(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Uncover the Secrets of Call of Duty: Black Ops
We sift through the new trailer for hints at what to expect from Treyarch's latest.

The first trailer for Treyarch's upcoming entry into the ongoing Call of Duty series, Black Ops, shows us precious little about what the game might specifically be about. There are plenty of clues in the trailer, but is it enough to piece together the story of Black Ops? We now know that theaters of conflict in Black Ops range from Vietnam to Cuba to some sort of snowy environment. But just what conflicts are we talking about?

The Vietnam connection is clear from the images. Little history lesson: The French were bogged down fighting the communists there until 1954, and the United States was intimately involved in a costly undeclared war in Indochina for nearly a decade thereafter, dedicating forces directly to the fight from 1965 until 1973. The war cost nearly 60,000 American lives, and remains the most unpopular war, declared or otherwise, in our country's history.

Likewise, a possible Cuban connection is equally as obvious. President John F. Kennedy authorized an ill-conceived invasion of Cuba in the spring of 1961, one that failed to achieve any of its objectives, and nearly caused a greater conflict (as well as acting as a harbinger of things to come with the communist world). Perhaps Black Ops will include a portion where players assume the role of a member of the invasion force coming over from Florida?

What remains elusive, however, is any conflict that accounts for the appearance of snow. What encounter could have happened in a snow-ravaged setting, at least one involving the United States in the post-World War II era? Or are we assuming too much by thinking only Americans will be involved in the storyline of Black Ops? A careful analysis of the footage could lead you down either path.

In between footage of the various (presumed) historical conflicts are scenes of a soldier in some sort of military lab. A double-helix (or something similar) appears to flash on a monitor nearby, and a doctor's soft voice attempts to lull the unknown patient into a sense of security. Doctor's tools sit on a tray to the right of the patient (or prisoner). A date appears to be displayed on an unknown machine – 2010:03:2 (March 2, 2010?). The doctor (or torturer) speaks of trying to remember past events. He appears to be using devious means to make this a reality, causing great pain to whoever is strapped down, and eventually causing him to lose consciousness at the end of the trailer.

Suddenly, a missile launch is shown – it appears nuclear in nature, perhaps depicting an alternate history, where Americans launched nuclear warheads at Vietnam (like some of LBJ's and Nixon's advisors recommended). Or maybe it's a Soviet missile, launched in retribution for America's incursions into communist territory. Scientists in lab coats scramble following the launch. Subsequently, explosions are seen, soldiers in heated battle exchange fire in a wooded, dirt-ridden location, and a helicopter covered in American Army insignias crashes down to Earth, its heavy machineguns unable to stave off its foes. Soldiers in arctic gear, fighting in a snowy, unknown theater of battle, are shown stealthily assassinating their enemies. Men are seen repelling from a helicopter hovering above. And suddenly, you're brought back to the same, dark laboratory, with the uneasy sound of the doctor's voice. But it won't take long for you to be thrust back into the battle.

A chopper, perhaps the one we saw crash earlier, is seen underwater, its crew attempting to get out of the hulking metal deathtrap before it's too late. A shirtless soldier with ammunition around his chest and a canteen bouncing behind him is seen accompanying camouflaged soldiers. Could this be the Vietcong or North Vietnamese Army, or an indigenous anti-communist freedom fighter assisting the American troops? More Army-branded helicopters are seen hereafter, with soldiers fighting from above,and dragging their injured comrades off of the streets below. A hovercraft is briefly seen careening down a waterway, with helicopters raging behind it. Urban conflict galore is shown in subsequent scenes, the bloody toll of heated guerilla tactics all around. And then, you're back in the dim, mysterious lab once more.

The end scenes show more of the same. A lot of the Army vehicles on various compounds appear to be from the Vietnam War era. A brave soldier is shown skydiving into an arctic abyss. More soldiers are shown rappelling from helicopters. An American soldier, with sleeves cut off, makes a slit-throat motion towards someone behind him. And after some more fiery explosions are shown from both land and air, perhaps the most mysterious footage of the entire trailer rounds everything out. A man in (what we assume is) an astronaut's outfit is briefly seen, and then a high-flying aircraft, far above Earth, zooms forward.

But who is this detained man that we see going in and out of consciousness? One of the slightly more creative theories is that it's actually Soap McTavish from Modern Warfare 2. If you remember, Soap sustained life-threatening wounds in the final battle of MW2. The final line of dialogue is Nikolai saying he, "knows a place" where they can treat Soaps wounds. Perhaps under the care of this mysterious voice that we hear echoing throughout the Black Ops trailer? Could this voice belong to some sort of mad scientist looking to extract Soap's memory of some significant event from Vietnam that will give him the key to achieving his twisted and assuredly maniacal goals? Or to find, perhaps, the location of nuclear missiles that were never actually removed from Cuban soil during the missile crisis of the early '60s?

Pretty much anything is possible. Use the comments section to give us your thoughts on which direction Black Ops will take, the era or eras it will feature and the specific battles that we'll all get to play when the next Call of Duty launches on November 9, 2010.

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I never thought of it being soap maybe it might be

Its probably based on 'Soaps' past before MW1 and MW2. In the teaser trailer its reminding him of his past. Soo he might be right.

But isnt soap a newbie at the beginning og MW1 so how would it be his past?

i think this game will be set in the present but will consist of flashbacks. Maybe we will start in some modern war and get captured then get drugged up and forced to relive flashbacks which we will play revealing our characters past.

I doubt it, he's a IW character.

u might be able to fly your kill steaks

it cant be soap because in mw1 you play a mission as a new to arms soap mc'Tavish and it was not in vietnam

Soap was a sergeant at the beginning of Modern Warfare.

OMG what if you get to be Rambo? =D

just kidding. We need another trailer and a beta like CoWaW had.