Call of Duty: Black Ops won’t be a shot in the dark in terms of Cold War authenticity as Treyarch is getting expert advice from both the American and Russian perspectives.
The team’s research was made in part by two individuals including Major John Plaster, a former member of black operations unit led by the CIA around the time of the Vietnam War, and Sonny Pzikas, a former special forces operative for the Soviet Union. Both men had recounted their missions to inspire the upcoming Cold War shooter.
“We do our research, which are our inspirations, and we strive for authenticity,” Treyarch studio boss Mark Lamia told USA Today (via CVG). “But we create our fictions from looking at all of this. It was exciting for the team to do something that had not done before with Call of Duty.”
It wasn’t just a general recollection of a few missions either. The two vets would provide information on training, technique in combat and the equipment utilized on the front.
“[Plaster] was able to talk through his experiences during the Vietnam War era and the kind of, at the time, classified black operations that he was a part of. He talked about everything from his training to missions to tactics. He reviewed our characters, our weaponry. He was able to advise us on very practical matters.”
“[Sonny Puzikas] offered his advice and expertise on how Soviet special forces trained, the weaponry they used and what it was like to be in that force,” Lamia continued.
With the help of those who saw portions of the Cold War in action, Call of Duty: Black Ops should be shaping up to be a solid looking shooter, but we’ll know more when the full trailer premieres next week.
