Demolition

The reason Demolition is the number one game type for earing COD points is because of the overtime and the fact that there are two sites to destroy. In Capture the Flag and other game types, there is either a short “sudden death” overtime or no overtime at all. While Sabotage can be extended if you find cooperative players, Demolition consistently yields higher match points. Objective-based games feature the depth of being able to defuse and plant to earn a smacking 100 points. Often times match leaders not only have high kill/death ratios in their games of Demolition, they also have the most defuses and/ or plants.

When aiming to get points in Demolition, remember that you’re both fighting waves of instantly respawning enemies and working to advance on two objectives between your team. Headsets are great if you have a group of friends who’ll all work a strategy. If you don’t have a headset, (or more likely, friends that’ll take CoD seriously enough to formulate strategies via headset) work for the closest objective point first. Take your time advancing and stick around your objective till it’s clear. Plant, defend and if you die, run back. Ideally your defense will give your team mates enough time to cover the spot while you’re running back after respawning.

Sabotage

People are bound to argue that Sabotage is as yielding as TDM or Free-For-All. What’s absolutely true is that Sabotage has a fifteen minute time limit versus other games like Demo which start with some time, then either expire or extend given successful demolitions. Though Sabotage can be a quick game if a run and gunner comes from the other team, scoops up the bomb and happens to plow through five to seven people on the way to planting, more often than not, Sabotage can result in major league scores.

High Stakes Wager Matches

Quickly and shortly – if you’re the best kind of player, you make money at high stakes wager matches. Game types are random at this level so don’t think if you’re a great Sticks and Stones player that you’ll hold water here. If you go into any scenario in a player match and earn the win and if you wind up with triple digit kills to single digit deaths, stake it on the 10K matches available in the Wager Match section. Anything else will be cutting yourself short!

Duck and Cover

As stated, sometimes deaths are inevitable when going up against a cannon in the sky. If you’re spawning outside in the open, you’re as good as toast in most cases. Watch both aircraft come in on your radar when you hear the call that they’re coming in. With chopper gunners, you have the unique advantage of a fixed rotation of fire. Get within cover and find out which way the chopper is headed. Maintain cover in the directions from which the chopper or Hind will be firing. Hinds can move around freely which means that you’ve got more ducking and covering to do. Lay down between desks, walls within structures or whatever it takes to stay out of harm’s way with a Hind in the air.

Keep a Strella Class

While some swear by having a launcher in your primary class, the importance of a good pistol in Black Ops is paramount; especially if you’re a headshot expert. Strella-3’s are the lock-on class of launcher with two rounds: enough to down either a Chopper Gunner or a Hind. If you don’t have a class with one, you need a class with one. When a Chopper Gunner or a Hind comes, you can duck and cover, but if you’re not laying fire down you’ll wind up losing for loss of time! To stay competitive, set your class to one with a Strella-3 once you hear that a seriously damaging aircraft is inbound. Last but most importantly, make sure that your Strella class has Ghost as a perk. This will allow you to escape targeting of the aircrafts as long as you’ve unlocked Pro. Once you’ve secured a position inside or on the outskirts of a large map with Ghost Pro, ensure that fire is going in a non-lethal direction. Whip out the Strella and go to town. Problem solved after two good locked-on shots. Beware – once you fire one shot, the fire is sure to come your way. Having a place to run and duck behind deep within a building can save your rear after your first shot. Be sure to take advantage of Ghost Pro and run to new cover, then let loose the second rocket.

Don’t let the big guns scare you off and intimidate you that you’re not going to win: with the right Perks and weaponry, you’re just as competitive against them as they are against you… most of the time.

The Perks:

Perks come in three tiers and you can only set up certain combinations. Ideally, this is meant to even the playing field but there are still ways to “beat” the system. Pairing complimentary perks can give you an advantage specific to your weapons of choice. By effectively using your perks you can earn more COD points and advance in level faster.

