SPECIAL!! CoD: Black Ops Teaser!

For most gamers the CoD series is the definitive fps and who am I to argue? Each new addition brings Activision a ridiculous amount of money and the games top the online charts for years after (or, at least, until the next one arrives!). Needless to say the latest addition to the franchise (Black Ops) is very much in peoples minds at the moment, everyone eager to see what Treyarch can do to counter some of MW2's online problems.

Today Treyarch released a multiplayer teaser trailer that has, when looked at up close, given quite a lot away. In this episode of my ramblings i shall be dissecting this latest trailer quite thoroughly indeed, so if CoD does not interest you I'd advise you sit this blog post out; I will hopefully be posting my normal blog later this week.

Just before I begin if there is anyone who has not seen the aforementioned trailer here it is:

Let's Begin!!!

1)
Here we can see our first glimpse at the first of the two maps on show in the trailer. Things to see here is the spy-cam seen in the first segment. Note that it is mapped to the upper button on the D-Pad, does this mean that it isn't a killstreak? Linking to this the image from the camera takes the place of the mini-map; possibly a choice you get??

2)

From this shot we can see the return of both callsigns and the mini-challenges brought into the series with MW2. If you look closely it also appears that Treyarch have added a sense of humour to the game is that a smilie for the red dot site??

3)

This little shot gives the cam a name, of sorts, camera-spike. This looks to be a very interesting addition possibly a measure to reduce camping.

4)

This shot gives a good look at the new HUD, bullets are replaced with numbers the d-pad gets a little quartered circle around it and the scores get racehorse-esq revamp. Take a quick look at the mini-map and you can see that this particular map seems to be rather large.

5)

Now we have a few exciting additions to the mix here. Most obvious is the apparent return of customisable killstreaks, one of which being a remote buggy (more on that later). The killstreaks are once again mapped to the right button on the d-pad (again, where does this leave the camera?) I'm glad to see Treyarch have kept the custom killstreaks as it adds that extra depth to the game, we just have to hope it doesn't encourage the camping we all see in MW2.

6)

There are two trains of thought in my mind for this screenshot. A - The rocket is just a piece of moving scenery like the cars in Carnival (MW2) or the missiles in Countdown (MW). B - Could this be a new objective-based game type or game-effecting scenery?

7)
Next up is one of the stars of the E3 trailer: the exploding crossbow!! In other news the care package is back.

8)

Another killstreak here; according to the audio it is simply artillery. My first thoughts went towards predator but this looks more like a torpedo...

9)

Ballistic Knife. By the looks of things it is a pneumatic knife. Will this be a refined throwing knife or an easy kill (like the noob-tube)?

10)

This shows a lovely new stabbing movement that looks very violent indeed. Also another killstreak, this one looking unnervingly nuke-ish, at the very least it is a bomb of some form.

11)

Next in the killstreaks shown is a Chinook helicopter. You can see this in the mini-map but a few seconds earlier the beast itself is visible. My money is that this will deliver care-packages based on the role of Chinooks in the military and the fact that in a couple of seconds we will see the enemy on the mini-map killed whilst attempting to retrieve said package.

12)

Not much to report in this other than the destruction being caused by another killstreak: an attack chopper.

13)

Back to the remote buggy, here we see it being controlled toward the two chaps in front who then are blown to bits. This excites me quite a lot, mainly as it seems a god way to combat campers. Note also in this shot the missile in the background. This overtakes the buggy and turns a lot. This suggests that it is remote controlled, but from the trajectory it seems more of a torpedo than a predator.

14)

This one is all about another killstreak. Seeing a pattern? From the jet on the mini-map and on the d-pad this looks like a harrier strike, albeit with a tad more vava-voom than its MW2 brethren.

15)
I don't need to point out the obvious in this screenshot of the sniper rifle. Instead take a quick look at the mini-map which can be seen to have been divided into quadrants. I expect this will please those in the MLG with an easy way to call out where enemies are.

