Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Review

Treyarch took Call of Duty and innovated the series to lengths we’ve never seen before. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 arrives at launch with three action-packed game modes that takes content and replayability to the maximum. With the removal of a traditional campaign, Black Ops 4 was developed around nothing but social experiences. Engage yourself in Blackout, Call of Duty’s take on the Battle Royale genre, Multiplayer, the fast-paced movement, and combat fluidity that is known and loved. Zombies, which takes customization, gameplay, and co-op to heights unheard of. Moreover, last but not least Specialist Headquarters takes players through an in-depth story of the Specialists from Black Ops 3, and new ones seen in Black Ops 4.

Credit: Treyarch / Activision

Multiplayer:

Multiplayer is back, and it’s boots on the ground. Health has been increased, and automatic health regeneration has been removed. Specialists are back from Black Ops 3, but they now play a more prominent role than in the previous installment. Each specialist now comes decked with a primary ability and a piece of auxiliary equipment. EKIA (Enemies Killed in Action) has been significantly changed for the better. Assists are now counted as kills which in result emphasizes a more significant role on team-play. With these modifications, players are far more engaged with their team and thus turns the traditional multiplayer into a more tactical-based team shooter.

Maps at times can feel incredibly lackluster and be annoyingly repetitive, furthermore spawns particularly in Hardcore need a tad more adjusting. On the other hand, Classic maps such as Firing Range, Summit, Jungle, and Slums are brought back which is undoubtedly an excellent addition to Veterans and new players alike. Beautiful and vivid colors lighten up the map which inevitably makes the experience much more extraordinary.

Each weapon feels like it has its purpose and no gun feels the same. Attachments are now unique to each weapon which in return makes the gunplay different and far more compelling. A new addition to attachments has also been included in the form of Operator Mods which converts weaponry into something much more significant than its initial self.

Scorestreaks have been hugely buffed up from the B.E.T.A, but issues still remain with the Dart and Thresher which causes them to appear underpowered and out of place at moments. The AC-130 is back in the form of the Gunship which is admittedly a streak that rains mass destruction upon the opponent. No scorestreaks feels identical which in result makes the gameplay feel fresh and pleasant.

Multiplayer: 7.5 out of 10.0

Credit: Treyarch / Activision

Blackout:

Blackout is Call of Duty’s take on Battle Royale and is possibly the best experience that can be found on consoles. The map consists of 10 years worth of Black Ops experience and all fit into the largest map Call of Duty has ever developed. The pace is well executed and doesn’t make the map blend or sluggish. Weapons are well balanced and incorporate predictive recoil and bullet drop. Furthermore, vehicles have also been implemented into Blackout. Operate Sea, Land, and Air Vehicles found dispersed around the map. Vehicles are made fun, easy, and fluid to control.

Complete in-game challenges for the opportunity to unlock characters like Mason and Menedez from previous campaigns or Nikolai and Richtofen from Zombies. Drop into iconic areas like Nuketown Island, Firing Range, Asylum, etc. Zombies have also been incorporated into Blackout. Drop into regions like Lighthouse or Diner where players have the chance to fight off zombie hordes that will drop loot ranging from simple items like bandages and ammo to legendary items like the ray-gun and Zweihänder.

Unfortunately, Blackout isn’t without its dilemmas. The armor system as a whole needs to be looked at and perhaps re-designed. Connection issues, notably when playing with a group of four. Graphical bugs, and ultimately 9-bangs place in Blackout. (At the time of doing this review, 9-bang has been removed from Blackout while they reevaluate its position in the gameplay loop.)

Blackout: 9.0 out of 10.0

Credit: Treyarch / Activision

Zombies:

Zombies in Black Ops 4 has been turned into a masterpiece. With the continuation of the Ultimis crew and the newly developed Chaos crew, there is much to experience and explore. Black Ops 4 launched with three maps (4 if you bought the black ops pass) which is a treat for players. Players have IX and Voyage of Despair, which follows our new Chaos crew.  Along comes Classified, the reimagining of the Black Ops Zombies map Five. Finally, my personal favorite, Blood of the Dead which is the remake of the Black Ops 2 Zombies map Mob of the Dead.

Special Weapons have made their way back into Zombies, Progress the Special Weapon of your choice throughout the game to make them progressively more powerful. Remember GobbleGums from Black Ops 3? They made their way into Black Ops 4 in a new form, Elixirs; Elixirs are consumed within a match that can give your character limited or instant powers. Talismans are new additions as well and are quite similar to Elixirs. Talismans can be unlocked in the laboratory and used once per game that gives either instant or limited boosts to the player.

Mutations are Treyarch’s way of letting the community play Zombies the way they want. Almost anything can be changed, whether it’s your round or what weapons you get out of the mystery box. Mutations take customization to a whole new level. The difficulty system has been dramatically improved and now lets the player choose from a Casual, Normal, Harcore, and Realistic experience.

The new mode in Black Ops 4 Zombies is known as Zombie Rush. To those of you may have play Black Ops 2, you may remember a mode named Grief where you and 3 others would fight the opposing team to the death. This mode is quite similar, but instead of 2 teams of 4, there are no teams and only 4 players. In Zombie Rush, you will find the game plays more quickly compared to classic mode. In Zombie Rush there are no rounds but instead, the game puts an emphasis on Score. When you kill Zombies or enter the “Rush Zone” Rush Drops spawn in. Pick up said Rush Drops to increase your multiplier, get hit and you lose your multiplier. As you progress farther and farther into the game, the zombies get tougher and tougher. The person with the most points by the end of the game wins. For people who want to enjoy the chaos of Zombies, without having to deal with all the upgrades and side quests, Zombie Rush is definitely the way to go.

Zombies: 8.5 out of 10.0

Credit: Treyarch / Activision

Specialist Headquarters:

Specialist Headquarters is considered to be the campaign for Black Ops 4 and after playing it for a few hours it comes out to be quite decent…-in terms of cutscenes at least-. Cutscenes are well done and enlighten the backstory of each specialist character.

Each specialist is forced to go through “basic training” and it’s honestly extremely boring as a Multiplayer match with bots is required for every specialist. It’s tedious and at times as feels very unnecessary. Sure the game mode is different for every character but at the end of the day, it’s still just excess work.

Specialist Headquarters: 6.5 out of 10.0

Verdict

Multiplayer is back to its roots and has a more significant tactical nuance to it and has a bit of everything for new and returning players. Blackout is by far the best Battle Royale mode I’ve played and gives console players a smooth experience to enjoy. Zombies is better than ever and offers customization and cooperative play in new ways. Specialist Headquarters is excellent for people that would like to learn everything about new and previous characters but doesn’t provide much to those trying to replay it.