If early pre-order numbers are a sign of things to come, then it looks like a Call of Duty title is going to be this year's best-seller.
It doesn't matter that all we've seen of the game is a trailer and a few screenshots, Amazon UK's day one pre-orders for Black Ops 2 have tripled those by predecessor Black Ops in 2010.
"Set to be one of the biggest games of the year, it’s great to see so much enthusiasm and anticipation for Call of Duty: Black Ops II," said Amazon UK's Graham Chambers. "Bolder and better than before and with everything from a futuristic storyline through to single player mode, Zombies and multiplayer, Black Ops II promises something Call of Duty fans have never seen before."
So what's behind these early staggering numbers? I can't say for sure, but perhaps the change of time period is playing the biggest factor. Treyarch is abandoning Call of Duty's standard past or present warfare and is instead heading towards the future. Black Ops 2 is set in the year 2025, during a 21st Century Cold War "where technology and weapons have converged to create a new generation of warfare." Of course, it could also be the promises of new gameplay elements like a non-linear singleplayer campaign.
I can't say for certain, but whatever the reason, no matter the amount of hate it gets, Call of Duty continues to sell.
[MCV]
