In the last two weeks we have spent approx 50 ore on the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. The title of Treyarch e Raven Softwareeven if part of an annual franchise, is loaded with responsibilities: Black Ops 6 is a new beginning for Microsoft, Activision and the Call of Duty brand itself.
This is the first chapter following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft and the first to debut on Game Pass from launch day. Furthermore, it boasts well four years of developmenta period of time much longer than that granted, for example, to Sledgehammer Games for the disappointing Modern Warfare III of last year.
In short, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 carries the weight of an entire part of the gaming industry on its shoulders and a further failure would have marked an operation that cost Microsoft approximately 70 billion dollars.
Well, I can tell you what Black Ops 6 represents a chapter capable of making everyone agreeveterans and new players. Of course, there are some small flaws, but this year Treyarch and Raven Software they managed to redeem a franchise that has been in decline for too long.
The best-selling shooter of all time, with this new chapter, brings together the historical heritage that made us love the saga with some welcome innovations. It does not overturn the formula, on the contrary it remains anchored to a luminous pasta choice that proved to be decidedly effective. Let’s go and see, therefore, why Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, to my great amazement I admit, It’s the Call of Duty we’ve been waiting for for years.
A campaign worthy of the brand
Among the aspects that most disappointed me last year in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III was undoubtedly the campaign. To be honest, it is even difficult to define it as a campaignas it was more of a tutorial on the game mechanics and in particular those of Warzone.
With Black Ops 6 the music changes completely: Treyarch offers a campaign full of variety with a plot that doesn’t shock, but manages to keep the interest – and sometimes the tension – high for the entire 10 hours or so of gameplay.
The story fits right after Black Ops Cold Warbut well before the events narrated in Black Ops II, which catapulted us into a dystopian future. The study brings us back between the late 80s and early 90s in a story of intrigue and espionage within the CIA.
To avoid spoilers, we will simply comment on some aspects of the campaign, leaving players with the pleasure of (re)discovering the beauty of Call of Duty’s single-player mode.
Let’s start with the plot which, although it does not appear to be something new or surprising – the twists and turns are mostly obvious – is nevertheless well constructed and capable of keeping the player’s will to continue high.
What amazed me was undoubtedly the variety of the single-player mode. During the game we will impersonate some of the co-protagonists, as well as of course our inevitable voiceless soldier.
The gameplay offers a really interesting mix of scenarios: starting from contemporary war up to real first-person horror game phasespassing through really well-made stealth moments.
Furthermore, one is evident care in storytelling which has been missing from Call of Duty for too long now. Of course, we are not at the level of purely single-player adventures, but I cannot deny that the Black Ops 6 campaign is probably one of the best in the history of the franchise.
Treyarch has managed to mix a series of elements, also extracted from other genres, for a simply excellent result. I can only congratulate the developers for a product that managed to take me back almost 15 years, transmitting to me the same emotions I felt with the first chapter of Black Ops.
Un multiplayer come Black Ops comanda
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s multiplayer mode is a real blast from the past. It cuts (almost) completely with futuristic accessories and upgrades to return to the more traditional clash in the compact arenas that have always characterized the Treyarch saga.
The variety of scenarios is satisfactory: overall they are 16 settings in total new ones, four of which are dedicated to 2 vs 2 battles and twelve aimed at traditional 6 vs 6 modes. It is possible to fight in the open areas of the desert Scud (also present in the Beta) or among the very narrow domestic environments of Stakeoutpassing through the urban settings of Lowtown o Rewind.
In short, there is something for all tastes with the premise, however, that it is about arenas that are decidedly smaller than those proposed by Infinity Ward. However, in almost all 6v6 maps, there is also room for some healthy sessions with sniper rifles.
The weapon feedback, as per tradition for Treyarch, is excellent. Every successful bullet is a satisfaction, even if time-to-kill has been slightly extended. A choice that I personally did not appreciate, but which also does not significantly affect the overall experience which remains of the highest level.
The game modes are almost the same as always: Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, Kill Confirmed, Domination, Location, Headquarters, Control and Free for All plus the addition of Clash (2v2).
The novelty lies in Executiona mode in which one player from each team takes turns becoming the VIP target and benefits from three additional protection plates. The objective is to hunt down the opposing VIP, whose kill he will award 5 points instead of the single point of a traditional Deathmatch.
