One of the biggest names in gaming makes its PS Vita debut today. Developed exclusively for the system, Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified strives to offer the full blockbuster COD multiplayer experience on your handheld, alongside a bespoke mission-based single player campaign that serves as a companion piece to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on PlayStation 3.

Considering the series has one of the fiercest and most passionate fanbases of any major franchise, it’s safe to say that developer Nihilistic Software has taken on a huge responsibility. We sat down with studio founder Robert Huebner to find out how it’s dealt with the pressure and what players can expect from the title.

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Back in August, Jeff and I got a few minutes of hands-on time with Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, the upcoming PS Vita entry in the battle-tested military combat series. Though the game was early in production, our experience was promising and pointed to a faithful translation of Call of Duty’s signature multiplayer combat to PS Vita’s 5″ OLED screen and dual analog sticks.

Two months later, Activision and developer Nihilistic are shedding new details on this fall’s PS Vita punisher. We caught up with Robert Huebner, the developer’s studio head, for the latest intel drop.

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Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified is real, and we’ve played it. I think the highest compliment I can pay it is to say that, well, it looks and plays like Call of Duty. The running and gunning, the aiming down the sights, the familiar Bank Gothic notices popping up when you land a long-range shot or end an opponent’s killstreak, the weapon loadouts and multiplayer modes — they’re all here, rendered on PS Vita‘s luscious OLED screen and playable with dual analog sticks in a mobile setting for the first time.

Activision Product Manager Ryan Scott’s gamescom presentation cut straight to the heart of the matter, starting with the game’s multiplayer offering — a key consideration for any self-respecting CoD title. Multiplayer in Black Ops Declassified supports up to eight players via WiFi across six maps, encompassing essential play modes such as Free for all, Team Deathmatch, and Kill Confirmed, with other “classic Call of Duty modes” promised. Other trademark Call of Duty mechanics such as Create-a-Class, Killstreaks, XP, Perks, and Prestige were all present and accounted for.

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If you’re a PlayStation Vita owner – or if you are a Call of Duty fan looking for an excuse to become one – you’re going to want to see this. The first look at Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified just debuted at the Sony PlayStation press conference in Cologne, Germany, and now it’s on your internets. Look!

If you want to watch it again, I’ll wait. There was a lot to see in there.

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