Run and Gun

[ lightweight – Steady Aim – Marathon ]

By pairing the agility and nimble-footed lightweight perk with the endurance-rich marathon perk, CoD players have long been running and gunning using sub-machine guns and raining duel wielded mayhem across the nations. While people often debate what the best second tier perk is for the run and gun class, steady aim offers the unique advantage of aiming down the sights quicker once the pro is

unlocked. For that reason, lightweight, steady aim and marathon make the cut for the “Run and Gun” combo class.

Hail-Fire

[ Scavenger – Sleight of Hand – Second-Chance ]

Pairing Scavenger, Sleight of Hand and Second-Chance will give you the ability to regenerate your ammo based on kills – so spray away! The goal with this class is using more lead and killing at least one target at a time in a wave of bullets, then re-upping your ammo as you go. Because you’ll be pumping out tons of ammo with this method, you need sleight of hand so your ducks behind cover can be quick while you advance. Second-Chance can be subbed for something like Hacker if you can’t see claymores in hard places like the rubble in Havana but going with the “unload lead theory”, getting that last close encounter kill could give you the killstreak you’re working to achieve.

Sniper’s Doctrine

[ Ghost – SCOUT– Marathon ]

. Key advantages of sniping are obvious; though often criticized for being “campers”, snipers appreciate the solace of a well tucked away spot and a set of camo and facepaint for every map. By using Ghost in your perk list as a sniper, you can often dodge the main bursts of fire from Chopper Gunners and Hinds if you’re tucked in a good corner or under lots of cover. Scout is always a plus with a sniper rifle: you can hold your breath longer steadying your shot. Lastly, Marathon is important to move between positions after kills. Camp on!

After ‘Ascension,’ a refreshing zombies installment is available to avid fans in the eagerly anticipated Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation map pack.

Call of the Dead is the newest, largest and most ambitious zombie map yet ever released. As part of ‘Escalation’ it follows the paths of four ‘real life,’ Zombie fighters; Danny Trejo, Robert Englund, Michael Rooker and Sarah Michelle Gellar, A.K.A Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The map also features the legendary director of horror movies, George Romero as an immensely powerful zombie and killing him will earn you great rewards.

It is set in an abandoned port in Russia, where the filming of the cast’s new horror movie is underway. However when the face paint and blood capsules of the fake undead are replaced by real, bloodthirsty zombies, it turns into a real fight for survival! Player’s spawn on the shoreline with up to three other players where the classic first gun options the Olympia and M14 are available.

George Romero also spawns nearby, but as a zombie! He initially appears harmless, slowly ambling towards you hurling abuse however, it must be said, if you wish to progress past level 1, DO NOT ATTACK HIM! The reasons for this are quite simply, he is virtually invincible in the early rounds (400,000 health per player) and also any damage inflicted will trigger his ‘crazy mode,’ in which he charges at the nearest player, wildly attacking them. If, heaven forbid, you do accidentally fire at him, the easiest way to ‘calm’ him down is to lure him back into the lake. However, mind he doesn’t electrocute you!

In the later rounds however, it is possible to kill him, the best weapons for doing so are upgraded sniper rifles, the all-new ‘Scavenger,’ which is a bolt-action rifle that fires explosive bolts and obviously the ‘Death machine.’ It has also been rumoured that the other notable new weapon, the ‘V-R11,’ that turns zombies back into humans will work on George Romero. However, this is not the case, although it is the fastest method of ‘calming’ him. If you are skilled (or lucky) enough to kill him, you are rewarded with a death machine and a random perk. On the subject of perks, the new one, included in ‘Call of the Dead,’ is located at the top of the lighthouse and costs a pretty reasonable 1500 points. ‘Deadshot Daiquiri,’ causes the aim assist to focus on the head, rather than the body. It also provides the advantages of steady aim and the benefit of no ‘swaying’ when using a sniper. Using this perk makes slaying the undead George Romero a whole lot easier if you are attempting to do so using anything other than the ‘Death machine.’

