‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’ gives its zombie mode a noir makeover

The popular zombie mode of the “Call of Duty” franchise will go back in time for the release of this winter’s “Black Ops 3.” The title will give the multiplayer-focused zombie battles a 1940s noir-inspired makeover, complete with femme fatales and dapper outfits.

A sneak peek of the refreshed zombie strain of “Black Ops 3” was given Thursday to attendees of San Diego’s Comic-Con. The mode, dubbed “Shadows of Evil,” will boast the voice work of Jeff Goldblum, Heather Graham, Neil McDonough, Ron Perlman and Robert Picardo.

Playable characters will include a magician, a femme fatale, a cop and a boxer. If a trailer is any indication, look for period-specific burlesque clubs amid all the supernatural activity and semi-automatic gunfire. Note: The trailer contains plenty of neon, what appears to be a magical gumball and adult language.

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An early look at the “Black Ops 3” zombie mode wasn’t the only “Call of Duty” tidbit unveiled to Comic-Con attendees. If your gaming room needs some more home appliances, a limited edition set of “Black Ops 3” will come complete with a working mini-fridge branded after the game’s fictional power-boosting soda Juggernog.

A price for the so-called Juggernog Collector’s Edition has not yet been set. “Black Ops 3” is due for release on Nov. 6 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The game will be published by Activision and is being developed by Treyarch.

The core game will be set in 2065 after “Blacks Ops 2,” and take place in a universe in which a large air-defense system, designed to nullify drone attacks, has placed a newfound importance on foot soldiers.

As previously reported, the future-set “Black Ops 3″ makes some bold predictions about combat in the decades to come. Soldiers, for instance, will be outfitted with robotic arms, giving them super-human strength. Additionally, women will be just as prevalent on the front lines as their male counterparts.

The campaign of “Black Ops 3″ will also blur the lines between single and multiplayer games and allow up to four people to play the story-mode cooperatively via an online connection (or a split-screen with a friend).

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