It’s finally here. Activision released the official reveal trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops III, so now we know what the game is going to look like and we also know a few mechanics that will return, or be introduced.
You’ve probably already seen the trailer, but just in case give it a watch — or another — before we start picking it apart.
Are the Exosuits Back?
As predicted, it looks like the exosuits will make a return.
Throughout the trailer we see several shots of soldiers wearing the external armor, but even more interesting are the later shots that reveal what the new suits can actually do.
There’s a scene where — what I presume to be — the player character’s arm turns into a minigun like weapon. You can see what that looks like in the image below.
There’s another scene where some obscure robotic flies or bugs are released to distract the enemy. It looks like they burst into flames like an incendiary grenade, after swarming a target.
Later, we see shots of a crossbow that might be part of a suit — think Robocop’s leg-socketed pistol. There’s evidence of augmented strength too, as soldiers wearing an exosuit toss heavy objects around. Then again, the superhuman strength is to be expected since it was one of the big features for the suits in the last game — Advanced Warfare. We can expect the high-flying suit boosters, wall-running and jump mechanics to make a comeback, as well.
Are They Fighting Cyborgs and Machines?
One particular line of dialogue stands out from all of the explosions and action sequences shown in the trailer.
“How far can we push technology, before it starts pushing back?”
This line is audible just after we witness scenes of strange cyborg-like machines, and heavily augmented soldiers. Is it possible that the game’s big bad has opened up a can of worms by releasing an army of machines a la Age of Ultron?
It wouldn’t be Call of Duty without a few human vs human battles, obviously. However, I couldn’t help but pick out all of the scenes with cyborgs, machines and mechs. At the very least, there’s some interesting technology on display here.
The rolling bot at 01:27, that seems to shred and gore the soldier running away, is scary as hell. It makes me curious if we’ll be engaging similar bots throughout the entire game or just a single level?
There Will Be Underwater Battles
Sure, there have been underwater scenes and battles in previous Call of Duty titles, but the scene at 00:28 looks much more action packed. The PC is shooting, swimming and dodging just as if they were on land. No doubt it’s the suit allowing for this extra mobility underwater, but it certainly makes me wonder what else we’ll be doing under the surface.
Other environments include a cave or tunnel, a sprawling, concrete wasteland in an unnamed city, an abandoned stadium, a lab or manufacturing plant, and a snow-riddled forest. It looks like the landscapes are going to be pretty diverse, which is always a plus!
You Can Customize the Protagonist: Male or Female
For the first time in Call of Duty history, you’ll be able to customize the campaign’s protagonist. That includes choosing between a male or female lead.
“It’s not just a female head on a male body. It’s a different set of animations for the entire game,” says Treyarch Studio Head Mark Lamia. Both the male and female characters will be fully voiced too.
In the trailer, we can see several instances of characters decked out in unique gear. Check out the image above, that hood is badass.
We’ll find out what else is in store for us when Call of Duty: Black Ops III releases this fall for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. At the moment, we only know about current gen versions of the game, but it’s possible last-gen consoles might see it too. Stay tuned for more news on the matter.
What do you think? Did you catch anything interesting in the trailer that I seem to have missed?
