By Corey Sanderson | Observer Contributor
Image from PlayStation.com
After playing through roughly 35 hours of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, I can say that it is one of the best games I’ve seen from the franchise in years.
Black Ops 4 was developed by Treyarch Studios with the help of Raven Software. The Battle Royale mode, Blackout, was developed by Beenox Studios.
This is the first Call of Duty game to not feature a single player campaign. While I have enjoyed playing through Call of Duty’s campaigns in the past, I believe that choosing to not spend resources on a campaign has benefited the game as a whole.
Black Ops 4 goes back to the series’ roots by keeping the gameplay solely boots on the ground. Past titles like Black Ops 3 and Advanced Warfare all featured an advanced movement system that allowed players to run on walls, fly through the sky, and jump from building to building without touching the ground.
Black Ops 4 sees the return of fan favorite multiplayer modes such as Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Search and Destroy.
Heist, the newest multiplayer mode, pits players against each other in an attempt to steal a bag of money located somewhere on the map. Players don’t not use custom classes like they would in other modes, but instead are rewarded cash based on their performance that can then be used to buy weapons and gear for your player to use during the match. Heist has been the mode that I have played the most and it is a ton of fun. It adds something new that has been desperately needed in a tired multiplayer formula that has grown repetitive over recent years.
Multiplayer features 55 levels and 10 prestige levels at launch. Black Ops 4 features most of the same weapon types from past titles.
There are 5 primary weapon types: assault rifles, sub-machine guns, light machine guns, snipers, and one new weapon type: tactical rifles. Tactical rifles are basically designated marksman rifles, which were last featured as a main weapon type in Call of Duty: Ghosts . Secondary weapons include pistols, launchers, a combat knife, and shotguns. Shotguns have appeared as a primary weapon in every Call of Duty game besides Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Zombies mode sees a few drastic changes this year. Standard perks are no longer a part of the game. Players can no longer purchase fan favorites like Speed Cola and Juggernog, but can now purchase newcomers like Death Perception and Timeslip. Death Perception allows the player to see enemies through walls and receive an indicator when enemies approach outside of their line of sight. Other new perks include Dying Wish, Stone Cold Stronghold, Winter’s Wail, and Deadshot Dealer.
I really do like the approach that Treyarch has taken when in comes to innovating on Zombies. The mode has grown stale over the last few installments, so it’s nice to see that the developer is committed to keeping things fresh.
Black Ops 4 launches with 3 maps, but players who purchase the season pass can access a 4th map as well.
These maps include IX, Blood of the Dead, and Voyage of Despair. The 4th map is a remake of fan favorite “Five”, which was last featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Blackout is Call of Duty’s take on the popular battle royale mode. It features a large scale map that takes inspiration from past Call of Duty maps. Blackout currently supports up to 100 player matches at launch. It plays much like a highly polished Playerunknown’s: Battlegrounds.
Despite being locked in a first person perspective, Blackout doesn’t at all feel limited. I would argue that it is actually the best battle royale experience that you can play right now.
Blackout features all of the weapons found in multiplayer, as well as several other secret weapons. These weapons include an MP-40, a ray gun, a death machine, and even a samurai sword. I’ve spent countless hours already going around the map searching for these weapons, just to get a chance to try them out. The fact that these weapons are so difficult to obtain adds to the replayability.
Black Ops 4 is by far the best entry in the franchise I have played in the last 5 years. It’s a really nice combination of innovation and familiarity that will appeal to both franchise vets and newcomers to the series. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is available now for the Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Rating: 8.5/10
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