Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 doing future warfare? Latest clue couldn't be more blatant if it tried. Also, new multiplayer 'details'

Yesterday, as you might recall, Matt ran a new story asking "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2: Is this the first image from the game?" His answer? "Basically, yeah". Today, we raise another Black Ops 2-related question. "Is it dropping the cold war setting for a more futuristic time period?" The answer this time? "Yeah, probably".

You see the latest episode of FPS Russia - the long-running YouTube series in which a marvellous pseudo-Russian fires a lot of big exciting guns for your amusement - couldn't be any more of a staged viral teaser for Black Ops 2 is it was actually performed on a stage, and that stage was made out of Activision stock, and Bobby Kotick was standing at the side shouting directions like a teacher throwing out unsubtle line prompts during a primary school play.

The subject of the show this time? The remote-piloted quadrotor drone that appeared in the Black Ops 2 teaser image that popped up yesterday. A version of it kitted up with a machine gun. A version of it that doesn't exist yet, but which would make perfect killstreak reward, and which looks suspiciously fake every time it's used. In fact a few of the supposed shots from its supposed on-board camera get the viewing angles completely wrong. Oh, and there's an explicit reference to "the next Call of Duty" at the end, along with a small nod to Activision sponsorship over the end credits. And more references to future technology than in the entirety of Back to the Future: Part II.

So, Black Ops 2 is going the way of Ghost Recon: Future soldier then. Or at least paying no attention to the actual space-time continuum and sticking these things in the '70s.

Want some more spurious potential facts? Well a list of multiplayer 'details' has just appeared on a German forum. You know, German forums. Where all the facts are born. Here they are, copied verbatim from the original post:

Game Modes-

Escort ~ A game mode in which you escort a player across three flags to achieve victory. The enemy team killing the player will result in a win for their side.

Split Spawn ~ A game mode in which you spawn from a hellicopter, and climb down to get to the ground. The player starts with 3 lives. One player can control the chopper to let you climb down in different areas, as well as shoot from the chopper. If the chopper is destroyed, players can no longer spawn. Players compete for a central flag that takes 2x as long to capture than a regular domination flag. Either the death of all opposing players or the capturing of the flag will grant you a win. This game has 2 rounds.

Equalizer ~ A game mode in which players are switched to the enemy team upon death. Players will compete for a flag, which when owned, open up a power plant to allow the player to customize their class in game, get new weapons, and put on a juggernaut suit for their team only.When there are 2 players left on a team, they are granted with the power plant automatically, and pointstreaks up to a 5 point requirement can also be obtained. If either of the two players die, they will remain on their own team. The team with the most converts (kills) at the end will win. If tied, whoever is currently owning the power plant will win.

-Perks- (Only new and modified!) (Perk slot not yet defined!)

To clarify what elite is, it is a side-pro perk you can choose when leveling up the base perk. These elite perks ONLY work if paired with another BASE perk.

1. Spy - Appear as a friend on the map. (Disadvantage is, you're always spotted even without a UAV, and when shooting, you turn red on the map)

b. Pro - Detect enemy spies. They will still always be spotted on the radar.

c. Elite - If Pilot is active, your airship will be marked as an ally.

2. Escape Artist - When going prone, you feign death (You cannot shoot during)

b. Pro - When approaching death, the enemies crosshairs will turn to white, and your name will dissapear.

c. Elite - if Diver is active - You realistically fall into your feign death instead of diving.

3. Audiophile - Players with silenced weapons will show on your radar if they are shooting at you or close around you.

b. Pro - Footsteps are louder

c. Elite - If bladesman is active - kniving will show up on the radar

4. Defuser - Throw all equipment but cookable grenades up to 2x farther - a hollow circle will show up around your crosshairs, and the circle will fill in 3 seconds. When the circle is full, it will throw 2x farther, when it is empty, it will throw 1x as far.

b. Pro - Be able to take semtex off of players and throw them elsewhere, and be able to pick up any enemy equipment and use it as your own.

c. Elite - if quickdraw is active - the circle will fill in 1.5 seconds.

5. Juggernaut - Regenerate health faster while moving

b. Pro - Regenerate health faster while crouched

c. Elite - If scavenger is active - you are able to drop ammo packs for your team.

Side note: Earlier, Treyarch Developer David Vonderhaar did mention that the next Call of Duty would not include regenerative health perks.

