Little has been confirmed about the gameplay and game modes of Black Ops II’s multiplayer other than the fact that it will be set in the year 2025, as confirmed earlier by Studio Head at Treyarch Mark Lamia, and other than what we’ve discovered in our trailer analysis. However, since Black Ops II’s reveal on May 1st, developers at Treyarch have given us at least a few hints that we’ll have to make due with.
Treyarch has confirmed Zombies to be returning, as many already know, but you may have missed that Combat Training, a popular practice game mode featured in the original Black Ops, will also be returning as confirmed by Treyarch on Twitter.
When it comes to multiplayer, little is known about the game modes we will be treated to. We can assume standards like free-for-all, team deathmatch and domination will be returning, but what about the fan-favorite Search-and-Destroy? According to Gameplay Designer at Treyarch, David Vonderhaar, we will be seeing a game mode (or game modes) that is “inspired by” SnD, but perhaps not quite the same. “We have some things inspired by that mode I can’t wait till you about later this year,” Vonderhaar stated in response to a follower on Twitter.
He also added that the “MP has new fan requested Mute options for easy muting of everyone in the lobby except your party.”
Additionally, Vonderhaar has also given us something to chew on regarding Black Ops II’s knifing system, something that has been a controversial aspect of Call of Duty’s gameplay for a while now. In response to YouTuber OnlyUseMeBlade, Vonderhaar recently tweeted, “we have something coming that you’ll more or less be wanting to take credit for. I’m looking forward to that day.”
On the IPlayCoD forums (via Charlie Intel), user aadamstewartt has gathered a number of things this could mean, referring to some ideas OnlyUseMeBlade had regarding Call of Duty’s knifing system:
  • A default two-hit knife system with a perk that makes it one-hit knife
  • The knife to be a secondary
  • The knife to be in the equipment slot
What changes to the knifing system would you like to see made in Black Ops II? What do you think this new SnD-inspired multiplayer game mode could be? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!