Delve into clandestine operations as you are set up and must uncover a plot by the very people you work for! Find out more in our Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 review!
It’s that time of year again and no, not putting up the Christmas tree, I’m talking about the now-annual release of Call of Duty. With one of the longest-running FPS franchises, you would think this series has nothing left in the barrel. Treyarch and Raven Software have teamed up to bring black ops to the 90s. A new story set against the backdrop of the Gulf War introduces a new form of espionage with new and returning faces but is this operation a success or does it get uncovered from the shadows? Find out in our Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 review!
Just Modern Warfare 3 but good.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review – Story
After last year’s dismal attempt at a campaign, Black Ops 6 returns in full force. We catch up with some familiar characters and meet new ones as the team must uncover a mole deep within the CIA. Beginning with a simple mission to capture a local Iraqi leader, a new enemy surfaces by the name of Pantheon. You play as William “Case” Calderon along with your two team members, Troy Marshall and Jane Harrow. As you secure the target Russel Adler (Last seen in CoD Cold War), who’s been on the run for 10 months, comes out of nowhere to assassinate him.
Eyes up soldier.
Back at the CIA the team is interrogated by Deputy Director Daniel Livingstone (Lou Diamond Phillips) and after being put on the side-lines, Frank Woods takes them to a safe house deep in the Bulgarian forest. It is here you will carry out missions and gather a few new team members in order to get to the bottom of who is behind Pantheon. Once you’ve acquired Russian technical genius Felix Neumann and assassin Sevati “Sev” Dumas, the team must rescue Adler from the basement of the CIA in order to find out what else he knows.
Love a good base of operations.
This mission starts off by entering a party hosted by Bill Clinton himself, and whilst you don’t actually interact with him, you do get a small glimpse. Of course Pantheon has also been sent to take out Adler so the party ends in a glorious motor bike chase sequence. Adler reveals that Pantheon has been trying to deal weapons to Saddam Hussein, leading to a mission that contains a brush with Gulf war history during the Desert Storm operation. This culminates in an epic showdown on the roof of Hussein’s palace which gets blown to pieces not long after.
This level was just pure chaos in the best possible way!
Discovering files about a bioweapon called the cradle, the team must race against time to find where Pantheon has taken it to be released. Some fantastic plot twists happen half way through the story but your character, Case, acts more like a camera for the player to see interactions between the other team members. He never speaks or is shown which may let you think he will have some crazy character development and a twist, however neither is true. The campaign all wraps up a little too neatly for a Black Ops title but it does leave it open for yet another potential sequel.
Time to exfil but I’m sure we will be back soon…
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review – Gameplay
Everyone knows what a typical Call of Duty game entails. Running around shooting bad guys with some explosions here and there. Whilst the idea here is the same, the variety of choices featured in Black Ops 6 is one of the deepest in the series. In between each mission, you return to your base of operations in an old mansion where you can upgrade weapons and perks. You find money during the levels and some even contain hidden safes you can locate for some extra dough. The number of weapons you can pick is huge with many choices depending on the objective.
What to upgrade first?
The missions themselves are also incredibly varied, from stealth (which is mostly optional), open world and even a heist in a casino. Based in the region of Iraq at the time of the Desert Storm operation, you join a team of SAS soldiers as you hunt down missile sites to shut them down. This can be completed very quickly by going straight to each location or you can drive around to optional places to help out the troops in the area. There is even a really insane mission where you face off against zombies in an abandoned laboratory.
So disappointed we didn’t get to drive this beauty.
One of the best new features of this years CoD is the omni movement. In fact this is a first for any fps, allowing you to sprint, dive and shoot in any direction. Whilst it may not be particularly handy in most of the campaign it opens up a whole new level regarding multiplayer and zombies. You may not even notice it at first, but once you realise its potential it could be a lifesaver in a tight spot.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review – Visuals
Black Ops 6 doesn’t offer anything visually breathtaking (don’t get me wrong, it still looks brilliant) however where it shines is the variety of the set pieces. With 10 missions that are around an hour each, you’ll find yourself stealthily taking out targets, in the middle of the Iraq desert destroying missile sites, a casino heist and an abandoned laboratory. The intricate details of every mission are incredibly well done, like playing (and cheating) at a hand of blackjack, which all adds to the immersion.