The major ‘Easter Egg’ in this map is unlocked after freeing the four ‘Original characters,’ (Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo and Richtofen) from a small room, located underneath the ‘PhD Flopper,’ room. Freeing them from the room and simultaneously unlocking the ‘Easter Egg,’ grants the player with a ‘Wunderwaffe DG-2,’ that will not disappear until it runs out of ammo. Players are also granted a ‘Wunderwaffe DG-2,’ each additional time they manage to kill George Romero.

The newbie method

While I disapprove of this method, its effectiveness is unquestionable. If you are newish to the game and want to achieve the ultimate of awards and get 30 kills to zero deaths then follow this method and see if you can do it. First thing you will need to do is set up an appropriate class. If you haven’t unlocked the ability to create your own class then you probably are destined to fail already. What i used to use was the AK47 with the silencer. Using that in conjunction with the ghost perk, you can remain hidden from enemy radars, which is vital when trying to achieve 30-0 with this method. Make these the foundations of your class and choose whatever other perks you are comfortable with. Now, you need to either buy the camera spike or claymore. I would recommended the camera spike first.

Step 1 – Find a room that only has one entrance/exit and has windows in it that look down onto the map. Such rooms can be found in pretty much any map, maybe not Nuketown though. Place your camera spike down so that you can see anyone or anything that is coming toward the door, and leave it on the whole time. You can switch the camera on and off if you need to look at the radar at any point.

Step 2 – Fire out of the windows in the room you are in until you have achieved a kill-streak of 2-3 and unlocked the radar.

Step 3 – Continue to stay in this room, killing anyone who comes through the entrance. You will be able to see them because of your camera spike!

Step 4 – Stay out of site from the windows and use your radar to determine when somebody is about to pass your killing radius. If they do, blast them up. You will stay off the radar due to your silencer.

Step 5 – Be wary after you kill someone as they will likely to come back and seek revenge, either by throwing Semtex in the window or trying to come up behind you,

Step 6 – Achieve higher kill-streaks suck as attack dogs and chopper gunner. This should be enough to get you 30-0 before your camera spike runs out. If it does run out, stay low and try to pick off the last few kills from the window, whilst being wary of the room entrance.

This is the newbie method, which basically involves camping, which is frowned upon by the Call Of Duty community and you will be pretty soon be branded lots of nasty words for doing this. So try it once or twice just to satisfy your needs and then try out the pro method that I will now explain below.

The pro method

This method is definitely not for newbies due to a few changes we are gonna make to our settings. I will talk about that in the step by step guide in a second. But first, lets talk more about what your set up for this method is going to be like. This method is used to quickly grab you that 30-0, or close to it by blitzing the opposition players. We are gonna go with the AK74U for this one. Have your attachments as: slight of hand pro, marathon pro and last stand pro. Basically this method is going to involve no camping and non stop running. What you will be doing is hunting down every other player on the map via the use of your radar, so make sure that it is one of your kill-streaks. Have your other 2 kill-streaks as dogs and chopper gunner.

Step 1 – Change your sensitivity settings to 3 or 4. This is vital because it allows us to quickly check every corner and aim at enemies faster than they can aim as us. It may take some time to get used to, but it’s really worth it.

Step 2 – Start off slow and get your UAV online. This is vital, make sure you get it as soon as possible!

Step 3 – Hunt down every other player in the free for all! You won’t be able to see them all because some players might have the ghost perk on.

Step 4 – Use your marathon pro to quickly get you around. Don’t stop running unless required.

Step 5 – Always switch your secondary gun for someone else’s main gun. You see a dead body on the floor during the beginning of the game, pick their gun up. You may run out of ammo and only need one more kill for your attack dogs! It makes sense right?

Step 6 – Achieve your kill-streaks and let them do the rest of the work.

Step 7 – Carry on killing whilst your kill-streaks are active, unless you are in your chopper gunner, then you will need to hide somewhere out of sight.

