Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Activision has confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will be released November 13, 2012 on the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It has not been confirmed for the Wii U.
Typically, development on Call of Duty games alternates between two studios: Infinity Ward and Treyarch. Since 2011's installment was developed by Infinity Ward, this year's game is being developed by Treyarch, who previously developed Call of Duty 3, Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty: Black Ops. [1]

What is the setting of Black Ops 2?

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will be set in the near future according the game's official website, which has gone live ahead of the game's reveal later today. According to the site, Black Ops 2 will push "the boundaries of what fans have come to expect from the record-setting entertainment franchise" and "propels players into a near future, 21st Century Cold War, where technology and weapons have converged to create a new generation of warfare." 
Part of the campaign takes place during the 80s, where familiar faces from Black Ops return (Frank Woods did not die), but the vast majority of the story takes place in 2025. Here you’ll assume the role of Black Ops protagonist Alex Mason’s son, David Mason.[2]

What is the plot of Black Ops 2?

China has risen to prominence by 2025, and they and the United States are embroiled in a modern cold war over the most precious resource on the planet – rare earth elements. Cyber terrorism will also play a major role in the plot. In Black Ops 2 a terrorist organization gets inside America’s vast drone network, using our most powerful military asset against the US.
Black Ops 2 will feature branching story options. There are parts of the campaign that you can fail; where you can succeed or not in keeping Menendez from achieving his goals. Treyarch promises a non-linear campaign with plenty of replayability.[3]

What characters are returning in Black Ops 2?

• Frank Woods
• Alex Mason

 

New Characters

• Menendez - A terrorist leader and the main antagonist.
• David Mason - Alex Mason's son.
• Harper - A new character.

Who is developing Black Ops 2?

The team at Treyarch began work Black Ops 2’s story over a year ago in conjunction with script writers like David Goyer (Batman Begins) and consulting from Peter Singer of the Brookings Institution. Since that time story after story have broken in the news, corroborating the likelihood that rare earth elements are a future point of contention.[4]

What will Black Ops 2 look like?

The graphics engine has been overhauled, resulting in visuals that look a bit better than what’s come before. Facial animation has also received special attention, and Black Ops 2’s characters will be more expressive than what you’ve seen before.[5]

What are Strike Force missions?

To help diversify the campaign experience, Treyarch’s introducing new single player “Strike Force” missions. You control a black ops group, choosing from a number of levels based on the threat each presents in the current cold war. Success isn’t guaranteed, and if all your operatives die you lose the missions, changing the course of the conflict. You also pick one mission at the cost of others, meaning that you and your friends might not experience the same battlefields. 
Each Strike Force mission acts as a small sandbox battlefield, letting you choose the order you complete objectives. You get to choose what units you play as on the fly. Flesh and blood soldiers deploy alongside walking robots and UAVs, and at any given time you can zoom out to an overwatch view of the battlefield, selecting a new unit and then shifting to its perspective. You can rapidly possess whatever unit suits your needs in the moment. You can also issue orders from the overwatch mode, playing through entire Strike Force missions in a real-time strategy fashion.[6]

What will Black Ops 2 Multiplayer be like?

Multiplayer will take place in the 2025 universe, not the past. The combat training system has been revamped for new players. Treyarch's goal is to make Black Ops 2’s multiplayer fun to play and fun to watch, with plans to break into the world of E Sports. Activision’s Call of Duty social network, Call of Duty Elite, will be integrated at launch.[7]

Will there be zombies?

Zombies were confirmed in Treyarch's Announcement Video.  "If you like zombies, you're really going to be happy with what we're doing with Black Ops 2. It's our biggest, most ambitious zombies ever." [8]

What are the new Vehicles and Weapons in Black Ops 2?

