3. The Setting
One of Black Ops 2's biggest selling points is its near-future setting, and it was a brave decision to do so, introducing a massive chronological jump from the original Black Ops. In doing so Treyarch have avoided the limitations of history, and of sticking to a story that we are all fairly familiar with, and opened up new realms of possibility, based on facts as well as pervading social anxieties relating to the over-advancement and dependency on technology. It will be good to see how the Call of Duty team approaches futuristic shooter play, since there are relatively few exceptional futuristic shooters available on the market. Bringing in their established skills, and transferring them to a new setting also provides Treyarch with an opportunity to give the more disgruntled fans exactly what they've been clamouring for for some time - innovation. The future offers a lot more opportunities for new weapons and new tech, and hopefully that will also lead to new gameplay types. The game will also jump back in time to the 80s, putting the player in missions against familiar foes like General Noriega, and grounding the futuristic elements in a continuation of the Cold War setting of Black Ops. It's a good way to integrate the step towards future settings completely, and since it is inevitable that Call of Duty will establish a new future-set sub-franchise at some point, this might be a good way to introduce it to fans.