that no one has
seen before in Call Of Duty,” says
Vondrak. “We allow the player to
choose from many different paths
as they dig through [their] shadowy
memories.
As the
player makes
choices and
dives deeper
into their
memories
the level will
actually reset
itself, offering new encounters and
new experiences.”
Basically the weight of deciding
the fate of the world is on your
shoulders. Still, at least one mission
suggests a lighter tone has crept into
the world of plausible deniability. It
sees you infiltrate a Russian facility
that turns out to be a recreation of
an American town being used for
invasion practice. From a videogame
arcade to über-’80s shop signs,
there’s a Stranger Things vibe to the
whole setup, something that’s onlyenhanced by Pat Benatar’s Hit Me
With Your Best Shot pumping out
the speakers as all hell breaks loose.
The ’80s setting has even had an
influence on Raven’s approach to
interaction. Rather than going
through the motions of gathering
evidence, Vondrak reveals you’ll need
to solve puzzles to unlock intel. “I
was like, dude, if this was, if this
was an ’80s game, you would have
to solve some kind of puzzle. People
thought I was crazy,” he tells us.
“[Now] you have to use the evidence
to solve these puzzles and that’ll
unlock a different part of the side-
mission, so even here we wanted to
make a call back to the ’80s.”
Treyarch’s Leslie says the new
direction captures the momentum of
the Black Ops series. Black Ops 2,
for example, had a limited branching
narrative. “This culmination of ideas
and experiences are crystallised and
harnessed into Cold War, so you’ve
got some RPG and some action. [...]
We’re throwing in all the
experience-ingredients into the pie
and what comes out of the oven is
Black Ops – Cold War, which
hopefully is gonna be super-tasty.”CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS – COLD WAR
“WE ALLOW THE
PLAYER TO CHOOSE
FROM MANY
DIFFERENT PATHS.”
053game you’re madeawareofhow
your choices affectedthestory.“We
want to make itreallyclear,the
different choicesyoumadeordidn’t
make, and howthoseaffectedthe
world and the charactersaroundyou.”
It’s also aboutwhatyoudon’tdo.
There will be twooptionalside-
missions in
Cold War, and
which you
choose to do,
or not do, will
make a
difference.
The game is
“breaking out
of the normaltraditionalCallOf
Duty structure,” says Vondrak.
STRANGER THINGS
One mission that combines this idea
with the classic Black Ops tropes
of mind control and uncertainty is
a flashback mission to Vietnam. It
looks like some clue vital to Perseus
is trapped in a lost memory and you
revisit the war under what appears
to be hypnotic regression. As you
replay the battle, new memories
unlock with mind-bending results
asdoorsappearinthejungleoryou
walkthrougha frozenbattle.“Our
goalwiththislevelwastocreatea
missionstructurethatnoonehas
seenbeforeinCallOfDuty,”says
Vondrak.“Weallowtheplayerto
choosefrommanydifferentpaths
astheydigthrough[their]shadowy
memories.
Asthe
playermakes
choicesand
divesdeeper
intotheir
memories
thelevelwill
actuallyreset
itself,offeringnewencountersand
new experiences.”
Basically the weight of deciding
the fate of the world is on your
shoulders. Still, at least one mission
suggests a lighter tone has crept into
the world of plausible deniability. It
sees you infiltrate a Russian facility
that turns out to be a recreation of
an American town being used for
invasion practice. From a videogame
arcade to über-’80s shop signs,
there’s a Stranger Things vibe to the
whole setup, something that’s onlyenhancedbyPatBenatar’sHitMe
WithYourBestShotpumpingout
thespeakersasallhellbreaksloose.
The’80ssettinghasevenhadan
influenceonRaven’sapproachto
interaction.Ratherthangoing
throughthemotionsofgathering
evidence,Vondrakrevealsyou’llneed
tosolvepuzzlestounlockintel.“I
waslike,dude,if thiswas,if this
wasan’80sgame,youwouldhave
tosolvesomekindofpuzzle.People
thoughtI wascrazy,”hetellsus.
“[Now]youhavetousetheevidence
tosolvethesepuzzlesandthat’ll
unlocka differentpartoftheside-
mission,soevenherewewantedto
makea callbacktothe’80s.”
Treyarch’s Leslie says the new
direction captures the momentum of
the Black Ops series. Black Ops 2,
for example, had a limited branching
narrative. “This culmination of ideas
and experiences are crystallised and
harnessed into Cold War, so you’ve
got some RPG and some action. [...]
We’re throwing in all the
experience-ingredients into the pie
and what comes out of the oven is
Black Ops – Cold War, which
hopefully is gonna be super-tasty.”CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS – COLD WAR
“WE ALLOW THE
PLAYER TO CHOOSE
FROM MANY
DIFFERENT PATHS.”