Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review
Pros
- Incredible campaign
- Engaging multiplayer
- Brilliant zombies
Cons
- Map design is somewhat disappointing
- The future content could make or break the game's longevity
It’s no secret that Black Ops is my favorite subseries in Call of Duty. While I appreciate Modern Warfare’s legacy, the original Black Ops stood out as a childhood memory, and the various entries stand out amongst the long-standing franchise. While Black Ops 3 remains a personal favorite, thanks to the movement mechanics, thrilling zombies, and some great changes to the CoD gameplay loop, Black Ops 6 is likely the best entry since that.
Black Ops 6 is still a Call of Duty game. If you don’t like fast-paced arcade-style action, a blockbuster movie of a campaign, or killing hordes of the undead, BO6 won’t change your mind. But, for fans of the series, it’s an exciting return to form after a few disappointing entries.
Case: Closed
In familiar Call of Duty action, Black Ops 6 brings a campaign that feels ready for the silver screen - an interactive Mission Impossible meets Hardcore Henry meets… well, any war movie you can think of. It feels slightly longer than the average CoD campaign, but it’s so excellently paced, it sticks out as a best-in-class.
You play as ‘Case’, a silent protagonist who gets the job done rather than wasting words. Unlike Cold War‘s self-insert character, Case’s story and real name is set, but branching dialogue options and choices within the game allow you to give him more of a personality than simply being a mute super soldier.
Much like the rest of the Black Ops series, Black Ops 6 puts you on a globe-trotting adventure after you discover an organization called Pantheon who is setting up a bioweapon that would disrupt the United States. Not only are they hidden from the public eye, but they have strings and connections to the CIA, which you, Woods, and Marshall were all suspended from at the beginning of the story.
(1 of 2) Adler is a morally gray and exciting character
Adler is a morally gray and exciting character (left), Marshall is a brilliant new member of the series, standing out in an exciting cast (right)
Over the course of roughly ten hours, you’ll build a small team of rogue Black Ops agents and attempt to avoid the CIA and Pantheon as you uncover the mystery behind the Cradle, Pantheon’s bioweapon, and who is behind the group. Unlike your standard warfare, Black Ops 6 brings a James Bond vibe, as you infiltrate luxury casinos, discover secrets at major events, or enter Pantheon’s very own base undercover.
To help you feel like you’re in control of the lovingly-called Case, Black Ops 6 offers many missions with branching options and various ways to handle objectives. It’s much like Modern Warfare 3‘s promised changes to the campaign last year but done in a way that feels much more engaging and exciting. You can decide to go all-guns-blazing, or take out enemies one by one and hide their bodies; it’s completely up to you.
It helps that Black Ops 6‘s equipment and gunplay feel spectacular, and the various enemies you have to face keep the campaign thrilling throughout its runtime - like an adrenaline-filled roller coaster that I didn’t want to get off. Despite some familiar story beats, the campaign kept me surprised throughout, and it is easily one of the best campaigns in the franchise.
Unfortunately, one issue I had with the story was the abrupt ending. A build-up of two conjoined missions that feel intense and dangerous end with a ‘poof’, delivering an unsatisfying resolution that obviously ties into the seasonal stories. I think one or two more missions could have nailed the ending, but it comes to a conclusion that feels open-ended but poorly done.
That being said, if you like a good Call of Duty campaign, you can’t go wrong with Black Ops 6‘s offering. A bombastic non-stop action movie keeps the narrative well-paced and interesting, and while it’s undoubtedly sticking to the formula, it feels distinct enough to stand out in a two-decade-old franchise.
Back in Black
Much like the campaign, and every Call of Duty before it, Black Ops 6’s multiplayer feels unsurprising at first glance. The typical grind of leveling up your rank, unlocking new weapons, and then grinding levels on individual weapons for attachments is a formula that has been finetuned for years. However, the Black Ops series has never shied away from introducing new elements and mechanics to the franchise, and the sixth entry is no different.
The biggest feature added to this year’s installment is clearly omni-movement, a free-form movement system that allows you to dive in different directions, sprint sideways, and surprise your enemies with fast, sudden engagements. It’s a new learning curve that will throw off any Call of Duty veterans, but it feels like an interesting gimmick in a series that has played it safe for quite a few years.
