Another day, another Call of Duty trailer. Today, we get our first good look at the revamped Special Ops mode coming at launch on October 25.
Well, that looks much bigger than I expected. I remember the old Special Ops taking place on multiplayer maps. This go around, we’ll be using tanks, helicopters, and ATVs to get around and tackle the new ‘Operations’ in different ways.
Special Ops is being split into three components: Operations, Missions, and Survival.
Survival – Infinity Ward and Activision managed to avoid controversy until it was announced the Survival mode was exclusive to PS4 for an entire year. Here’s what exactly is coming to PS4 only.
Survival is made up of four-player matches where you hold off waves of increasingly harder enemies across three multiplayer maps. Still bogus to be exclusive to PS4, but it’s a small part of the overall Special Ops package.
Operations – This is the part the trailer shows off. The folks behind Modern Warfare say they’re big enough to “employ different strategies. Go in quietly or tackle the insurrection head-on. The enemy reacts to your team’s decisions, meaning the outcome of any battle can change.”
That’s a bold statement, and one the trailer does a good job trying to sell. All I know is that the skydive sequence at the end of the trailer better be playable. “Expansive” is a word being tossed around a lot, and Special Ops definitely is compared to the original mode back in Modern Warfare 2.
You’ll also pick from one of six specific ‘roles:’ Assault, Recon, Engineer, Demolition, Medic, and Heavy. Each one gets a field upgrade and a class-specific perk. Killstreaks also let you build your own set-piece moment as you pick three, including the fan-favorite Gunship.
Missions – While Operations are multi-stage, missions offer “a more curated experience where your proficiency with specific weapons, killstreaks, and other tools will be tested,” according to Activision. A three-star ranking for each one gives the missions a little more replayability. And “Infinity Ward time” returns to see how you stack up against the dev team.
The more I see of Modern Warfare, the more I like. Everyone behind the game, from the devs down to the marketing, have done a bang-up job selling this as one of the best Call of Duty games ever. We’ll see if it can live up to all the hype when it releases on October 25.