Our CoD champ previews Black Ops II

Block-buster ... Black Ops II looks every bit the hit

The announcement of Black Ops II was hardly a surprise, was it?

But the latest instalment in the blockbuster Call of Duty series had an incredible impact - the trailer prompting THREE TIMES as many pre-orders in its first 24 hours than the 2010 iteration. 

And that was hardly a flop - Black Ops remains the biggest-selling game in the franchise's history. 

With a confirmed release date of November 13, and a so-called 'battle' with Halo 4 which drops the week earlier, you can expect a barrage of press about the eagerly awaited game over the next six months. 

Here, Sun's resident Call of Duty champ - the man no other media outlet can defeat on any version of the game - Lee Zaleski gives his first impressions of the trailer. 

We all know what to expect from Call of Duty, but Black Ops II seems set to head in a new direction from the previous nine iterations of the franchise. 

Usually masters at recreating World War II classics with accurate detail – just look at World at War – makers Treyarch have moved out of their comfort zone with a futuristic battleground. 

Set in around 2025 - barring a few flashback missions in the 80s, one of which is set in Afghanistan - the game focuses on the battle between Earth's two super-powers, USA and China. 

The two nations are battling it out in a cold war for the planet’s precious minerals, which run every day futuristic devices. 

While the countries are distracted by this, a terrorist group has seized the opportunity to hack into America’s online defence network, taking control of its huge drone army to launch a massive assault against all major US cities. 

The only way to stop them? Bring back the armies of the past – human soldiers. How quaint. 

You take control of weapons familiar to today’s military, as well as futuristic devices such as unmanned assault walkers and quad-drone planes. 

There’s also a hint of a laser-sighted heat-mapping sniper rifle, which penetrates its enemies straight through walls. 

So no more camping in multiplayer. 

The setting may be different, but the delivery looks to be vintage Black Ops – expect another breath-taking title – oh, and a few more records to tumble, too.