That’s all there is to it folks! It may sound simple, but it really is the best way (other than camping) to achieve a flawless game in a free for all match. Some maps will be harder to do this on though, bare that in mind. My favourite map for getting 30-0 is probably Villa or Nuketown. Try these methods out and see how they suit you. Just don’t be too lame with the first method!

Let’s get one thing straight, the best kill-streaks that you can have before you start a game are as follows:

- UAV spy plane
- Chopper Gunner
- Attack dogs

What makes these the best kill-streak rewards? The UAV spy plane is what I believe to be, one of the most important kill-streak rewards when trying to achieve a high kill-streak. With the hardline perk attached you only require a 2 kill-streak to unlock a UAV spy plane. What could possibly be better than identifying the positions of pretty much every opposing player on the map? Granted, some players will remain hidden on the map if they are using the ghost perk, but in general, most players can be seen.

Achieving the likes of the chopper gunner and attack dogs is some what a bit difficult to achieve at first, but I shall reveal some great tips on how to maximize your kill-streaks.

The reason we choose chopper gunner and attack dogs, is because once you have the chopper gunner, you only need another 2 kills to get the best kill-streak reward on the game. An even better idea is to use them both at the same time, save your chopper until you have reached the attack dogs too. The reason we use these at the same time, is because a lot of the time when you have a chopper gunner up and running, you will find a lot of players will try and instantly shoot it down with an RPG. However, once your dogs are up and running, it becomes incredibly hard to fend off a pack of wild dogs and try to aim at a helicopter in the sky. Even better, the attack dogs can go pretty much anywhere, so don’t worry if your chopper gunner can’t penetrate the walls of buildings that players are hiding in – the dogs will get them!

I spoke a little earlier about the hardline perk. Let’s discuss which other perks you should use when trying to obtain a high kill-streak

- Hardline  pro
- Slight of hand pro
- Last stand pro

We already know why we use hardline, simply because it makes obtaining the initial kill-streak rewards that little bit easier. But what about the other two? I use slight of hand pro simply because it gives me the edge over opposing players. The quick reload could be the difference between getting the attack dogs and not getting them. Never under estimate the power behind slight of hand. Again this could be said for the last stand perk. Many a time I have found myself on a 7 or 8 kill-streak and needing just one more kill to unlock the chopper gunner, when suddenly a nasty little camper shoots me dead in my tracks. I would say that 3 times out 10, I can get one extra kill whilst on my last stand. There have been numerous times where I have found unlocking an 8 kill-streak whilst in my last stand.

So you know which perks and kill-streaks to choose, but what is the best way to go about achieving those massive kill-streaks? Well, a lot of this can come down to which gun you choose and which map you use it on. First, let me share with you what I believe to be the best gun to use on Black Ops.

The AK74U

Attachments – Grip
Perks – Slight of hand pro, marathon, hardline pro
Equipment – Claymore, Semtex, flash bang
Killstreaks – UAV, chopper gunner, attack dogs

Alternatively - you could go with the warlord perk and have two attachments on your gun, such as grip and rapid fire. This does technically make it the best gun on the game, with near perfect stats. However, in order to use the warlord perk, you will have to sacrifice the slight of hand perk. The decision is yours, try both and see which suits you best. The AK74U has great mobility, is very powerful, and with the grip attached has a good range to it. You will see a lot of players using this gun during games, and for good reason. It’s a bit like using the AK47, which itself is pretty good, but perhaps just a tiny bit easier to gain kill-streaks with.

So, you know your kill-streaks, your guns and perks that you need to hit a huge kill-streak, what’s next? You will not be able to achieve massive kill-streaks on every level, on every game type. I find that the best type of game mode to gain huge kill-streaks are in ground war (domination) and headquarters. But which are the best maps to play when trying to get a 30+ kill-streak? Here are some of, what I believe, the best maps to play when trying to tear it up!

