Gamescom Day 1 WRAP-UP and PHOTO GALLERY

Today was the official launch for Black Ops 2’s brand new multiplayer component which was shown off in all it’s glory at Gamescom 2012 in Germany. The Black Ops 2 booth was only open for exhibitors media/press today, tomorrow (day 2) will be the first time that the public will get their hands on Black Ops 2 MP.

We were lucky enough to play Black Ops 2 during the live stream and had to catch the replay afterwards. The live stream was presented by Acey Bongos and Major Nelson which focused mostly on COD Casting and E-League. All in all, the stream lasted for over an hour and was all shout casted by Hastr0 and David Vahnderhaar which was an awesome experience for those attending. Hastr0 is arguably one of (if not the) best shout caster for Call of Duty and certainly displayed his talent during today’s matches with the pro players. The live stream event was closed to VIPs only but some lucky fans the crowd got hands on time while the live stream was in progress. There was a very positive atmosphere in the crowd with people cheering and clapping as everyone witnessed the brand new multiplayer on Black Ops 2 being played by the pros. If you missed the live stream there will be another similar one tomorrow around the same time so be sure not to miss it.

Now to what you’ve been waiting for, the personal thoughts and opinions of Charlie Intel. We were fortunate enough to get a few sessions (4 hours in total) of hands on time with the new multiplayer component. After playing a few games on Black Ops 2, you’ll soon discover that this game feels completely new and refreshed but just enough to where it keeps the same formula. For starters, it’s hard compare the game to any previous games, but if we had to pick, it felt like it was a merger of Black Ops and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Now although these are two big games, the similarities were slim. With relation to Black Ops, what is most similar are the buildings and color scheme, they all follow a similar style and is easily recognizable and in relation to COD4. This is also by far the biggest leap for Call of Duty, not since the jump from CoD2 to CoD4 has there been such innovation and this is exactly what Call of Duty needed in our honest opinion.. Don’t worry though, the game still plays the same and it’s the same Call of Duty we all love and cherish but with a different feel.

Based on today’s observations, what we liked most about the new multiplayer setup was the balance of the game so far, near perfection. It’s only in a beta stage yet we feel Treyarch is going to have an easier job of making balance decision down the road based on its new create-a-class attachment system (attachments effect the gun). Campers, we all love them (joke). Treyarch has listened to the fans is now making it a bit more difficult to camp in the corner. The “Ghost” perk now only works if the player is in motion, brilliant and it works.

If you are at Gamescom tomorrow then please let us know via Twitter (@charlieINTEL) and also let us know what you think. Tomorrow’s article will feature the all new Create-a-class system, maps and gametypes. Not to mention a photo gallery for Day 2 so stay frosty..

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