Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

I'm always happy to get some Call of Duty back in my life, usually as a casual player that takes every 1-2 years off from the series. The longstanding series - this is Black Ops 6, and that's not the only series version they have(!) - is very up and down. Luckily, I'm a smart consumer and I have had a good hit rate at avoiding the outright bad/boring CODs (except Black Ops 4 that was lazy AF and I overrated). There are series highlights like the Modern Warfare reboot and strong entries like BLOPS: Cold War. 

With last year's Modern Warfare III garnering mass ridicule for laziness and a lack of wow factor, I wisely skipped it. My hope was that with the next game releasing Day 1 on Gamepass, thanks to Microsoft's Activision acquisition, they would produce something great. 

Luckily, with Black Ops 6, they have and it - like the best Call of Duty's - is a complete package. I've spent enough hours with multiplayer, zombies, and finished the campaign to know that this is easily one of the best Call of Duty entries ever. As a side note, I have not played any Warzone as that mode is largely its own standalone at this point. It has been reviewed elsewhere when it was more integrated but it's not where I spend a lot of my time because...well...I still suck at most anything Battle Royale.

While it may not be where I spent a majority of my time, I believe the element worth praising the most is its campaign. More than even some of the fantastic Modern Warfare campaign levels, BLOPS6 is truly trying to push Call of Duty into innovative and new territory. Whether that's an open world level with lots to do, a stealth mission, some straight up horror levels, or even good old-fashioned blockbuster moments, there's something exciting and memorable about Black Ops 6's campaign design. The story is thrilling, and despite a beginning half that I didn't always know what was going on, the latter half picks up in intensity and meaning, culminating in a grand finale that has some wonderfully non-traditional elements. It will be one I play again at some point, delighted to do so. 

I'll double down on my emphasis of the non-traditional here because it will surprise some players. At least one whole level is "zombies" related (explained within the level) and can be truly frightening. It's a bizarre level for sure, but one that feels welcomed in the world of Black Ops and stands out among a pantheon of great COD levels. Similarly each mission feels unique in fairly drastic ways, while avoiding any stale feeling that seemed to cripple last year's Modern Warfare III. If you are someone who [foolishly] skips great COD campaigns, I implore you to play this one. 

Zombies mode remains fleshed out, but sometimes frustrating. I enjoy this mode overall, but I have to be in the mood for it as sessions can often run 20-30+ minutes and you're rarely playing with people that want to extract, instead playing until death. I do enjoy the 2 maps provided and the power ups in each level are highly important to your success. As much fun as it is to shoot hordes of zombies, resource management and gun leveling is extremely important too, providing an enticing layer of strategy. Unfortunately, I still take issue with some of the design decisions here, the most of which being that your gun won't remain pack-a-punch leveled if you die. In later rounds, death can happen (you respawn at the beginning of the next round) and pack-a-punch upgrades are essential. So losing all of that upon death - especially if multiple members of your team die - feels like an intense punishment that sometimes can't be rectified. Thinking back to where zombies began, it is a mode that has grown in complexity and fun considerably, but I sometimes still don't quite think they've cracked the nut on balance.

Multiplayer is where I spend the majority of my time with Call of Duty as I'm a big fan of traditional games like Domination, Hardpoint, and Team Deathmatch/Kill Confirmed (to a lesser extent). There's a whole paragraph I could spend about how much it pisses me off how good some people are - but I've also been doing well in BLOPS6 so far, so I can't complain too much about the few times I've rage quit. Aside from a few maps I like less than others (Babylon may be the worst map I've ever played) and some major spawn issues at times, this multiplayer experience remains one of the best around. The gameplay is fast and intense, and largely feels balanced. I've been impressed with the maps overall, as I enjoy many of these new ones once you get 4-5 sessions with each under your belt. There's a lot of 3-lane variety, but many have "secrets" that can be used to access areas in quicker ways, or get some sort of advantage, and it's been fun to find the nooks and crannies. Leveling up is as addicting as ever as BLOPS6 has taken a straightforward approach, not over complicating the weapon, attachment, or killstreak unlocks like some previous iterations. Scratching this "always unlocking" itch is something COD is unmatched at, that I desperately wish other games would copy (Helldivers II, this type of unlock addiction would be a game changer for you!).

Lastly, it's worth commending Call of Duty on how well its engine has held up since undergoing an overhaul with Modern Warfare. No, it's not the best looking game of the year, but it's still gorgeous and smooth, featuring stunning visuals at key moments. Similarly, it sounds great - like it always does - and these elements exist over all three components of the game.

The best Call of Duty games are the ones that feel both 1) refreshing in some way and 2) like a complete package. The most memorable iterations feel like they pushed everything forward in some way, while also sticking in player rotations for a long time. Often Call of Duty recovers greatly after a falter, and with Black Ops 6 as a follow up to Modern Warfare III's disappointment, that tradition holds. This COD is a complete package and will create hours of fun for me down the road. As someone who picked it up on Xbox, it being a Day 1 download on Gamepass is earth shattering, and amplifies the value you're getting even further.  

CONS

• Zombies - while a blast - has some design issues I don't agree with. The pack-a-punch loss upon death, while it may feel small, becomes detrimental in later levels
• However, see my "Late add..." sub bullet in Pros section
• Spawn issues in multiplayer. They'll get worked out - and your kills/deaths from them will average out - but I've had some eye-rolling spawns on maps that are too big for it to be happening
• At least one map in multiplayer is downright atrocious (Babylon), though opinions on these will vary

PROS

• An excellent campaign that has a ton of diversity and tries many new things. Highly memorable and one of the best of the series
• Similarly, the story - while hard to follow at first - is great, ending in an exciting finale
• Awesome blockbuster moments in the campaign
• Horror elements, some of which are truly scary!
• Zombies is a blast overall and I love that its unlocks have been so well integrated. Gets hectic at higher levels + 2 separate map options is welcomed
  
• Late add to this review but the recently added "Directed" mode in zombies largely squashes all my issues with progression and giving players objectives
• Multiplayer remains intense and fun (except when you're playing against people that live/breathe/eat COD)
• I've enjoyed 80% of the maps with very few outright bad/meh
• Unlocks are traditional this time, meaning they're addicting and not over complicated
• The engine holds up well across all three play types as the game consistently looks great and plays smoother
• Strong sound design all around
• This as a Gamepass Day 1 is astounding value
• A complete package, like the best Call of Dutys are. One of the series best campaigns + multiple zombie maps + addicting multiplayer that will grow w/ more maps = a massive package of value

Rath's Review Score | 9.5/10