Secrets of the Call of Duty: Black Ops campaign teaser revealed

By now you've seen the new call of Duty: Black Ops single-player campaign teaser trailer that was released a few days ago. If you haven't, you'd better watch it now before we get started:

There's a bunch of helicopters, some explosions and a Terminator 2 inspired bit with motorbikes. But unless you've scanned it frame-by-frame and watched it back-to-back no fewer than 20 times, your vision holes are short-changing your brain.

Lucky for you, we are not eye slackers at GamesRadar. Even better, most of us rank pretty high on the obsessive-compulsive scale. Anyway, we have comprehensively ocularised the living crap out of the latest Black Ops trailer and pulled out the most priceless blink-and-you'll-miss-'em moments for you to enjoy and be moderately amazed by.

The familiar rocket

The upwardly thrusting missile of the video has previously made an appearance in the Black Ops multiplayer trailer as the fuel-burning centrepiece of the aptly named 'Launch' map, which is set at a launch facility somewhere in the Soviet Union:

The rocket is known as a Soyuz and was first used by the Russians in the 60s. Russians are known for their love of vodka.
The man shooting an empty car

This man appears to be unloading his assault rifle into an empty car. Either the vehicle has been completely evacuated of persons, or the persons is invisible, or the gunman is so angry he doesn't mind that he's wasting his time and ammo shooting a vacant automobile. A lot of crazy shit went down during the Cold War, so it could be any of the above.
The real-life US Secretary of Defense, 1961-1968
The sharp-suited man strutting through the corridors of the Pentagon is clearly Robert McNamara. His severe hair parting is as impeccable as it is unmistakeable. Robert McNamara was a real person. He was also pretty important.

Between 1961 and 1968 he was the US Secretary of Defence and served under John F Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson. His middle name was 'Strange' and he had a love for analysis. It's highly doubtful that he'll be a playable character in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
The Russian dude from World at War
You may remember World at War's patriotic Red Army sergeant, Viktor Reznov. He's back and this is him. He's already been spotted in an earlier Black Ops demo crawling through tunnels in Vietnam with Captain Alex Mason. So it seems he's switched sides. It's hard to tell what he's doing here, although it looks like he's hiding. Perhaps he's dodging the age police as he clearly looks younger than he did during World War II:

In the image below he's punching a man in the head. He appears to be dressed in classic Soviet army attire (so this could be a flashback or he's being sneaky) and is carrying a PPSh-41 machinegun on his back.

There are several visual clues that point to a snowy, nautical setting. Let's say he's on a boat somewhere in the Arctic. That sounds feasible enough.
The secret stuff getting crossed out

There's a whole bunch of dodgy dossiers being roughly edited with a black marker, but the most interesting bit here is the reference to 'Operation 40'. What is Operation 40? In the game, Operation 40 is a Central Intelligence Agency sponsored faction and the name of a campaign level which features a playable CIA operative.

In actual 1960s Cold War reality, Operation 40 was a special group set up by President Eisenhower and backed by the CIA. It was active in the Caribbean, Cuba, Central America and Mexico. Its primary objectives unofficially included sabotage, assassination, interrogation, terrorism and killing Communists. They'll be playable in Black Ops multiplayer.
Next: Secrets you may or may not believe.


The Russian dude from Modern Warfare
Could this be Imran Zakhaev - the temporarily two-armed Russian Ultranationalist from Modern Warfare? The Black Ops dude is definitely Russian. The standard issue leather jacket and Soviet Hind in the background pretty much leave zero doubt about that. And, like Zakhaev, he has an ugly bald head, combat trousers and boots.

There are only two possible explanations as to why this man looks like Imran Zakhaev: 1) It is Imran Zakhaev or, 2) developer Treyarch isn't very good at making characters that don't look like characters from other games. If the latter of those explanations turns out to be true, then we suspect the man is one of Black Ops' known bad types, General Kravtchenko. But he does look the absolute spitting image of Zakhaev.
The guys that don't stay dead

Russians have a reputation for being strong like bear. This is proof. Witness the two Soviet soldiers get absolutely skull blitzed by the butt of an AK-47. See them fall to the ground. Then look closely. Look close enough and - just before it cuts to a Huey blowing up - you'll see both battered men getting up like they've been enjoying a pleasant lie down.
The most loved/hated shotgun from Modern Warfare 2
The Model 1887 is a shotgun with a fancy flippity-doo reload action. A patch reduced the range of dual-wielded Model 1887s, but prior to that they had a reputation as the most ass-kicking shotgun in Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer. Because of their killing power - and the fact they weren't unlocked until level 67 - some people loved them, others hated them.

If the thought of the 1887s making a comeback to multiplayer has made you heave up piles of irrational hate vomit, calm yourself with the knowledge that Treyarch has confirmed the Model 1887 as a single player weapon only. Furthermore, we'll only get to shoot them during the Terminator 2 inspired motorbike sequence. So no need to have, like, a cow or something.
The Russian roulette bit that looks just like The Deer Hunter
Anyone that gives a shit about movies that actually count for something will have instantly spotted the reference to The Deer Hunter. If you're familiar with the film, you'll know it’s not the sort of scene that's easily forgotten.
Have a look at just how closely Black Ops resembles Deer Hunter:

Above: The revolver on the table (if you're interested, the Black Ops gun is the Python Snub Nose)

 














Above: The prisoner gets a slap

Above: Hello mad face
If, as it appears, Black Ops stays true to the movie inspiration for the Russian roulette sequence, then it figures that Frank Woods - the captive seen in the trailer - will be playing against another US POW. Just like how it happens in Deer Hunter, see:

The perspective in the image below could easily be that of the 'player' sitting opposite Woods. This possible scenario would certainly be interesting. And pretty f*cked up.

Above: Will we be playing as Frank Woods' army buddy, Alex Mason?
Seen something that we've missed? Do these observations excite you in any way? Spill yourself and your mind in the comments...