Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review – What’s Old is New Again

Last year’s Modern Warfare 3 brought the franchise to a low point, showing us just how much Warzone content can be lazily repurposed in place of fresh, new experiences. 2023’s lukewarm installment left little excitement, and tempered expectations, leading up to the launch of Black Ops 6. Treyarch and Raven Software have put their heads together on the latest entry and the result is… surprisingly enjoyable. Black Ops 6 didn’t have a high bar to clear thanks to its predecessor, but it manages to come out on top with ease due to a thrill-filled campaign and a more traditional Zombies experience. That’s not to say that the formulaic aspects of this long-running series aren’t still overly familiar and safe, but this iteration is more of a return to form for Call of Duty.

Perhaps the most surprising of the three standard Call of Duty components—campaign, multiplayer and Zombies—is the quality of the single player campaign, which acts as a prequel to Black Ops 2 and a direct sequel to Cold War . Call of Duty games are known for their brief yet explosive missions that bring as much spectacle as they do a staggering body count. Treyarch and Raven Software have crafted an experience that often forgoes the standard franchise framework, even if not fully to the extent of Black Ops 2‘s boldly divergent Strike Force missions. Across the eleven missions, which last around 8 hours (an uncommonly lengthy run-time for the series), players are treated to a wide variety of playstyles and mechanics as they pursue the shadowy Pantheon organization. And the variety is heightened by an upgradeable player character, implementing what is essentially an expansive perk system (e.g., faster reloads, increased bullet penetration, etc.) that further modifies the targeted playstyle.

Insta-Thrill

Each level brings something different to the table. One minute the silent protagonist Case is using a grappling hook to explore a defunct facility that is hiding dark secrets (and mind-bending interactions) and the next the covert team is infiltrating a casino in a fashion that wouldn’t look amiss in Ocean’s Eleven. The stealth missions that appear are a nice change-up from the typical run ‘n’ gun sections, pushing the player to leverage equipment, some of which evoke the stylings of a Third Echelon operative. Barring the rare but annoying instant fail condition, stealth is a suggestion, giving the option to choose an approach, and it was genuinely shocking to see even this level of player agency present in the latest release. It’s far from perfect, largely due to easily abused enemy AI, but I won’t say no to any added depth to what has become predictably routine over its many years. Even Black Ops 6‘s take on Modern Warfare 3‘s Open Combat missions are executed infinitely better, almost taking on a Metal Gear Solid V-light structure.

The varied campaign is further elevated by engaging team interactions between missions, giving us face-to-face time with the likes of Park, Marshall, Woods and Adler. The group interactions during missions also reinforce the camaraderie, making this cast of action heroes more personable than recent series’ iterations. This isn’t to say that the cast possesses the charisma and depth of the best games out there, but improvement is improvement. Having likeable characters along for the explosive set pieces, emotional all-is-lost moments and major twists raises up those experiences. It’s a fun ride, even if it all funnels into a single outcome, which may be to the disappointment of those expecting to see the return of Cold War‘s multiple endings. But, hey, at least we have canonized choices confirmed now.

Similarly, this year’s Zombies was a pleasant surprise. However, unlike the campaign, its quality isn’t due to the developer doing too much new, but rather taking the mode back to its roots. Gone are the open environments of Cold War‘s Outbreak and Modern Warfare 3‘s repurposed DMZ/Warzone design. In their place are two well-crafted maps, Liberty Falls and Terminus, containing that classic round-based gameplay. The maps flow well, unlocking connected zones with gathered points and progressing towards overarching objectives as well as those signature secrets. Those points are a bit harder to earn thanks to being awarded per kill rather than per hit. This can make the later wave economy a bit rough, but it’s not impossible.

This time around, operators can load in with a custom loadout, enabling players to kick off the undead-slaying mayhem with their favorite weapon at wave one. These loadouts can also house Augments, a new way to modify Perk-a-Colas, Ammo Mods and Field Upgrades with major and minor modifiers. The loadout addition. while a fun way to tweak Zombies gameplay, led me to largely ignore the wall buys in the early game until I had sufficiently Pack-a-Punch’d my main weapon and upgraded its rarity tiers before considering a secondary—fortunately, wall buys upgrade in rarity as rounds progress.

(Omni)Move it, Move it

Having a formidable loadout is necessary when facing down the rapidly encroaching hordes. The highly-advertised Omnimovement (more on this in the multiplayer section) in Black Ops 6 means players can sprint in all directions. And to compensate for this, zombies are quicker, more abundant and traverse the environment in a way that makes creating a train via circular kiting more difficult. Furthermore, the standard zombies are supplemented with other enemy types. These include the spider-like Vermin, flying Parasites, elites like the Mangler, Abominations and the affront to nature Amalgam. To overcome these monstrosities, players will need to utilize all the tools at their disposal, including temporary perk-granting Gobblegums, equipment crafting stations and environmental traps. These are essential since barricading is a classic feature that hasn’t returned, meaning the madness kicks off without delay.

And now we get to the main draw of Call of Duty games: multiplayer. The competitive offering has been reigned in, identically to Zombies. The action has been tightened up in terms of map size, returning to fast and frantic firefights on smaller maps, with SCUD and Protocol barely breaking into the “medium” category. The large-scale options found in previous Ground War and War modes are gone; only the classic stylings remain. The close quarters focus is extra wild because of Omnimovement, a system wherein players can sprint and dive in all directions. Matches are brimming with everyone giving their best Max Payne impression at breakneck speeds. 360 no scopes are so yesterday; say hello to 720 corkscrew diving no scopes. Sure, it may not be incredibly common yet, existing primarily in insane YouTube highlight reels, but the movement makes for the sweatiest of engagements. If you were hoping for a faster, sweatier Call of Duty, you got it.

The new color-coded perk system adds light customization to the standard loadouts. By equipping three of the same colored perks, a Combat Specialty bonus of the same color will be unlocked. For example, selecting three blue perks will activate the Recon Combat Specialty. This empowers the player to temporarily see red enemy outlines through walls at spawn, which can be incredibly helpful on these smaller maps. It’s not entirely game-changing, but it’s a welcome addition that pushes players towards specialized playstyles. It’s not all high K/D’s and killstreaks, however. The small maps are currently posing a problem for the embedded respawn system. Too many times did a respawn result in being way too close to an enemy, if not directly in their sights. There’s a major need for a rework here because too often did a match devolve into back-to-back instant spawn deaths.

At the very least, the gunplay remains as tight and enjoyable as ever. Whether using the ol’ faithful XM4 or one of the dominating new SMGs, the weapons feel good to use. And that’s a good thing since you’ll be firing them nonstop in pursuit of the rank, attachment and camo grinds. In regards to ranks, the traditional Prestige system is back. Ascend to level 55 and the option to reset will present itself instead of the pushing through hundreds of ranks as we saw in recent installments. It’s a more focused, if still flawed, multiplayer experience, one that does not carry over all those expensive microtransaction purchases from Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review Verdict

Editor’s Note: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was reviewed on PC, and a copy was provided to us for review purposes.