Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 reveal trailer analysis

Check out our full breakdown of the trailer in the video below, or continue on through the gallery to get all the little details...

Frank Woods is still alive

From the text at the very start of the trailer, we see that Frank Woods survived the events of the first Black Ops and is now pushing 90 in the year 2025. Go get 'em, gramps.

Drones have names

This is the first we see of the advanced quad-rotor drones, and would you look at that - it has a name. This one's called "Charlene," with its name etched on one of the rotors. This is is reminiscent of the weapons customization options in Black Ops multiplayer. Perhaps it will make a return.

...and some of them walk

The CLAW is a quadroped drone armed with a Gatling gun and grenade launcher.

Command drone squads

Having these little flying devils on your side can really turn the tide of a battle. We saw a squad of the Quad drones ordered to attack enemy soldiers with a laser designator - similar to how airstrikes worked in the original Black Ops. They made short work of the opposition with their mounted machine guns. It was brutal.

Control drones in Strike Force missions

In the sandbox-style Strike Force missions you'll be able to directly control the drones on the battlefield. This scene shows exactly what that looks like with a view from a Quad. Squad commands are accessible at the touch of a button, objectives are highlighted on screen, and the location and status of squad members and drones are represented by the heartbeat icons.

Wrist-mounted computers

This is a good indication of just how advanced the tech gets in 13 years: Mason has a wrist mounted computer with the works. GPS tracking, touch-screen capabilities, glasses-free 3D, Instagram - you name it, it has it. If anything, the pip-boy style seems like an awesome way to check the mission map and get updated with intel.

Three controllable drone types

These are the three types of drones that are controllable in Strike Force missions: the CLAW, Quad-rotor, and nimble Assault Sentry Drone (ASD). They all kill people.

Drones attack by the thousands

Future L.A. doesn't look too good - as you can see in this clip, drones don't mess around when it comes to attacking a metropolitan area. Hopefully, in the future, it's not too expensive to replace those LED street signs.

Unmanned UAVs are attacking L.A.

Here is a close-up of one of the hacked UAV drones attacking Los Angeles. These guys are fully armed with missiles and machine guns, not just the observers you're used to from COD multiplayer.

You'll be in complete control of a jet

This action sequence is not on-rails - you're not merely jiggling the aim. You'll be taking complete control over the Harrier-like jet and it'll be up to you to keep from crashing into L.A.'s downtown skyline. Good luck.

Never before seen weapons

Also, on the side of the gun there is a QR code. Your guess is as good as ours on this one. We pointed our QR readers at it to no avail - maybe it's an Easter egg? Try it for yourself and tell us what happens.

Follow this guy

This is the first look at Harper, David Mason's brother in arms. He acted as one of the "follow" beacons during our demo at Treyarch.

You'll fight alongside the Secret Service

These well-equipped soldiers work for the US Government. They're the best of the best of the best. They are the Secret Service, and they essentially served as cannon fodder, falling in heaps behind Mason as he fought during the L.A. invasion.

Woods reminisces

This shadowy figure looks like it might be Woods remembering how bad-ass he was back in the day. The soldier looks to be holding an old M16 rifle.

Protect the President

During the Los Angeles mission we saw at a recent event, Mason must escort the President to safety (you can see her ducking for cover in the blue pants suit in the bottom right corner of the screen).

Another view from a drone

This looks like the perspective from a Quad-rotor drone, since at the very end of the clip, it flies straight up.

Not everything is high-tech

This is one of the "flashback" missions that takes place during the late 1980s. In these levels, you'll be tagging along with the younger Frank Woods and, apparently, riding on horses and fighting helicopters. Oh, who can forget the 80s?

Strike Force mission success

This particular ship explosion happens after a successful Strike Force mission. If you pull out a win in these missions, you'll be treated to the respective branching story event and some pretty fireworks. Boom.

Eye-in-the-sky missions are back

The black an white thermal imaging is a clear giveaway that the series' classic aerial missions are making a return. It looks like the X-47 Pegasus may be the new version of the AC-130, and we've no doubt it's just as deadly. Heck, it's likely much more.

There's new futurey equipment

A close look at Harper right at the end of the trailer gives a good view of how the future soldiers are equipped. He's got the computer and grenade launching gauntlets on either arm, some standard looking non-lethal grenades strapped to his chest, and is holding what looks like a shotgun. No, wait, a future shotgun. The scope on top looks like it might be similar to the one we saw during the gameplay demo, which highlighted enemies hiding behind cover. You're never safe in the future (which is where this game takes place - did we mention that, yet?).

That's all folks

And if you want to know more about the new Call of Duty, check out our preview of Black Ops 2 and our wish list of the things we want from Call of Duty 9, some of which have actually come true!