Highlights
- Call of Duty 2024 is rumored to be set during the Gulf War, but it is unclear if it will be a Black Ops sequel or a reboot.
- The original Black Ops game had an impressive menu Easter egg that allowed players to escape from a chair and explore a secret room.
- Bringing back this type of Easter egg in a potential reboot would be exciting, but it may not work as well if the 2024 game is a sequel.
While all signs point to Call of Duty 2023 being a Sledgehammer-led entry in the Modern Warfare franchise, rumors about the series’ 2024 release have been all over the place. Initial leaks suggested that the game would have at least a partially futuristic setting, suggesting a style comparable to 2012’s Black Ops 2. A Gulf War setting has also been heavily rumored, as has a game set in the existing timeline and a reboot. If a reboot does happen, the menu Easter egg from the original Black Ops game should absolutely make a return.
The first Black Ops game featured no shortage of incredible Easter eggs for gamers to enjoy. On the multiplayer front, the very first hidden RC-XD track in Nuketown was discovered, while the game’s Zombies mode delivered the initial main quest Easter eggs. Additionally, the campaign included secrets like a hidden Thundergun, letting players ragdoll bodies across Kowloon. Best of all was a main menu surprise that fit the game’s narrative and led to a handful of other clever surprises, and this is the secret that needs to come back in a reboot.
Call of Duty: Black Ops’ Menu Escape Sequence Deserves a Comeback
The story of Call of Duty: Black Ops focuses on Alex Mason and the CIA’s attempt to break through his brainwashing, with Jason Hudson speaking to Mason while obscured behind some class and using a voice disguiser. Their conversations occur throughout the campaign, with Mason slowly being reminded of what really happened to him in Vorkuta while he is strapped to a chair. The game’s clever menu system acknowledges Mason’s captivity, with players selecting the game modes using TV’s and having control over Mason’s character model to look around the room.
Not content with a main menu that suits the game’s Cold War aesthetic and gritty narrative, Treyarch also hid an awesome surprise for curious players to uncover. If gamers mashed the triggers on their controller, Mason would break out of the chair, escaping the bindings and giving players a chance to explore the room where he is being held. If they went to the back of the location, they could interact with a terminal, logging in as various characters and then being able to input codes to access some additional Easter eggs.
These codes served various purposes, but all proved entertaining. One code allowed gamers to access the cult classic Dead Ops Arcade mini game, while another let them instantly unlock every campaign mission even if they had not played through the story. Another code disabled Trophies and achievements but gave gamers access to all the intel, which was a nice feature for lore nerds that did not want to pull up a video or collect the documents themselves. Perhaps the best code of all allowed players to enjoy the game Zork within Call of Duty, making the terminal double as a fun tribute to retro games.
Much like the game’s Reznov detail, Treyarch surely knew that not everyone would notice this ingenious chair escape secret, but the studio still put in the effort to include the Easter egg. That risk paid off, as many fans learned about the terminal through word of mouth or while they were browsing the internet. Bringing back this style of Easter egg in 2024 would undoubtedly prove successful, as social media has reached new heights and the secret’s existence would spread everywhere fast. However, it would be tough to pull off without a reboot.
Black Ops has doubled down on unhinged protagonists already, with the tortured Alex Mason and player-created Bell both being victims of brainwashing. As such, the existing Black Ops storyline returning to this type of twist for a third time would feel redundant, so it is unlikely for a character to find themselves strapped to a chair in a sequel’s main menu. However, a proper reboot that follows the key plot points of the original Black Ops could easily bring back this easter egg, with Treyarch recreating its unforgettable main menu in a modern Call of Duty engine.