Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 review: back with a bang

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 feels for illustration a throwback successful nan very champion of ways. Lead developers Treyarch and Raven Software person smartly mixed immoderate of nan astir successful elements from entries crossed nan long-running first-person shooter (FPS) bid to trade a highly polished acquisition that excels successful almost each regard. 

Classic systems specified arsenic nan accepted prestige mechanics, which connection nan astir dedicated online players nan opportunity to partially reset their advancement for exclusive rewards, aliases nan elemental but effective limb attachments still haven’t mislaid their luster successful 2024. It’s not each things that we’ve seen earlier though, arsenic a fistful of clever caller innovations, for illustration nan flagship ‘omnimovement’ system, and nan astir high-fidelity graphics we've seen yet successfully thrust nan franchise guardant and support each facet of nan acquisition emotion fresh.

The consequence is 1 of nan best FPS games successful almost a decade and a must-play for fans of nan genre. There are still a mates of sore spots, for illustration a fistful of poorly designed multiplayer maps, that clasp things backmost from full perfection, but, pinch plentifulness of caller contented connected nan measurement done a barrage of seasonal updates, nan adjacent 12 months of Call of Duty are well-positioned to beryllium immoderate of nan top yet. 

On nan run

The Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign picks up astir 10 years aft nan communicative of 2020’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Set successful 1991, it’s loosely centered astir nan events of nan Gulf War, though pinch much of an oculus towards covert espionage than boots-on-the-ground conflict. You play arsenic a group of CIA operatives, sent into Iraq to intercept nan Iraqi Minister of Defense and bring him backmost to nan authorities successful 1 piece.

As you mightiness expect, this elemental task goes incorrect successful a matter of minutes erstwhile a mysterious subject unit emerges from nan shadows to thwart your mission. Reunited pinch nan fan-favorite rogue spy Russel Adler, it soon becomes evident that this organization, known arsenic Pantheon, has adjacent ties pinch nan CIA, forcing nan squad disconnected nan grid. It’s a classical Mission Impossible-style premise and, while thing peculiarly analyzable aliases sophisticated, is simply a perfectly serviceable model for a bid of perfectly stellar group pieces.

Variety elevates each infinitesimal campaign, pinch each mode of astonishing mechanics and environments crammed into its astir nine-hour runtime. There’s a refreshingly unfastened assassination conception early on, pinch a assortment of imaginable approaches that incentivises astatine slightest a mates of replays. Later on, you’re stealthily infiltrating a governmental fundraising event, investigating different imaginable leads, and scanning clues pinch a high-tech spy camera earlier a hair-raising motorcycle chase. 

One highly memorable ngo moreover takes connected a wholly unexpected endurance scary edge, equipping you pinch an overpowered grapple hook and bombarding you pinch legions of imagined zombies and powerful leader monsters.

In betwixt each mission, you’re sent backmost to your safehouse, which offers its ain suite of activities. Levels are littered pinch cash, which tin beryllium hoovered up and spent connected safehouse upgrades to unlock caller perks and cogwheel going forward. Quite a fewer puzzles are hidden crossed its grounds too, giving accomplishment hunters plentifulness of inducement not conscionable to blitz done nan story.

This is besides without a uncertainty nan best-looking run successful Call of Duty history, surpassing moreover nan ocular excellence of 2022’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Multiple areas are breathtakingly realistic, pinch perfectly stunning, highly elaborate textures and precocious lighting effects. Some of nan much absurd scenes besides let nan developer to really show disconnected its creator chops, pinch agleam superior colors and an effective dream-like atmosphere. Performance is delightfully soft connected PlayStation 5 to boot, pinch resolutely unchangeable framework rates moreover successful nan astir aggravated moments. 

Back to basics 

This year’s multiplayer acquisition smooths retired galore of my biggest frustrations pinch caller entries, returning to a look that will consciousness instantly acquainted to long-time fans. The painfully convoluted limb attachment strategy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is nary more, superseded by a simplified action of accessories that still offers plentifulness of customization without ever seeming overwhelming.

Rather than countless hardly chopped options, each attachment class is populated by a fistful of much important mods. Some supply small buffs, while others bring overmuch bigger bonuses alongside a noticeable drawback aliases two. Player perks person besides been whittled down and are yet disposable correct from nan commencement of a lucifer alternatively than staggered intervals. 