6. Diver - You can dive into cover (A.K.A. Dolphin Dive) - and while diving you can still shoot, however when you land it takes awhile to regain focus.

b. Pro - You crawl 2x faster

c. Elite - With Extreme conditioning active - You can sprint while crawling to crawl faster (3x) instead of getting up.

7. Pilot - Your flying killstreak's kills will count towards your next killstreak.

b. Pro - Your controllable flying killstreaks will last until they are shot down.

c. Elite - With blind eye active - Your uncontrollable flying killstreaks will not show on the map.

8. Technician - Any land killstreak's kills will count towards your next killstreak.

b. Pro - Your Advnaced UAVS will disable the enemies UAV

c. Elite - If defuser is active, your sentries cannot be taken down instantly.

9. Bladesman - You have 2 knives in each hand instead of just one in one hand. (This essentially makes knives kill twice as fast.)

b. Pro - You have a chance of dodging the incoming players knife.

c. Elite - If assasin is active - kniving will be completely silent and not show on the killfeed, unless countered by audiophile elite.

10. Conciousness - While standing, you are just as accurate as when you are prone

b. Pro - Your bullets cause more flinching.

c. Elite - If marksman is active - shooting your enemy will mark him on the mini map.

11. Focus - Be able to shoot while sprinting, even at the deduction of accuracy.

b. Pro - Be able to shoot while jumping, even at the deduction of accuracy.

c. Elite - If stalker is active - when jumping, equipment does less damage to you.

12. Deep Impact - Your bullets shoot through hard surfaces.

b. Pro - Your bullets gain 50% damage with each person they go through.

c. Elite - if steady aim is active - when hip-firing, your bullets have 10% more damage with each person they go through.

-NEW!!-

-Knife Melee Slot-

1. Default Knife - Takes 2 swipes to kill, you need to put it away, and take it back out like usual.

2. Tactical knife - Takes 4 swipes to kill, as long as you are pushing the melee button however, it will keep knifing

3. Tactical hammer - Takes longer to get out, takes 4 swipes to kill, you need to put it away and take it back out like usual, but against riot shields and machines it takes only 1 swipe to destroy.

4. Throwing knifes - Start with 4, fast to get out, fairly accurate, but takes 2 to kill and is ranged

5. Tomahawks - Start with 2, slow to get out, fairly innacurate, and takes 1 to kill and is ranged

6. Ballistic knife - [Disallows use of equipment] - A tactical knife in one hand, while a ballistic knife is in the other. You start with 2 ballistic knives, and they kill in 1 shot. These knives take a moderate time to get out. (With Bladesman on, you start with 3 ballistic knives and one ballistic knife in each hand.)

-Guns- (More than EVER!!) (These are the ones announced or finished so far)

Assault Rifles: AK74, Ruger Mini-14, Type 65, Valmet M76, M70, R1 Rifle, Commando, AR-18, Valmet M60, AKM-63, AMD-65

Submachine Guns: Mp5SD, PA3(DM), SW M76, Type 64, UZI, Mini-Uzi, AKS-74U, Mac 10, MPL, Ares FMG

Shotguns: Model 590, Model 1300, Model 1100, Spas-12, CAWS, Stakeout, Saiga-12, Striker, Featherlight

Sniper Rifles: Psg-1, PSL, SVD, Model 700, M76

Light Machine Guns: Type 67, Enfield L7, M240, AS70

Pistols: M973, Steyr GB, Skorpion, MEU, Python

Explosives: SA-7 Grail / 9k32 Strela-2, Stinger, FIM-43 Redeye, Arwen 37, M26Grenades, HG 84 Grenade, M67 Grenade, Sticky Grenade

-Attachments-

Attached Weapon Rack (Weapons attached to primary for quick weapon switching) (Only works when paired with pistols)

Attached Pistol (For snipers only)

Attached Shotgun (For Assault Rifles only)

Attached Bayonette (For Assault Rifles and Snipers only)

Laser

Red dot sight

Reflex scope

Thermal Scope

Acog Scope

Extended Mags

Dual Mags

Rapid Fire

Grenade Launcher (Grenades drop significantly more)

Grip

Perfected Ironsights (Ironsights that make it easier to see your bearings)

Join us next week, as a drunken meth-addled hobo predicts the end of the world, and we take him seriously enough to write a lengthy and well-researched guide to post-apocalyptic survival.

David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.