Hey you. Yeah you naysayer in the corner claiming Treyarch isn’t going to do anything but recycle Infinity Ward’s multiplayer formula with Call of Duty: Black Ops, I’m talking to you. We have our first look at what is called the ‘Wager Match’ and if this doesn’t make you a believer I think you should check your pulse.

Check it out:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg_8mPoloBo

For those of you who only watched the video and were unable to listen to the developer commentary, I shall provide you with a quick rundown. Aren’t I a nice guy? The Wager Match can take place across four game variants each of which require a player to put up some of their COD points in the hopes that they finish in the top three of the match. You place in the top three; you receive a percentage of everyone’s points. Place anywhere but and go back to the lobby empty handed. Obviously, if this type of match existed in the generic deathmatch style of play, gamers with the higher rank would be able to further pad their points while newcomers would struggle to keep up. Luckily, Treyarch made each game variant rely solely on your skills and not on your amount of play time. Here’s a run down of the game variants:

• One in the Chamber — This game mode gives each player two options of killing. A pistol loaded with a single bullet and the combat knife. Kill an opposing player and you take their bullet. Not only does this mode sound genius but it will make for some very intense strafing sessions as you try to set up the killshot.
• Sticks and Stones: In this game mode players are equipped with a crossbow, a ballistics knife and a tomahawk. I wasn’t already sold on the crossbow but the tomahawk kill has the biggest incentive. Kill an opposing player with either the crossbow or the ballistics knife and gain points towards your score, but kill a player with the tomahawk and you bankrupt them taking them down to zero. Not only does this game mode sound like great fun it also is going to leave a lot of gamers screaming at their televisions having just been tomahawked in the back.
• Gun Game: If you have ever thought that you were a the more skilled Call of Duty player because of your versatility, then this is the game mode for you. In Gun Game, with each kill players will be given a new weapon with which to kill an enemy. Said player kills another enemy and they receive the next weapon, but if they are knifed by an opposing player then they drop down one weapon. Eventually, the player who has gotten a kill with every weapon available is the winner. This is my personal favorite game mode because not only does it give you a chance to test out all the fantastic weapons but it creates a winner that very few will be able to argue with.
• Sharpshooter: The most formulaic of the game modes, Sharpshooter starts each player out with a randomly selected weapon, puts a timer on the screen, and then cycles to the next weapon after time has run out. With each kill, players will net a different perk and from there, can receive score multipliers. What Sharpshooter does bring is variety but with three other clever ideas this is just the least interesting.

All of these game modes are sure to make for some great Wager Matches in Black Ops. With Treyarch already building so much variety into the game who needs mod tools? Okay, mod tools on the consoles would be nice, but oh well.  I never expected for Treyarch to have an ace-in-the-hole quite like this. Really I was just expecting a better zombie mode. Now I am counting the hours till my RC car comes in the mail.

What do you think of the Wager Match Ranters? Which mode is your favorite? Least favorite? Let us know in the comments below

Call of Duty: Black Ops only needs one bullet to blow your mind when it releases on November 9, 2010 for Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, and DS.