“Suppose that makes us, a necessary evil…. “- Felix. There are always two sides to war. Even when you are on the side of ‘good’ you are still, like the new character Sev so elegantly puts it, a ‘necessary evil’. ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’ developed by Treyarch and Raven, really hones in on that sense of duty to the team and comradery even if you’ve got to do some shady snake-like infiltration.  The Black Ops Series seems to be shifting in overall direction and it is certainly refreshing. In saying that, let’s dive into what this new Black Ops has to offer.

Campaign 8.5/10

Flashing back a year to Kawait in 1990, this is one Black Ops ‘Campaign’ that is gunning to be memorable. Very different to previous frontline warfare action, this story takes root in stealth and espionage. A year later, you step into the shoes of Case, pulled into an investigation chasing a paramilitary organisation group called the ‘Pantheon’ trying to create a bioweapon of mass destruction during the Gulf War. This story finds Case jumping across countries from a campaign election for Bill Clinton in America to Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s reign.

In between each mission is a “Safehouse” from ‘Call Of Duty: Cold War’ where you plan and talk to the range of memorable oldies (Adler and Woods) and the new cast of characters. The characters are so fleshed out and from a range of backgrounds adding a nice sprinkle of diversity and perspective to the fight.

I must say, the campaign is incredibly fun and the storytelling is superb. Every step of the way is a cinematic experience. Helicopters explode in the sky, limousines flip in a ball of fire in front of you, and missiles stream right past narrowly missing their targets. The campaign manages your equipment well too with an Equipment Wheel that gives you access to a range of tools to use, including RCXDs, Homing knives, C4, Hellstorms, Chopper strikes, Tranquilizer bombs, etc. The game allows you to utilise so much as you acquire it, perfect to use in later missions.

I enjoyed the gameplay and the Campaign so much but unfortunately, my 6-hour save was soured by the fact it did not save and deleted my progression, a common problem upon investigation. This annoyed me incredibly as it was such a good time but a slog to get that far and I wasn’t willing to start again until the end of the review.

I would love to see this online co-op in the future and while I did miss the more hectic war front missions, there is a nice pace to the campaign. They incorporate some genius elements into the narrative, such as an epic hallucination mission with multiple objectives. It all felt very familiar but very unique. The Campaign alone is a great adventure.

Multiplayer 9/10

I must admit, that ‘Multiplayer’ is back for me in a big way. Having not enjoyed it in a while, gunplay now feels fluid and with the new omni-direction movement, you can dive out of the way of bullets. Call me Superman cause I am flying faster than a speeding bullet! While it is a nice option, I still prefer to just run and gun, an option you can still do without feeling disadvantaged by diving goofballs.

Gunplay has always been this game’s bread and butter, a sort of make-or-break circumstance for any Call Of Duty game, and here it is insanely good. While there are some metas already, they don’t feel unfair as there are always ways to move around them with fluid gunning and a range of perks to turn the tides. You can even specialise meaning three perks of the same colour will give you a unique extra ability such as seeing players for a split second during respawn, movement buffs or bonus equipment scores for the more strategic.

Classic modes are all there like Team Death Match, Domination, Hardpoint, Search and Destroy, Control, Headquarters, Kill Confirm, and Free-For-All; classics that I won’t get into too much detail as this review will already be long as it is. The only difference to me was ‘Kill Order’ which, while not my favourite, I understand the interest as it breaks up the traditional plays for a more ‘Overwatch’ like experience.

Also back are level progressions working towards that sweet sweet prestige. Level XP also goes towards gun progression making available a range of attachments. These can be added in the returning Gunsmith where you can also customise your gun in skins and charms. You also have an impressive roster of characters with very detailed skins to unlock or shock horror… buy. Nitpicking though as a final note, the losing team should not be able to get kill cam, just saying.

Zombies 10/10

The jewel in the crown of Black Ops 6, is the ‘Zombies’. Always such an exhilarating experience, with the launch there are two maps this time for killing hordes of zombies in waves-based combat. ‘Liberty Falls’ takes you to a town, which while being quite open has twisting circuits around a bowling alley and eerie church. ‘Terminus’ is a more claustrophobic, military bunker-like map and kinda reminds me of ‘Alcatraz’ on Black Ops 2. This has more underground components to its objectives requiring generators to be turned on initially.

Across the maps, they have brought back Gobblegum machines, consumables in the form of gumballs that provide temporary bonuses. I enjoyed seeing these back as they can give powerful boosts if using some of the rarer ones. ‘Zombie Field Upgrades’ are new and have unique abilities and roles that charge in the game by killing zombies. I was particularly fond of my Healing Aura which could change a losing fight for all in an instant of good timing. Perk-a-Colas are also a returning but beloved factor in most Zombie modes and still increase things like health, stamina, and revive rates until you die.

The more you play, the more you can research and implement minor and major augmentations. Using experience you can research buffs to put into things such as Perk-A-Colas, Ammo Mods, and Field Upgrades. Zombies is at its best when playing in a squad of four with friends, but you can go solo or matchmake with randoms from online. This is where you go to evoke a sense of suspense and fear, maybe anger at a teammate or two.

The Easter Eggs are all there and as interesting as ever bringing the giggles amongst the high-octane running and gunning or being slapped by the worm-like baddie, the ‘Abomination’, or three. The roundhouse kicker too is all experience crosses over to your multiplayer mode, meaning you aren’t working for nothing.

Graphics 

The graphics are crisp. The details are outstanding. You will see the sweat dripping off the brow of your character, the decaying muscles of the zombies and fighter jets slipstreaming through the clouds. Even the effects of fire and smoke are so realistic and atmospheric. I was blown away at how ambient this game was from Zombies to the Campaign. Each map and environment is detailed too with something to read or look at around every corner; the casino level was one such pleasure on the eyes and was masterly developed.

Music

The music and soundscape of Black Ops 6 is impeccable. Straight off the bat, the menu music ‘Raining The Fire’ composted Jack Wall, is a dead-set pure COD banger. It is up there with some of the greats in COD history, such as the ‘Witches Theme’ on the Buried map of Black Ops 2. This track will go down in history as one of the greatest gaming jams. The environmental sounds are also fabulously incorporated. The overall music and sound effects are brilliant too. Always bringing the hype, bullets will wizz past you or impact you with a visceral squelch, and artillery will blast overhead, it is an overstimulation in all the best ways.

Final Thoughts

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 is an explosive edition of this much loved, often hated on, series of the Call Of Duty franchise. Honestly, I have played as many Call Of Duty games as I could over my gaming years, but I haven’t enjoyed them to this degree in a long hot minute. The culmination of the Campaign, Zombies and Multiplayer make an improved and memorable time.

Call of Duty though, as a whole, might be the game people love to hate and hate to love but it has a formula that works and it builds cherished memories. That, my friends, is the secret behind the power of this franchise and its longevity.

Below is the breakdown of my scores for Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6:

• Campaign: 9/10

• Multiplayer: 9/10

• Zombies: 10/10

Written by: Stacey