WMD
Nuketown
Firing Range

Gaining a big kill-streak on Nuketown can be hard sometimes due to the small area you have to play in, but I find that if you try and dominate a certain room at either end of the map, you will find that you can shoot down upon the spawners at the end of the maps. Enemies usually spawn behind or near the fences, so you can get a load of kills here and unlock attack dogs and the chopper gunner.

WMD is different. While I advise using the AK74U you for most maps, you may want to try the G11 for this one. There are some great long range shots to be made from the back end of the map. There is a long ladder at one end that leads to a sort of metal grid walk above, which can be so hard to see from one side of the map.

Firing range is a great map to use claymores for. Get yourself into that metal looking building that overlooks the centre of the map. Get your claymores put down at the top of the stairs to destroy any unwanted visitors, and reek havoc on the players below you, taking cover from time to time.

What to do once I have my chopper gunner and attack dogs activated? Keep killing! Most of the opposing players will be too distracted by either your chopper gunner or attack dogs to notice you running around adding to your kill-streak. Make the most of your perks and gun, run around the map until you get killed and can get the kill-streak rewards again.

There you have it, the best way to get a huge kill-streak in Call Of Duty: Black Ops. Implement these strategies and you will soon be on your way to achieving better kill-streaks than your friends, just don’t tell them how you do it!

Almost two weeks ago, Call of Duty: Black Ops was released worldwide for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and even the Nintendo Wii. Black Ops quickly set sales and revenue records and garnered huge review scores from critics but is it all it is cracked up to be or is Black Ops a black eye on the Call of Duty franchise?

The first thing you’ll notice when playing Black Ops for the first time is the sound quality. Everything from explosions to the gunfire sounds extremely realistic. Treyarch actually recorded real world gunfire to put in the game and you can definitely notice a big difference between the sounds in Black Ops when compared to Modern Warfare 2. Playing this game with surround sound makes it feel like you are really on a battlefield.

The multiplayer in Black Ops is much improved over previous iterations in the series. Treyarch removed many controversial perks like stopping power, juggernaut (pain pill), and martyrdom which people hated in previous Call of Duty games. The killstreaks were also fixed so no longer will gamers have to constantly worry about missiles raining down on their heads from the clouds. Many of World at War’s killstreaks such as artillery and attack dogs have made a comeback in Black Ops. Call of Duty: Black Ops is much more about skill than it is wracking up kills with killstreaks, however, and you won’t see things like AC-130’s constantly hovering above you. Deathstreaks were completely taken out of the game. These never made sense anyway. Why should a player be rewarded for sucking?

Treyarch also introduced a brand new unlocking system for multiplayer which this review would not be complete without mentioning. Instead of unlocking new weapons and perks at set levels, you need to “purchase” them with CoD points. CoD points are earned by killing people, completing challenges, and winning games. This makes it a lot easier to unlock your desired loadout right off the bat. Right away you will be able to use the guns and perks you want. Don’t ever use shotguns? Don’t buy them! It is a great new system that rewards players for doing well instead of just playing for a long time.

The level design is a bit better in Black Ops than it was in MW2. No longer do the maps seem to cater to campers. Unlike in Modern Warfare 2, where there were tons of nooks and crannies for campers to hide in, the maps on Black Ops are more open and straightforward. Obviously, no game has perfect maps and Black Ops isn’t without its problems. There are a few levels that have earned the ire of gamers for being too small, like Nuketown for example, and you will get spawn killed on it more often than not. For the most part, though, the maps are fun.

Call of Duty: Black Ops also allows split-screen multiplayer for the first time in the franchise. This is a great addition to the game and allows you to have fun with a friend right there with you. This has been a long time coming in the Call of Duty series and it is good to see it was finally added. Unfortunately, split-screen co-op is no longer featured in the campaign which is baffling considering it was in Treyarch’s previous game, World at War.