Black Ops 2 introduces futuristic interfaces and weapons systems somewhat based off current technology. Here is some of the tech and weapons appearing in Black Ops 2:

• Wrist-mounted Iron Man-like launchers that fire small explosives.
• A new sniper rifle that uses millimeter wave technology, the same tech that airport security scanners use to see through walls. The same rifle also uses charged shots to sling ammo at high velocity, giving you the option to shoot through different density walls depending on how long you prime the shot.
• VTOL aircraft
• Mech with legs
• Unmanned Drones

Assassin's Creed III

Assassin's Creed III is the fifth in the Assassin's Creed series on current-generation consoles. Assassin's Creed III has been officially confirmed for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, with a scheduled release date of October 30th, 2012 in North America and October 31st, 2012 in PAL regions. It has also been confirmed for Wii U, with a release date TBA. According to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, the team has been "working for three years" on the project. [1]

Connor is the New Main Character in Assassin's Creed 3

Your new character in ACIII is named Connor Kenway, or Ratohnhake:ton (pronounced Ra-doon-ha-gay-doo'). His mother is a Native American and his father is English. After suffering a tragedy during his childhood, Connor is raised by the Mohawk and vows to spend the rest of his life protecting the innocent against tyranny. [2]

Assassin's Creed 3 Is Set in The America Revolution

 Assassin's Creed III is set near Boston and New York between 1753-1783. You are introduced to Connor as a child and experience a traumatic event that shapes his future. Judging from the images, it's clear that much of the game is spent exploring the wilderness and navigating what Ubisoft calls the "Frontier", which is supposedly 1.5 times the size of Rome in Brotherhood.  In addition to the night and day cycle from previous games, there will be a full weather system impemented in ACIII.  This means that snow and rain among others will be apart of the game.  One thing that Ubisoft said was that snow will play a big part in the way Connor moves around.  If there is almost a foot of snow on the ground, then Connor's movement will be hindered as opposed to there not being any snow on the ground.  Likewise to when he is moving from tree to tree.

The ending of Assassin's Creed: Revelations found Desmond in the wilderness somewhere in New York. It's been speculated that some of the story in ACIII will revolve around the fact that Desmond and Connor are occupying the same geographic space, even though it may be over 200 years apart.  Also, it has been said that there will be more Desmond centric parts in ACIII, more than that of the previous installments.

Assassin's Creed 3 Plot Summary

An assassin named Connor Kenway is in the middle of the American Revolutionary War, though that's not the war he's fighting. Connor is fighting his own battle, which will intersect with the events of the Revolutionary War, and will find Templars and Assassins in both the Colonial and British camps. Source: Gamespy: Huge Preview: Assassin's Creed 3  Also, instead of Connor focusing on fighting against the Templars, it is said that some supporting characters will in fact be Templar, and you will be workong with them through some parts of the game.  Ubisoft wants to explore a sort of gray area in between the Assassin Order and the Templar Order more than ever before.
Meanwhile, Desmond and the remnants of the Assassin Order finally bring the fight to Abstergo to stop the launch of a satellite that will initiate doomsday.

ACIII Features Historical Figures as Supporting Characters

Many historical figures will appear in Assassin's Creed 3, including every major assassination target [3] -- every one of these is loosely based on a real life figure. Ubisoft has confirmed three of the supporting characters that Connor will interact with throughout the course of ACIII.

• George Washington - Evidently your relationship with America's first President will be featured prominently in the game.
• Benjamin Franklin - The inventor/author/politician plays an important role in ACIII.  Ubisoft has confirmed that he will not play the same role for Connor that Leonardo DaVinci did for Ezio in the previous AC games.
• Charles Lee - Ubisoft remains coy about his role in the game, but historically Lee had a somewhat contentious relationship with George Washington. [4]

Desmond Will Have a Starring Role in Assassin's Creed 3

Assassin's Creed III lead writer Matt Turner says the game will feature more Desmond than any previous entry in the series. [5] "All I can say about Desmond's story is you're going to experience more Desmond than you've ever had before," Turner told CVG. "We're spending more time on the present than we have in past games."
"It's a big part of our story and I don't really want to give too many details away because I want people to experience what that is," Turner added. "But rest assured, you're going to see a lot of Desmond. More so than in any past game."
Previously, Assassin's Creed creative lead Alexandre Amacio said that ACIII would be the end of Desmond's story. Ubisoft has also confirmed that Desmond will use the Animus 3.0 in the game and will no longer be in a coma.

Assassin's Creed III Has New Enemies, Bears

The British army seems to be the main opposing force in Assassin's Creed 3, but a teaser trailer revealed that Bears will appear as formidable foes as well.