This level felt like it was ripped right out of Bioshock!
Another aspect done well here is the cutscenes, whilst the in-game parts are passable the fully rendered ones look fantastic. There is only a handful but they help elevate the overall presentation of the game. These also add to the deeper story in this iteration of CoD as the last few single player campaigns haven’t been as well fleshed out as it is here.
Aviator sunnies are peak 90s.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review – Audio
It will probably come of no surprise that this isn’t a highlight of a Call of Duty game. In saying that the guns sound realistic, explosions are loud and the voice acting is done really well. This includes Lou Diomond Phillips who has a lot less screen time than imagined. The only other issue is the slight controversy concerning the subscription based audio. This allows for an “Enhanced Hearing Mode” to allow to increase the accuracy of the directional sounds. Essentially another way to pay to win, which seems like a waste of money if you are just playing a few rounds with friends. All that being said, the multiplayer mode has a killer song by composed by Jack Wall, Big Giant Circles, and ROMES. Check it out below but be warned, it will hype you up.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review – Multiplayer
You can’t have a CoD game without a frustratingly fun online section. Although you can have one without a single player component (Black Ops 4) but let’s not talk about that. Here, multiplayer is better than ever with fast respawn times (depending on match type) and snappy gameplay including the previously discussed omni-movement. There are a generous 16 maps and 9 game modes on release (with more to come) however a lot of these aren’t the best. A fair few players had already complained about this so Treyarch released an extra map, one you may remember, Nuketown!
Ahh this takes me back…
As per previous entries, all the unlockables are here as you level up, guns, perks, kill streaks etc, which you can apply to your customised loadout. The best part I noticed was the ability to switch loadouts mid-match. Not between rounds, not after you respawn, you can literally swap at any time without loading, which is amazingly versatile. Surely this will open up a whole new world of online rage quitting at some point and possibly a controller embedded in a screen. But what else is multiplayer for?
Ready to get absolutely destroyed!
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review – Zombies
The best idea that developers ever had was introducing a mode where you take on waves of zombies. Over the years we have seen a multitude of variations with special story elements being placed behind a series of tasks. Known as Easter Eggs, this is well and truly back in Black Ops 6 and is better than ever. Whilst getting to the end boss on each of the two maps is quite a laborious task, it’s worth it for the fans who enjoyed similar maps in Black Ops 3 and Infinite Warfare. If that sounds tricky, Treyarch have announced a “guided mode” will be released in the coming months along with a third map for everyone to enjoy.
3rd person Zombies is actually very helpful.
Whilst the little bits of story is hidden behind a lot of one of lines of dialogue, the intro cutscene sets everything up nicely. Although this can only be seen if you play in Solo mode. Another fantastic addition to Zombies is that in Solo mode you can save and quit at any time and return to where you were, no longer needing to stay up all night or leave the game running.
The bowling mini game is hilariously fun – if you can find it!
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review – What Else?
Trophy and Achievement hunters will be annoyed once more, as Activision has repeated last year’s mistake by not having a separate list. This doesn’t seem to be for any reason and could put off Platinum hunters. It’s also strange that the PS4 version has its own list whilst the PS5 misses out. Hopefully this doesn’t happen again in the next game.
Found him!
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review – Conclusion
Treyarch has managed to breath new life into an aging franchise that still contains mind blowing set pieces and a pretty solid story to go along with them. The variety and accessibility here in every mode is almost unprecedented for a Call of Duty game and will have something for everyone. It may not reach the heights of the original Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops era but it gets dam close. Aside from a few connectivity issues with online and a predictable campaign ending, this is the best CoD has been in a long time.
A sequel (again) would be interesting as the series inches closer to 2000…
So, why should you play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6?
- Decent campaign with lots of variety
- Great multiplayer and zombie modes
- Omni movement is an excellent addition
But why shouldn’t you play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6?
- UI is still confusing
- Massive download/file size
- Aren’t a fan of shooters
A review code was kindly provided by Activision for the purpose of our Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review. You can check out our other reviews here and if you haven’t already, be sure to join the Qualbert Discord to find out about the latest game and review updates!