Much like Black Ops 3‘s different ‘heroes’ and the wall-running, mini-boost system, Black Ops 6‘s omni-movement feels like a refreshing new feature for the franchise, but it’s not as much of a risky move as the aforementioned BO3 or Advanced Warfare. It’s nice to see Activision and Treyarch willing to take risks again, considering the backlash against these futuristic movement systems back in the 2010s, but with a passionate community of fans for that era, I think we could take more risks.
Multiplayer is, unsurprisingly, a major and exciting part of Black Ops 6
Alongside the new mechanic, it’s clear that the map design takes verticality and depth to a new level to compensate. Some maps really nail the landing like Lowtown and Skyline, but others such as Redcard feel like some of the worst in the series. I appreciate the effort and detail that has gone into crafting original, interesting maps, but the maps feel like they lack direction - it feels like pure chaos, but not in the Nuketown way - instead, it can feel frustrating.
Speaking of, I am excited to see the return of the iconic Nuketown map, as well as a variety of other small-scale locations. Subsonic and Babylon are highlights, allowing absolute chaos that feels like Call of Duty at its best, and while I appreciate that the larger maps allow for different loadouts to dominate, that hectic action is what I love about Call of Duty and the Black Ops series in general.
Of course, multiplayer is the most popular mode in Call of Duty, and it’s fairly difficult to review a game based on what it could be. However, even at a foundational level, Black Ops 6 feels like it nails practically every aspect - the return of classic prestige, the solid gunplay with varying weapons that feel distinct, and the introduction of omni-movement. The grind feels worthwhile, unlike the recent Modern Warfare games that become frustrating and a chore after just a few weeks.
It remains to be seen how Black Ops 6 will deliver over the next year, and what the final content of the game looks like ahead of the next annual installment. However, I have exceedingly high hopes that Black Ops 6 will be a memorable Call of Duty - especially considering it feels like one of the best in the last decade. In fact, I wish Activision would let Infinity Ward develop the next Modern Warfare for a bit longer, and allow this game to be the main CoD for two years instead of the usual one.
Undead Warfare
Call of Duty Zombies has been a surprising success in the franchise, delivering a horde mode that went from a basic extra in World at War to a phenomenon, sparking its own community. And, I’m happy to say that Black Ops 6 delivers the start of a Zombies mode that feels equally fresh and familiar, which seems to be a recurring theme with the latest entry in the franchise.
The return of round-based zombies is a huge deal. While facing hordes of the undead may seem like an exciting endeavor on its own, the growing difficulty with increasing rounds has fit the game mode for years, but Vanguard and Modern Warfare 3 focused on new ways of offering the undead, which weren’t as good as Treyarch’s standard offering.
(1 of 2) The terrifying Mangler returns to ruin your Zombies run
The terrifying Mangler returns to ruin your Zombies run (left), Spiders can pop up alongside normal zombies. I’m starting to miss the Hell Hounds. (right)
The two maps, Liberty Falls and Terminus, both bring engaging maps that feel well-crafted and lovingly made, as well as giving the community exciting easter eggs to unwrap once again. It feels like Black Ops 3 Zombies is weaved into the DNA of the latest entry, with the improvement of Cold War’s Zombies on top of it.
Zombies has always been a ‘watch and wait’ situation, as new maps launch and occasionally vary in quality. However, Black Ops 6‘s Zombies is off to a great start, and with the storyline continuing, I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
It’s always difficult to review a Call of Duty game: at its core, it feels remarkably similar to the last game, the one before that, and so on. However, Black Ops 6 is a brilliant entry into the franchise that rarely stumbles, delivering an action-packed campaign, thrilling multiplayer, and heart-pumping zombies that are worth any CoD player’s time.
Return of the King
Black Ops 6 does enough differently to stand out in the recent wave of Call of Duty games, bringing one of the best campaign and multiplayer modes in the long-running franchise. While we need to wait and see how Zombies pans out, it’s a solid entry - so much so, that I can say “Call of Duty is back”.
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