No really, it’s actually good this time
The review numbers Mason.. they don’t lie!
When I heard that Black Ops 6 was going to be the next CoD game, my initial reaction was… wait… there was a Black Ops 5?…. And come to think of it… there was a Black Ops 4?!! Of course, I suddenly remembered that I’d completely overlooked Black Ops 4 because they omitted a single-player campaign mode and had the audacity to charge full price for it. Then, I did eventually recall that Black Ops 5 was Cold War, which I played, but was as forgettable as the plot of a shampoo commercial. Call of Duty has seen its fair share of ups-and-downs over the years, with games ranging from grounded, historically significant battles like D-Day and the Siege of Stalingrad to missions that take you all the way to the surface of fucking Pluto! Despite having a development cycle of 4 years, I was still apprehensive towards a new Call of Duty because after the last few games I couldn’t be asked. I didn’t bother with the MW3 reboot as I heard the campaign was dogshit and lasted about the length of microwaved burrito. Turns out, Treyarch pulled their heads out of their asses this time and released Black Ops 6. People seemed to really enjoy it, so I gave it a try – and turns out, we liked it too.
The narrative is woefully absurd as it is enjoyable. Set in the early 90s, one of the most transformative years in modern history. The Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc have just collapsed, leaving a giant power vacuum while also causing a unique era of optimistic uncertainty. We have our rag-tag group of rogue CIA operatives who uncover a sinister plot to take over the world with a new bio-weapon *gasp*. Frank Woods makes a return, pushing well into his 60s and now wheelchair bound, and still shooting bad guys- why can’t this man just retire? You play as another silent character; I mean he allegedly talks through tacky dialogue trees, but never speaks. The level designs and mission types are some of the best and varied in the whole series. You’ll get your classic CoD shootout levels, of course, but there’s more to it – There’s a wild stealth level where you have to sneak into a Bill Clinton rally and steal the Mona Lisa or something. There’s an open literal sandbox segment in the Iraqi desert with a variety of side objectives to keep you busy. The game tosses you a curveball by injecting some psychological-horror to keep you on edge. Is it completely nonsensical? Absolutely. But it’s far better than the Kevin “we don’t talk about” Spacey game or whatever that “frozen forest” malarky was in Black Ops 3.
I overheard on a podcast that you can run backwards in the game, and I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what that actually meant… Naturally, it was the first thing I tried as soon as I started playing. Black Ops 6 feels the way CoD has always supposed to be. It feels right. You’ll be sliding in this game like it’s going out of style. The movement feels spot-on, with an excellent blend of speed and control. The transitions between sprinting, sliding, aiming and dolphin-diving are seamless, making it easy to chain together quick actions. Everything flows naturally, so you never feel held back, whether you’re dodging enemies or making a rapid escape. The momentum is sharp and responsive, perhaps even the most refined we’ve seen in the series. And the sniping… it’s damn good.
Multiplayer doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it has some shiny rims. The online makes you first sign a waiver stating you’ll play nice and won’t bully the children (pansies), despite in-game chat being as dead as a vampire at a garlic harvest. Those OG CoD lobbies built character dammit!… The maps also go back to basics. Gone are the giant open-world maps from the Modern Warfare reboots. The standard small and medium maps, including close-quarters maps have made their welcomed return. These are fast paced, chaotic and really makes you relive the golden-era of the PS3 and 360 era. Sometimes less is more. The Killstreaks are less intrusive this time around. Blasting dudes on Stakeout 24/7 with your shotgun never gets old. Zombies are back and better than ever. It mixes your classic round based bullet-to-brain violence with objectives to complete. You obtain your power-ups, upgraded weapons and even a flaming broadsword to chop those unholy flesh eaters down to size. A difficulty select is also implemented, so veterans and noobs like us can enjoy the mode at their own pace. The menu soundtrack is fire! Literally… “RAIN THE FIRE, RAIN THE FIRE!!” hahaha.. laugh bitch…
Treyarch did a nice job. Well done! Maybe if they’d just do away with all the excessive customizations and cosmetics… (that’s never going to happen)… I can dream. I mean I never thought I’d give two shits and a popsicle about writing a review for a new fucking Call of Duty game!… Alas, here we are… It’s easily the best CoD in the last 10 years. While we both agree that 2007-2012 were the golden years of the series, this is the closest we’ve come to a modern-day renaissance. Grab enemy intel, drink a pack-a-punch, and get Woods a retirement to the Bahamas for God’s sake.
You can’t kill me!
Mikhail & Fil
Verdict: 8/10
https://opencritic.com/game/17124/call-of-duty-black-ops-6