In general, however, the multiplayer achieves its goal perfectly: to have fun. The modes are varied as are the settings, for a formula that does not innovate, but returns to the past offering many hours of gameplay without ever getting boring.
Zombies: Round-based mode returns and is more fun than ever
I admit it, during the test I spent most of my time in Zombies mode. After the open world experiment in Modern Warfare III, which still had its charm, returning to the round-based mode was a real joy. Not just for the mechanics themselves, but for the care with which Treyarch managed to perfect a formula that already worked well.
Zombies returns in all its splendor and fun in Black Ops 6 which offers two new scenarios: Liberty Falls e Terminus. In reality, Liberty Falls has a rather nostalgic flavor and is very reminiscent of “Town” from Black Ops II, certainly this time expanded and with many explorable parts, but once inside the sensations are really similar.
Terminus, on the other hand, is a newer proposal. As always, even in this case the first impact conveys the sensation of having already seen, these are settings similar to what can be seen in Warzonefor example, albeit with a different dress.
In any case, this is not a negative aspect, on the contrary Treyarch has used the assets wisely to create two well-curated, fun and very well-structured scenarios for a flashback of round mode with two “secret” missions that are a real pleasure to complete.
Secret missions (or more commonly “Easter eggs”) allow you to face a boss for each scenario that will give players a hard time. Of course, online since the release it is possible to find avalanches of tutorials on how to best deal with the two beasts, but even then it is likely that you will be required more than one attempt to complete the feat.
Especially if you haven’t completed the research for upgrades. In Black Ops 6, in fact, Both special drinks and weapon upgrades will have some additional bonuses assigned to them. However, these will have to be unlocked using the relevant drinks and enhancers within the game, with the premise that Only one search can be activated at a timetherefore, it will require quite a bit of activity to unlock everything.
Added to the drinks and enhancers are Gobbleguma method for randomly assigning temporary abilities already seen in Black Ops III. Gobblegums have different rarity levels and are awarded each game upon reaching certain rounds. You can set up your own set of 6 Gobblegums from the equipment menu, but once in game they will be provided randomly – among those in the set – from the machines scattered around the map.
An interesting aspect concerns the equipment. In addition to generating a class, as in multiplayer, we will have the “permanent builds“. In essence, once a weapon has been configured, even if it is not present in one of the customized equipment, the configuration will remain saved. In zombies, therefore, Weapons purchased from Walls will come with all player-installed accessories.
For the rest there isn’t much to say about Zombies, the mechanics are the same as Treyarch has accustomed us to for years: a succession of rounds in which the resistance and quantity of zombies progressively increase, bringing the difficulty to increasingly higher levels. In short, there’s all the fun of slaughtering hordes of the undead.
Conclusions
With Black Ops 6, Call of Duty takes many small steps back to make them a huge one forward. It doesn’t represent a completely new game, it doesn’t offer a new experience, but it perfects everything that already worked by providing a tried and tested formula that manages to hit the target perfectly: entertain for many hours of gameplay and satisfy practically every FPS enthusiast.
Multiplayer doesn’t change the cards on the table, but adds the Absolute movement (Omnimovement) which allows you to move, launch, slide and jump at 360 degrees, useful for dodging some bullets or surprising enemies – in Zombies he even manages to be a lifesaver.
There are also some moments of healthy fun, watching the characters move like in a Chinese film production, as well as some outbursts of anger when an unlikely stunt allows the opponents to pass from our viewfinder to our backs.
In any case, if you are a fan of FPS, Black Ops 6 is a game that we can recommend without too many hesitations. The four years of development have paid off and are making themselves feltbecause Activision’s new shooter, perhaps for the first time in the last decade, manages to deliver a top-notch experience from Day 1.
Furthermore, the publisher has shared the roadmap of the title which appears truly rich in content, both paid and free. This week, in fact, Season 1 began which adds 6 free maps (including four 6v6 and two 2v2), a new map for Zombies (Citadelle Des Morts), new weapons and Full integration with Warzone. In conclusion, if you are looking for a new quality first-person shooter, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is for you.
Source: gaming.hwupgrade.it
