When Mason pulls the trigger, it kicks sharply back, letting out a piercing noise, like wood slapping pavement. They look like images from the new scattershot x-ray machines at airports - Lamia later mentions them as an inspiration for the weapon. It's futurefied with the ability to see enemies through cars and cement barrier. The president is repelled beneath the freeway by a couple of soldiers, while Mason provides cover with a sniper rifle. "On route to prom night with the president," some colleague says. In action-star fashion, Mason abandons the turret moments before it slides off the freeway in a thunderclap of fire and cement. A DRONE CRASHES ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND SKIPS LIKE A THREE-TON STONE OVER MASON'S HEAD. A drone shot out of the air crashed onto the highway and skips like a three-ton stone over Mason, nearly slicing the head from his shoulders. The weapon locks onto a half dozen or so drones at a time, chasing them with heat seeking rockets. Mason pulls the president from the wrecked car, dashes across the highway, and hops into a turret atop a military vehicle dangling precariously off the lifted roadway. One swoops over the limo, lighting it up. Above, a swarm of dozens, maybe hundreds of drones are bombarding the skyscrapers and roads.
Outside, blinking construction signs call for an evacuation of Los Angeles. The vehicle is speeding down the highway. We hear G20 leaders across the world are under attack. She looks like a younger Hillary Clinton. David Mason pushes him into a seat and looks around the limousine, spotting the president. Oliver North, who is a consultant on the game, says he's not worried about the guy who hijacks the one plane, but about the guy who hijacks all of them.Ī well-dressed man covered in blood shrieks in agony. They paint a world in which a hacker could bring a superpower to its knees.ĭrones, advanced robotics, security systems: Our best weapons may one day be used against us. The Treyarch team volleys between clips from news and military television programs pertaining to war in the not so distant future. He shows an interview with a Japanese businessman discussing the dangers of China's complete control of the commodity. Lamia plays a clip of Obama talking about the necessity of China's participation with Western market in trading rare earth elements fairly. By comparison, Iran controls only 10% of the Earth's oil. So what's the rub? In the real world, rare earth elements are almost entirely controlled by China's market, which provides 95% of all REEs. Rare earth elements also play an important role in the creation of most modern military technology. The minerals are essential to many of today's most important products, from smartphones to renewable energy devices like wind turbines and hybrid car batteries. Rare earth elements are about as grounded as it gets. Lamia tells us future war won't be about oil, but rare earth elements. Lamia won't provide a definitive answer just yet. I ask Lamia if Menendez might harbor ill-will towards the United States, considering the government was reluctant to provide additional funds to the country's rebels at that period. We know he's somehow tied to the Reagan-era conflict in Nicaragua. The father and son have a mutual enemy: Raul Menendez. As a de facto enforcer of the Reagan doctrine, he will be in charge of igniting and arming proxy wars with Russia in locations like Nicaragua and Afghanistan.īlack Ops 2's story spans generations, Lamia tells us.
You will play as David Mason, the son of Alex Mason, the previous game's protagonist.Īlex will return as a playable character in flashbacks to the late 1980s. There are some major spoilers here, so I wouldn’t suggest reading through these on your first playthrough."The original Black Ops took place during the first Cold War," says Mark Lamia, the Studio Head of Treyarch, "I call it the first Cold War because the new Cold War hasn't happened - yet."Ĭall of Duty: Black Ops 2 is a direct sequel which will take place in part during the fictional second Cold War in the year 2025. The ending you see is based solely on the outcomes of the major turning points in the game, like whether Woods dies or not, how much Intel you found, etc. There are four different endings in the campaign in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.