Speaking of the single player campaign, while it is definitely short (about five or six hours long), is a great addition to the Call of Duty franchise. With an in-depth story that includes an attempted assassination of Dictator Fidel Castro, gamers will be immediately immersed in the plot. The game takes place during the Cold War so players will see a variety of locations such as Vietnam, Russia, Cuba, and Laos. The story is told through a series of flashbacks with the main character, Special Forces operative Alex Mason, having been strapped to an interrogation chair and drugged in 1968. As his interrogators question him about certain events, players will flashback to that time and level, going as far back as 1961.

Overall, Call of Duty: Black Ops is a must have for any fan of the franchise. There is a lot of secret hidden content (like Dead Ops Arcade) making it well worth the sixty dollar price tag. Zombies mode is back and better than ever as well. Just the first level, “Kino Der Toten,” is at least twice as big as what was in World at War. Zombies also has somewhat of a storyline this time around and even allows players to control President John F. Kennedy, President Richard Nixon, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, and Cuban President Fidel Castro against the zombie horde in the map “Five”.

Most gamers will probably get Black Ops for the online multiplayer, however, and they will not be disappointed. Call of Duty: Black Ops takes everything that people loved about previous Call of Duty games and improves upon it.

Yesterday Activision announced that Treyarch’s newest release, Call of Duty: Black Ops, broke theatrical box office, book, and video game sales records through the first five days after release. In its first five days after launch, Black Ops earned over $650 million which even exceeded the Modern Warfare 2 release which earned $550 million in its first five days on the market and itself shattered records.

“Call of Duty has become the first entertainment property in history to set five-day launch records for two consecutive years across all forms of entertainment,” said Robert Kotick, CEO, Activision-Blizzard in a press release.

In addition to setting new sales records, Call of Duty: Black Ops also set two new Xbox LIVE records. According to Microsoft, more than 5.9 million multiplayer hours were logged on Black Ops by the end of launch day alone. The game also saw over 2.6 million unique players on November 9th.

Black Ops wasn’t just a huge success on the Xbox 360 but also on the PlayStation 3. According to estimates on VGChartz, the game has already sold 3.77 million units on PS3 (and 5.36 million on Xbox 360). Adding the PC sales into the mix, Black Ops has already totaled nearly 10 million units sold worldwide and has easily surpassed Halo: Reach, another game that was a huge success at launch (albeit only on one platform). Obviously Black Ops is extremely popular.

The success of Black Ops can be largely attributed to the number of pre-orders the game received. Modern Warfare 2 set the stage for Black Ops’ success as gamers were ready to move on to something new. “Call of Duty: Black Ops had the highest number of pre-orders of any video game to date,” said Paul Raines, CEO, GameStop. “It went on to become our biggest video game launch ever, which bodes well for game sales as we enter the holidays.”

But high sales do not necessarily mean a game is good, so how was it actually received? Call of Duty: Black Ops averages an 88 aggregate review score on Metacritic for both 360 and PS3 versions which is described as “generally favorable reviews” on the site. Critics seem to love this game with its biggest criticism being that the campaign is too short. That is to be expected of any FPS, however, where the main draw is typically the online multiplayer.

Historically, Infinity Ward and Treyarch have taken turns on development of Call of Duty games so IW will have their work cut out for them if they want to top the Black Ops release.

When Call of Duty: Black Ops is released on November 9th, Halo: Reach will stand no chance. Currently, Reach is the number one played game on Xbox LIVE but this will change when Black Ops hits store shelves.

Just looking at sales, Black Ops will easily eclipse Halo: Reach for the simple fact that it is on multiple consoles while Reach is an Xbox 360 exclusive. Modern Warfare 2 sold over twenty million copies on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 combined, almost quadruple what Halo: Reach sold. If Activision CEO Bobby Kotick and COO Thomas Tippl are correct when they said Black Ops is going to be the biggest launch in company history and will break Modern Warfare 2’s record-setting sales numbers, then Black Ops should blow Reach out of the water. More sales means a wider audience and a wider audience means a higher chance of success.