You tin take up to 3 per loadout, pinch each perk sorted into a chopped Enforcer, Recon, aliases Strategist category. While you are free to operation and lucifer betwixt these categories to create your ain civilization builds, equipping 3 perks of nan aforesaid type yields immoderate very powerful bonuses. Picking 3 Enforcer ones, for example, gives you a awesome activity velocity and wellness regeneration boost aft each successful kill. These combinations are important capable to tangibly effect play, but everything is still good balanced pinch nary peculiar group taking a clear lead.

The brand-new ‘ominmovement’ system, which lets you sprint, slide, and dive successful immoderate direction, is good integrated and leads to countless thrilling moments. Diving backwards disconnected a gangly ledge while peppering an force pinch bullets feels wholly earthy and it’s almost difficult to judge that activity hasn’t ever been this way. Combined pinch nan precocious number of much compact 6v6 maps successful its 16-map statement up, astir online matches person an perfectly unthinkable consciousness of pace. 

There are immoderate notable exceptions, though, chiefly acknowledgment to a mini number of rather mediocre maps. Scud, which is group against nan ruins of a decimated godforsaken outpost, is simply a peculiarly sore illustration pinch acold excessively galore unfastened sightlines that promote slow games to a crawl arsenic players favour sitting successful cardinal positions pinch sniper rifles. Rewind, a delightfully 1990s portion mall, is importantly amended but still feels a small quiet successful a 6v6 format fixed its ample size. These complaints will almost inevitably beryllium addressed successful early updates arsenic much maps arrive, but it does still somewhat dampen nan online acquisition astatine launch.

Army of nan dead

The round-based zombies mode is different area wherever Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 borrows plentifulness from past games. For nan uninitiated, nan Zombies mode is deceptively elemental - you driblet into 1 of 2 maps pinch up to 3 friends and effort to past against progressively powerful waves of nan undead. Mowing down shambling creatures yields cash, spent connected unlocking caller areas of nan map, buying caller weapons, aliases sticking your cogwheel done a Pack-a-Punch instrumentality for an further spot of kick. It's an incredibly effective look and importantly much enjoyable than nan much open-world Modern Warfare Zombies found successful past year’s game.

That’s acold from everything to discover, however, pinch a raft of easter eggs ranging from tiny small references to full communicative sequences hidden for nan astir dedicated players. Exclusive cosmetics, concealed achievements, and plentifulness of level XP reward those who excavation deep. I’ve already spent hours successful nan Zombies mode and, while I did negociate to past to information 41 and find nan hilarious zombie bowling minigame connected nan Liberty Falls map, I still consciousness for illustration I’m hardly scratching nan aboveground of everything that it has successful store.

All 3 awesome components of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 are an absolute blast and are truthful brimming pinch contented that they would moreover activity good arsenic wholly standalone games. As a complete package, nan level of value present is thing that we haven’t seen from nan franchise successful years. Call of Duty is good and genuinely back. 

Should I play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6?

Play it if…

Don’t play it if…

Accessibility

There are plentifulness of accessibility features successful Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. This includes a wide array of subtitle options for nan campaign, and nan expertise to customize nan colors of nan full UI and use a scope of ocular filters.

The controls tin beryllium afloat remapped crossed nan committee successful some controller and keyboard play, pinch a scope of assistance settings that tin region nan request to clasp definite inputs if required.

How I reviewed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

I'm a regular Call of Duty player pinch anterior acquisition reviewing nan bid successful summation to a wide scope of different FPS titles. I completed nan Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 run successful a azygous sitting, clocking successful astatine astir 10 hours including nan clip I spent exploring nan safehouse and replaying a fewer missions.

I past spent astir 20 hours (and counting) successful its multiplayer mode, trying retired each of its disposable playlists and maps. During that clip I reached nan maximum level and began Prestige 1. I besides played aggregate Zombies matches pinch friends and solo, getting to grips pinch its mechanics and nan 2 motorboat maps.

I played connected PlayStation 5 utilizing a DualSense Wireless Controller. For audio, I relied connected a brace of Astro A50 X headphones, which I recovered really helped nan elaborate sound effects shine. Throughout my clip pinch nan game, I compared my acquisition pinch that of different Call of Duty games. 

First reviewed October 2024.