Treyarch, 4 years, Black Ops – no matter how much of a die-hard fan you are Call of DutyEven the biggest franchise skeptics must have taken notice when it was announced that Treyarch was working on a new Black Ops installment, and they had already written off the entire franchise. So, with high hopes, the news began. first into beta, which was quite convincing, and has been since the 25. October into the full game. Whether the multiplayer of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 You can find out in our review whether it has the potential to survive for more than a few weeks, what has changed compared to the beta, and how the campaign and zombie mode play.
The Black Ops 6 campaign
Quite a few were after the MW3The previous campaign was rather disappointing, with some complaining about its tediousness and lack of creativity. However, it's clear that this won't be the case with this year's campaign, especially since it launched relatively quickly. The content immediately engages the reader and presents all the relevant connections, making it easily accessible even for complete newcomers. This contrasts sharply with the previous campaign. MW3 This provides a good balance between action-packed thrillers and quiet, suspenseful moments of infiltration or conversation.
It is primarily the cutscenes that impress graphically and sonically. It is generally agreed that Call of Duty-campaigns always have a lot to offer, and even if this image follows the MW3While the campaign was somewhat marred by the previous year's issues, it's back on track this year. Minor flaws, such as the still far too stupid AI of both enemies and allies, and the short playtime of only 10 hours, are easily overlooked.
The Black Ops 6 Zombies mode
Good: The idea of an open map in zombie mode was immediately discarded and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 It returns to closed, lovingly designed cards. The downside: there are only two of them for now. Otherwise, there's not much to say, because, as with other aspects this year, the focus is primarily on getting the simple things right again. Zombies mode It's fun, especially when played with up to three friends. Solving puzzles, collecting perks, and spending points – the possibilities are wonderfully varied, making it a very enjoyable pastime that also evokes memories of the truly great days of... Black Ops 1 & 2 It reminds me. Perhaps there will soon be a remake of "Cinema of the Dead"...
The Black Ops 6 multiplayer
Let's move on to by far the most important mode of any Call of Duty-spin-off, where there are a few fundamental aspects to consider. Let's start with the gameplay. I'm aware that this is a point that could theoretically have been addressed earlier in the review, but nowhere is gameplay as crucial as in multiplayer. Once you've shaken off the "old-school" mentality, it quickly becomes clear that the gameplay is fundamentally very well done. The speed creates a fun chaos, the movement, which allows you to slide and dive in all directions, generates real mayhem, and the weapons are a good mix of modernity and a feel reminiscent of the original. The diving is a bit excessive in my opinion, but that's a matter of taste – you don't see it too often anyway. A few weapons are slightly unbalanced in one way or another – but we can hope for patches to address this. Overall, the pacing of the gameplay is excellent and gives me, at least, a feeling that I haven't experienced with this level of intensity in the past. Call of Duty It's something I haven't seen in a long time: those who are better are rewarded. On the other hand, this Call of Duty installment also punishes players more harshly the better they are, but we'll get to that tiresome topic later.
Another major aspect, which also has a lot to do with gameplay, is the classes and scorestreaks. One thing that immediately stood out: where it wasn't possible to repeatedly achieve scorestreaks within a single life in the beta, this has now been adjusted. While this was an obvious change and would have significantly hampered the mode, it's great to see that it's a much better version than in the beta. The class system makes perfect sense and, in its class composition, harks back to what, for example, a Black Ops 2 It's similar to what was done back then. So, you have a limited number of slots that you can fill with weapons, attachments, perks, and equipment. Whether it's really necessary to offer so many weapon attachments when a "meta" is established after a day anyway, and the same three weapon combinations are always used from then on, is debatable, but it's very straightforward here. The number and variety of scorestreaks are also striking, potentially making each round a little different.
Do not forget: This weekend there is The first Double XP to earn!
The Black Ops 6 maps
Opinions on maps are divided, not just in general, but in my own opinion as well. So I did some counting and came to the following assessment: There are four maps I really like, four that are acceptable, and four that are a disaster. A good ratio? I'm not so sure. The best maps are always the small and simple ones. Three paths, a very limited number of windows or other annoying camping spots, and few vertical levels. These maps, which I consider "good," are usually also the most popular. So if most players agree on what a truly good map should look like, why do they only make up a third of the entire map pool? The answer to this question is the same as the answer to what skill-based matchmaking has been doing in games for years: money. Without opening a whole new can of worms, this also needs to be mentioned.
The vast majority of today's CoD-Players are "casual" players, meaning players who only play occasionally and whose skills are in the mid to low range. To make things easier for these players, some unfortunate mechanics have crept into the cult franchise in recent years. One of these mechanics is the map design, which, in its size and complexity, is designed to offer many different opportunities to achieve the thrill of a kill with as little effort and skill as possible. The difference from previous installments, however, is that maps are now also available that are not intended to serve this purpose. Especially on the aforementioned small, simple maps, you often see the top players in the lobby significantly ahead of the rest, as the map then allows the truly best players of the round to reward themselves. Cynics might call this "noob-friendliness," but for good players, or those who genuinely want to improve, this is where the real fun lies. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6So one can actually be grateful that an attempt has been made to bring a game to market that is truly for everyone.
The dark side of Black Ops 6
Since the can of worms I didn't really want to open is already out there, let's briefly touch on another point, or rather another mechanism, that I mentioned earlier: Skill-based matchmaking. This system, where you're always thrown into rounds with players of very similar skill, has been ruining multiplayer for years and, once again, ensures that weaker players, despite a lack of progression, can keep playing and thus stay in the game or, in the best-case scenario, spend even more money. In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, you notice quite clearly after a few hours how the lobbies change and how SBMM does its work. However, to be fair, I have to say that this year the announcement to tone down the intensity of this system was actually kept.
While it's nowhere near the glory days of 12 years ago, you can definitely tell in matches that the lobbies are much more diverse and not every round feels like the Call of Duty finals in Anaheim, USA. It's still sad that SBMM is back, and we'll have to wait and see how things develop over the weeks and months ahead. At least the game is currently playable and even (believe it or not) fun.
Conclusion
