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Call of Duty: Black Ops has big boots to fill

Today's launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops could rival that of its record-breaking predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
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Don Reisinger
2 min read
Call of Duty: Black Ops is now available.
Call of Duty: Black Ops is now available. Activision

Get ready for some first-person shooter action.

Activision today launched Call of Duty: Black Ops for all three major consoles, the PC, and the Nintendo DS.

Call of Duty: Black Ops puts the player in various roles as soldiers "behind enemy lines." Players can also play co-op with zombies, Mark Lamia, head of Activision's Treyarch Studio, said in a statement. But as with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, many gamers will be picking up the title for its online multiplayer offering. And to that end, Lamia promises an "incredibly deep" experience for gamers.

So far, the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops has gone quite well. Video game retailer GameStop reported today that the title "set a new record with reservations." GameStop's senior vice president of merchandising, Bob McKenzie, said that Black Ops has bested "any other title in GameStop's history."

However, Black Ops has some huge boots to fill. Its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, was the biggest launch in gaming history. More so, it was the biggest launch in the history of the entertainment industry, according to Guinness World Records, grossing $401.6 million on launch day last year. Trying to match that success could be a tall order for the latest release in the Call of Duty franchise.

Call of Duty: Black Ops comes in three versions. The standard edition comes only with the game and sells for $60 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. The Hardened Edition comes with a Black Ops medal, an Avatar outfit, and four zombie co-op maps. It retails for $80. The Prestige Edition's main attraction is an RC-XD Surveillance Vehicle, which transmits video and audio back to the user up to 200 feet away. It sells for $150.