Gamers seem to be getting tired of Halo. According to VGChartz, sales of the franchise peaked with Halo 3 (around 11 million sold worldwide). Halo: Reach has only sold 5.83 million copies worldwide to date. That is less than even Halo 2 which managed to move over 8 million. While Call of Duty games seem to be getting more and more popular, Halo games are selling less. One reason that Reach has seen a lesser degree of success than its predecessor is that Bungie may have alienated fans with their so-called “quitter ban.” If you dare to quit a game before it’s over, you run the risk of being temporarily banned from matchmaking. What a stupid system. What if you are the last player on your team facing four opponents? Why should you be forced to stay and endure unnecessary punishment?

Black Ops isn’t like that. Call of Duty games allow players to jump in and out of matches already in progress. Bungie hasn’t seemed to yet learn how to do this yet as once a game begins, nobody can join mid-match. Quitters and cheaters are therefore a much bigger problem on Reach than it will be in Black Ops. If you run into someone using a lag switch you can just leave the game and immediately join another.

It could also be argued that a major reason for Halo: Reach’s success was that many Call of Duty fans bought the game to “tide them over” until Black Ops was released. It will definitely be interesting to see how the Xbox LIVE Activity Charts look after Black Ops comes out in November but all indications would suggest that Black Ops will be topping the charts for some time to come.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is now just around the corner. Set for release on November 9th in North America, it is poised to become the number one game of 2010. Here are the top five reasons that Black Ops will be the Game of the Year.

5) Name recognition. Much like Halo, the Call of Duty franchise is a name that gamers have come to know and love. Where other shooters like Medal of Honor fall short, Call of Duty excels. Call of Duty has been a leader in the first shooter genre for years and the sales certainly reflect that. Video games are one medium where consumers base a lot of their opinion on brand name of the product. Despite how good or how bad Black Ops actually is, many people will probably buy it for the sole fact it is a Call of Duty game.

4) Call of Duty has an established fan base. According to VGChartz, Modern Warfare 2 sold over twenty million copies on the Xbox 360 and PS3 combined. With many of those players eagerly awaiting Black Ops, sales could be bigger than ever. Activision is definitely expecting amazing sales right out of the gate. Company CEO Bobby Kotick and COO Thomas Tippl have gone on record to say that the Black Ops launch would be the biggest in the company’s thirty-one year history and the game is on pace to top Modern Warfare 2′s record-breaking sales. Although some industry analysts disagree, it is fairly obvious that Black Ops is one of the most anticipated games this year.

3) The simple fact that Black Ops is a first person shooter puts it head and shoulders ahead of many other amazing titles in this year’s Game of the Year race. It’s no secret that shooters are the most popular genre of video game in today’s day and age. This is evidenced by the fact that five out of the top six selling Xbox 360 games as well as the best-selling PlayStation 3 game (Modern Warfare 2) are all shooters. Because it is an FPS, Black Ops will appeal to a much wider audience than other blockbuster titles released this year like Fable III, God of War III, and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

2) Although Modern Warfare 2 has seen unprecedented levels of success, many gamers have grown weary of it. Sometimes referred to as the “noobified” Call of Duty, there is just way too much stuff constantly coming at you from the sky all the time. Whether it be Elway Grenades thrown across the map, Predator Missiles falling on your head, or an AC-130 raining terror down on the battlefield, it just isn’t as fun as previous Call of Duty games have been. It seems like it takes a lot less skill because the maps in MW2 were tailor-made for campers to sit there and wrack up their killstreaks. How hard is it to go 20-0 when all you are doing is watching a door and calling in a Chopper Gunner? It’s time for a change. Treyarch has made some of the best balanced games in the series so fans are eagerly anticipating the next installment.

1) Timing is the number one reason that Black Ops will be the Game of the Year. Releasing just before the holidays has historically boosted video game sales as consumers look for that one great present for the gamer in the family. Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 2, and even World at War were all released in November of their respective years. This has played a significant role in the success of each game and even the Call of Duty franchise in general. With the release of Kinect, Xbox 360 owners are especially going to be looking for something a little more “hardcore” and Black Ops will be where they turn.