Analysis of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

The Call of Duty saga returns with a very complete opus both in its single-player mode and in its multiplayer aspect

Like every year, Activision prepare a good prelude to the Christmas period with the ultimate shooter. It’s hard to keep the bar high, and even harder to innovate in such an established format. Also, let’s make no mistake, Call of Duty fans aren’t willing to change the mechanics that have worked so well for years. This is why Black Ops 6 is committed to a delivery that could be described as continuous, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad or boring. Even if you don’t like pulling the trigger, you will surely enjoy the war that this new iteration offers us.

Raven Software and Treyarch These are the visible heads who carried out this project. Many other teams are involved, but most of the credit must be given to these two studies. Thanks to good collaboration between them, they achieved a good balance by presenting a campaign seen a thousand times last year in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, and they have implemented new mechanics in their multiplayer that allow them to give a more special “touch” to the fights. All this, without losing sight of the zombie mode, which could be a game in its own right.

Campaign Mode – Return to the Desert

I don’t know if it was feedback or if they realized their mistakes themselves, but the campaign shines much brighter than last year’s. On this occasion, We return to the team consisting of classic CIA agents Troy Marshall, William Woods and William Case. in a mission that takes us back to 1991. During Operation Sand in the desert of Iraq, our platoon accidentally encounters another armed group called Pantheon, which has remained invisible until now. This division cancels its team’s plans and creates movements that can put citizens in great danger, so we will have to investigate who is pulling the strings of this new business…even if their investigations lead to the upper echelons of society.

We are facing a popcorn story, in the good sense of the word. Of course, we are not exempt from the infiltration phases (in this case very well done compared to Modern Warfare III) and from certain missions which take place in more open settings, but just as pleasant. It’s a very varied campaign, and In the 8-9 hours that this may last, we will find ourselves in many situations so familiar within the franchise. You know, motorcycle chases, controlling a rail gun from a helicopter, maintaining a position until we proceed with the extraction… We loved it, even if there were some “buts” that didn’t really add up.

The mighty knight Don Dinero

For starters, the previous Black Ops installment, called Call of Duty: Cold War, was released in 2020… and was a story after the events of that timeline set during the Cold War. A chaos of jumps in time, and with a complex story that we will understand much less without a summary that puts us in the situation. I know it’s hard to focus on everything that happened in five minutes, but after so long without hearing from Woods, it’s hard to even remember why he’s in a wheelchair.

There is another element that shocked me a lot, and that was the monetary question. In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 we will have a kind of hideout or camp that we can improve with money. To obtain this money we will have to explore the scene in search of prizes, hidden chests or more hidden areas that can help us increase our accounts. The problem is that These improvements directly affect gameplay, since they allow us to do more damage, wear more armor or even have more life, among many other improvements. It is true that you can pass the game ignoring the dollars, but they will be present between missions, and in the end we will “fall” into the trap of collecting money.

Multiplayer – The Jewel in the Crown

Despite all the talk about how soloThe truth is that unfortunately few people appreciate it. The majority of users directly access its online mode to compete against other players. In this opus, the novelty comes from the movements that our soldiers can perform. NOW, As if we were the successors of Max Payne, we can throw ourselves flat on our stomachs while firing our assault rifle. A good way to enter rooms or dodge opponent’s bullets while counterattacking. For the rest, we still have the characteristic game modes that have accompanied us in the series for so many years.

We will have the classics Team Duel, Domination, Search and Destroy, Confirmed Casualty, Hot Spot and many other variations so that we always achieve different objectives. Surely many remember the beta scenarios that we were able to enjoy weeks ago, although now we will have many more locations. Size remains small, ideal for ambushes, with corridors and alternate routes providing the strategic point of differentiation this can grant us victory. There’s everything from mansions of different heights to derailed trains to covert operation zones and several other locations that we’ll need to know in depth if we want to get a good score.

Are you prey or hunter?

And that may be one of the problems with the online variant of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. You need a lot of training time to catch up with more experienced users. This happened to me, especially in game modes based on area defense like Hot Point. It is very difficult to hold in the area without being massacred by the enemy. Since the maps are so small, the “attack” comes from all directions, meaning these are game modes that are not suitable for users new to the saga. However, I must say that I really appreciated these other modes (or scenarios) that are more open, or where the strategy requires a little more patience and concentration. I guess this will all be a matter of taste, but that’s the perception it gave me.

rise from the grave

If the rivals are too tough or too fast for you anyway, You can always count on zombie mode. Although it is a wave-based game type and equips better weapons with each turn, This is a context that the company has taken great care of. Each character we control has a unique ability and combining it with the rest of your team’s abilities will be crucial so that we don’t become our opponents’ dinner. There will be the strangest weapons, with powers that give a fictional touch to the very cool title. All this seasoned with power-ups that we must use strategically in the most decisive moments. It is a game mode very popular with fans, which returns with great force to keep us involved for hours and hours. And if we are also very “monsters” In the genre, we will even have a narrative thread which is fleshed out delivery after delivery.

Like before

Visually, the title is spectacular. I don’t know if my memory is wrong, but I feel like some of the character animations aren’t up to par with other years.

Despite these graphical slowdowns which can also be noticeable in some less well-designed scenarios, the truth is that everything moves like silk. It’s a hallmark of Call of Duty, and in terms of gameplay and fluidity, no one beats it. Despite the favorable continuity that they wanted to instill in this episode, a more palpable change is missing. I don’t know how to explain it, but aside from the change in location, I feel like I’ve played this before. And it shouldn’t be like that.

Shooting gameplay is always great, whether you’re into rifles, sniper rifles, or shotguns. They feel strong and In its online mode we will progress by accessing new accessories that will be essential to make the weapon of our dreams. Little by little, as you approach the subject, you will see that each mapping or mission within the map requires a specific type of weapon. Knowing how to handle your weapons rack with what you need at any time is a pleasure that is obtained with hours and hours of training on the battlefield.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Conclusion

Raven Software and Treyarch are making a solid bet with this new installment packed with game modes. The campaign is great and they’ve forgone the tedious stealth zones we saw in the previous iteration to offer a more linear story but full of epic moments . Be careful, there are still open areas or infiltration missions, but much more restricted and above all better carried out.

Of course, where Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 shines is in its online mode. Although it may be continuous, we will experience intense battles against other users on its limited multiplayer maps. There are variations of the game that are too frenetic depending on the scenario, but there are surely people waiting for this leaden frenzy around every corner. And if you don’t want to have too much fun, you can always go back to the foolproof zombie mode.

In short, we are not facing a bad iteration, and although it does not innovate in anything that has been seen so far, it still has that incredible gameplay that crowns it as one of the best games in shooting to date. If, despite everything mentioned, you still have doubts, I remind you that it is available on Xbox Game Pass from launch day. A good way to personally test whether you’re cool (or not) with the most important film franchise on the current scene.