As a seasoned Call of Duty veteran who’s been through the trenches since the early Modern Warfare days, I must admit that Black Ops 6 has managed to pique my interest like never before. After five years of the Warzone experiment, it’s refreshing to see Activision taking a bold step with something innovative again.
After the debut of Call of Duty Modern Warfare in 2019, and specifically Warzone, there has been a strong sense that the Call of Duty series has been evolving incrementally. While this might sound like a common remark (I recall hearing criticisms about the “Call of Duty games are just reskinned” as early as 2008), it’s worth noting how pronounced this trend has become.
From a gaming standpoint, over the past five years, every game released has essentially played second fiddle to Warzone. This has led many dedicated fans to feel increasingly uneasy about spending $70 on what seems like additional expansions of Call of Duty’s main hub.
As a dedicated fan, looking back over five years since the Warzone experiment began (with Battle Royale sadly losing a significant portion of its playerbase from 2020), it appears that Activision is ready to shake things up with something fresh and innovative once more – and that’s what excites me about Black Ops 6. Overall, I’m truly grateful for this new direction they’re taking.
As a dedicated gamer who’s always up for a challenge, I can’t help but ponder if arcade shooters like this still hold the same appeal as they used to. The shutdown of XDefiant makes me wonder if the genre might be fading away. However, with Call of Duty players still flocking in numbers that warrant development, it looks like they’re in for a solid year with Black Ops 6.
Important Notice: At this point, our assessment is still under development. We’ve exclusively experienced the multiplayer beta thus far, without exploring the Zombies or Campaign modes. Consequently, we are withholding a final review score until the game’s official launch.
Black Ops 6 Review: Gameplay
There is a very large elephant in the room here, but before addressing omni-movement, here’s a quick overview of the main gameplay elements we pay attention to with each new CoD.
This year’s Time-to-Kill (TTK) seems slightly quicker compared to last year, however, in the grand scheme of Call of Duty (CoD) history, it still leans towards a game with a longer TTK. The gunplay feels smooth and there’s minimal visual recoil. It’s true that the guns feel lighter than typical, but that’s often the case in Treyarch games. As for perks and field upgrades, they seem well-balanced, although some of them are a bit too silly for my personal taste.
Now let’s talk about the innovative feature called omni-movement. In simple terms, this means players can now move swiftly in any direction they choose – sprinting, diving, or performing quick maneuvers. It’s designed to be instinctive and fluid, allowing players to dodge attacks, jump through windows, even fling themselves backward. The outcome is a thrilling, movie-like experience that frequently feels incredibly rewarding.
I believe this latest addition to Call of Duty is quite refreshing after a while, and it’s the sort of innovative gameplay that the series has been needing. However, since we’re discussing a review here, I shouldn’t give the impression that everyone will find it enjoyable. Instead, I encourage you to try it out and form your own opinion about its quality.
In the beta version, I played extensively with my friends, and they had varying opinions about omni-movement. If you’re a player who moves slowly and prefers using an AR while positioning yourself strategically, this might not be the Call of Duty game for you in terms of multiplayer. However, it could still appeal to you, and you might find a way to adapt the maps to your playstyle, but it may not cater as well to that style as typical CoD games do.
Black Ops 6 Review: Audio-Visual
Every year when evaluating the latest Call of Duty release, there’s one aspect I can reliably expect them to excel at – and they’ve done it again. Although they may stumble in their gameplay design, Activision consistently delivers an impressive technical performance, particularly since establishing IW Poland to concentrate on developing their exclusive engine for the Call of Duty series.
The game exhibits impressive aesthetics and a pleasant feel. Compared to the previous three Treyarch games, this one has more vibrant colors and a noticeable improvement in visual appeal. However, it stops short of adopting a overly-cartoonish style, maintaining a balance that fans of a more realistic, Infinity Ward-style approach will appreciate.
The animations are not as painstakingly intricate as we’ve seen before, and the sound of the weapons aren’t as realistic, but these are minor quibbles. And they’re more than counterbalanced by the excellent main theme.
Black Ops 6 Review: Multiplayer
I want to point out that the current review is still underway, primarily based on the multiplayer beta weekends. Consequently, I can’t address topics such as SBMM, player count, and progression, as we were all level-capped during our playtime. However, from what I’ve experienced so far, I can confidently say that the game maps are visually engaging, the gameplay feels fluid, and the weapon balance, while not perfect, is satisfactory (it seems like this year might favor SMGs for a change in CoD).
With a longer Time-to-Kill (TTK) that aligns with my preference and incorporating omni-movement, a skill I’d find fulfilling to master, I believe many players, including myself, will relish the process of grinding through all the weapons. However, due to the maps feeling cramped and having an energy akin to Shipment, there’s a slight worry that the multiplayer might transform into a monotonous grinding experience. Ideal for instant gratification and rapid leveling, but not so great when it comes to keeping players engaged in the long run.
The absence of both large and medium-sized maps within the game leaves me with heightened worry about its competitive aspect. While an SMG-centric meta is exciting and Treyarch consistently caters to competitive players better than most studios, I’m eagerly anticipating the inclusion of larger maps for high-level play when the game launches. Ideally, some of these larger maps would be well-designed enough to make it into the ranked map rotation permanently, rather than being used as a last resort like the recurring Raid map (a great map, but I’d prefer something new).
Black Ops 6 Review: Verdict
Based on my initial playtime, I haven’t formed a definitive opinion or rating for this game yet, but it appears to be among the better Call of Duty titles released recently, surpassing Vanguard and MWII thus far. The gameplay innovations are enjoyable, and given Treyarch’s reputation, I anticipate that Zombies mode will be thrilling. However, I was hoping for more engaging multiplayer maps. I’ll also be closely monitoring the progression system, which they’ve done well in recent years, and crossing my fingers that we avoid a repetitive grind.
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2024-09-11 17:10