16)

Just like MW2's multiplayer Treyarch have left a big crowd pleaser until after the titles. This time its a dedicated theatre mode reminiscent of that found in the Halo series.

17)

As we can see here you are able to view the action from multiple angles, this will surely be a great addition for veteran and rookie Machinima directors and commentators alike.

18)

All to see here is a very simple looking after-editing programme, allowing cuts and transitions; again one for the Machinima directors.

19)

Finally we have this one. Pay attention to the background and you can see the option to upload you film straight from the game and, i would imagine, onto a site run by Treyarch. I would also hope there is an option to upload them either directly to YouTube or your PC/Mac so you can show off that impressive killcam or lucky shot!

That is all that I could deduce from this 1:25 of footage, if you have anything to add please feel free to leave a comment.

Many thanks and I welcome you back to my usual ramblings which should resume later this week.

FT

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SPECIAL!! Toy Story 3!

Welcome everyone to my blog's first ever special!! Today i am focussing my entire post to one film, so without further ado; let's begin:

If you are one of the few who have actually watched my, quite frankly embarrassing, entrance into vlogging you'll know that last week I went to see the film I have been waiting 11 years for. That’s right. Toy Story 3! I have no notion of embarrassment in going to watch this as I genuinely believe this film is not for the kids of today, its for people my age; those who were 3, 4 or 5 when the original came out and were completely transfixed by the realisation of a dream everyone that age had. The dream that your toys really were alive. This was then repeated 4 years later by the, not quite as good but still awesome, sequel. This time the film appeared to have grown with those who had first seen the original. It managed to draw the same level of fascination from the kids who were now approaching 10 at the same time capturing the hearts of those who were new to the franchise. This, I feel, is no easy feat. To add to this both films loved by parents and adults alike creating an unusual situation of universal love.

This then left a lot to achieve for Toy Story 3. Film history is riddled with poor sequels, let alone third entries to franchises. Notable here are Shrek 3, Spiderman 3 and the list goes on. For Toy Story 3, I am thrilled to report that it fits in the same vein as The Return of the King or The Bourne Ultimatum. In brief then it is brilliant. Once again the film has grown with both its original audience and those who tagged on late with Toy Story 2 whilst being able to captivate those who were joining the saga. The cinema itself was proof of this; filled with all ages from babies and toddlers to teenagers and adults, then at the end was filled with praises coming from the end of showing chatter.

So why was it so good? I'll tell you. The story is beautifully written and follows on from the 2nd film in real time. So Andy is going off to college and the fate of our favourite toys are called into question as Andy's room has to be cleared out. Andy then decides what he wants to do with them all but, a little predictably, all does not go to plan! I will not give away any more of the plot but what follows is a familiar but still fresh adventure for the Toys; meeting new friends (and enemies) and facing perils worse than ever before! This all is then tied up with a very satisfying end to the trilogy that I'm sure will please new and old Toy Story fans alike.

As expected it looked superb, Pixar are still way ahead of any other animation studios, with every scene looking flawless and to immense detail in both image and texture. This wonderful look in addition to the 3D made it a treat for the eyes. The 3D was, in my opinion, even better than how Avatar handled it. With Avatar it was good but felt rather uncomfortable and blurry at times, whereas with TS3 it was crystal clear throughout. There was also none of the gimmicky jump-out's that are too common with 3D films. In an interview with Graeme Boyd for Inside Xbox TS3 producer Darla Anderson said how they wanted the 3D aspect to "add another dimension" to the film and that it was important to them to "not use it as a gimmick." This is definitely the way to handle 3D in my book as it immerses you more into the world without raising the 'cringe factor.'

Combining all of this with the return of Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Joan Cusack and the rest of the original voice cast makes for an enjoyable adventure for any age. This is a truly magical film and one that shouldn’t be missed. It fully deserved its achievement of knocking Twilight's Eclipse out of contention for the biggest opening week in the UK and is now second only to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Hope you enjoyed this FTB special, i'll be back to regular blogging next week :)

FT

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