As is a custom now with the video game pre-orders, Activision released the first pictures today of their Hardened and Prestige collector editions of Call of Duty: Black Ops today (August 12th).
The $79.99 Hardened Edition includes a copy of the game, a limited edition Black Ops Collector’s Medal with matching display case, four extra co-op maps, an exclusive Black Ops Xbox Live or PS Home avatar outfit, and comes enclosed in a premium SteelBook case.
The $149.99Prestige Edition is great for all the player’s sitting around in fatigues speaking to their friends in the phonetic alphabet. It includes everything previously mentioned in the Hardened Edition and a RC-XD Video Surveillance Vehicle, the remote control RC car similar to that of the ones seen in the recently released multiplayer debut trailer. The RC-XD has both a video camera and microphone and transmits video and sound back to the user’s controller at a range of 200 feet as they embark on a recon mission to track down their dignity.
Call of Duty: Black Ops is developer Treyarch’s latest installment of the Call of Duty franchise and is a direct sequel to Call of Duty: World at War. The game takes place across multiple locations during the Cold War conflict, including Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, and Iran. New weapons and killstreaks--including a napalm strike, guided missiles, and the RC car explosive--help revitalize the fail-safe multiplayer formula, which for the first time in the series history, includes a video editor for recording all those proud headshots.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has stated that this is the largest investment in a launch title the company has ever made, which considering the worldwide success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, says a lot. The investment is due in part to competition brought forth from EA's Medal of Honor which releases on October 9th, as the two franchises vie for wish lists as the holiday season fast approaches. It can be assumed that the other half of this investment is to help rebound the Call of Duty franchise from the Infinity Ward debacle.
The gaudy and embellished packages will hit store shelves when the game releases on November 9th and are currently available for pre-order.
