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There's something for the long-term developers, franchises, and games that have been cultivated by a dedicated base of players and fans. Undoubtedly, Call of Duty is one such series, and even within the franchise, people tend to have their favorite of the three developers that work cyclically on the yearly iterations. When Treyarch revealed Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, it came as an enormous shock to many people that the game would not include a campaign. To an outside spectator, it seems like a whole third of the game is being cut off, but in practice, that's far from the case. This might be the most full Call of Duty experience yet.
Black Ops 4 appeals to the dedicated Call of Duty players. It appeals to the dedicated Black Ops players. While Treyarch's campaigns have been excellent, it was always a part of the game that seemed corded off from the rest. Black Ops 4 then embraces what the vast majority of players Call of Duty: fast-paced multiplayer gameplay, an extensive Zombies offering, and yes, there's even a story.
Anyone who conflates "story" with "campaign" and thinks that Black Ops 4 is just a murder murderer. Games like Overwatch, Destiny 2, and others have changed the way the industry thinks about delivering a narrative that players can not only connect to, but continue to interact with. There's a lot of story embedded within the specialist you'll play as, the various multiplayer maps that you'll be competing on. It may be a traditional start-to-finish narrative, but there are plenty of cutscenes to be unlocked through Specialist Missions, and other small details that connect the narrative to previous entries. Black Ops 4 earns the Black Ops title.
Call of Duty has become a multifaceted offering of gameplay, providing a little something for everyone. Despite the removal of a traditional single-player campaign, Black Ops 4 is a massive package featuring a full and complete multiplayer, three Zombies campaigns out of the box, and for the first time in the series, the all-new royal battle mode-Blackout.
Multiplayer – Tactical Gunplay
Refinement of this series staple has been Treyarch's main mission throughout their time developing Call of Duty games. Black Ops 4 takes many lessons learned and gives players some of the tightest multiplayer action. It set aside past developments that do not work out-such as boost jumping-and-embraces that run-and-gun gameplay that the series is best known for. Black Ops III was criticized by many for going over-the-top, with too much focus on acrobatics, wall running, and boost jumping around the map. This year, Treyarch reeled that in, eliminating boost jumps and wall running, but keeping the fast and competitive flowing multiplayer gameplay that they are known for.
Specialists return from Black Ops IIIThis time with more clearly defined roles in the team makeup. Treyarch is not about to fall into the realm shooter hero though. Black Ops 4 is about gunplay first and foremost, though Specialist abilities create a fascinating new facet to explore within the gameplay. They provide an opportunity to be more tactical, and open up the multiplayer experience to people who may not be so keen on just raising their kill / death ratio. There's actually a bit of synergy between the abilities, leading to more opportunities for every type of player. Want to play the role of healer or support Call of Duty? Now there's a few effective Specialists for that. You'll also need to manually regenerate your health when injured, leading to a more interesting moments on the battlefield. It takes some getting used to at first, but it really does well in the tactical design they are targeting.
Speaking of the Specialists, Treyarch included a bunch of training missions. You'll learn how to use each character's abilities, but also how to counter them in the field. These Specialist missions will unlock cutscenes, folders, and other story points that connect Black Ops 4 to the rest of the Black Ops universe (it takes place between the events of Black Ops 2 and 3), and through that narrative, they make character selection and playing a multiplayer. It starts to lean more along the lines of Overwatch from a perspective, allowing you to connect with the characters you use in multiplayer matches.
Instead of needing to focus on a campaign, AI, and building, balancing, and tuning the levels, Treyarch was able to play a lot more on the multiplayer. As a result, its tactical design shows right down to the smallest details. This is still the Call of Duty that you love, and I would argue that it is Treyarch at their best.
Zombies – Three Times Risen
Zombies has become a Call of Duty staple in recent years, with every developer starting their own take on the mode, but Treyarch is the studio that started it all 10 years ago. Treyarch is launching with the biggest Zombies offering that Call of Duty has ever seen. A total of three campaigns are available from the box-IX, Travel of the Damned, and Blood of the Dead.
Zombies umbrella is a Zombies Umbrella. IX (Numerical novel "Nine") and Voyage of Despair are new stories featuring four characters-Scarlett Rhodes, Diego Necalli, Bruno Delacroix, and Stanton Shaw-that have not been present within Zombies campaigns before. Their banter and dialogue is somewhat more humorous and macabre, more along the lines of the Shadows of Evil from Black Ops III. IX takes these heroes through a gladiatorial arena. There they will fight against zombie hordes, mutated champions, and even undead tigers, oh my. Voyage of Despair puts these same characters on the Titanic just as it hits the iceberg. They must search for a mysterious artifact before the doomed ship's rotting passengers devour them.
Blood of the Dead is a remake of Mob of the Dead, a classic Zombies map from Black Ops II. Blood of the Dead continues the Aether storyline with the favorite characters that started it all. Blood of the Dead feels a lot more like a throwback, with a classic design and feel that calls back to those early days Call of Duty Zombies. It's genuinely creepy, with some terrifying and tense moments and a great dark story that unfolds as players explores Alcatraz island.
If it's not enough to get it all Zombies campaigns, Black Ops 4 also features new ways to play Zombies. Players can customize the games to their liking, tweaking to any custom. You can set everything round and kill caps, to full customization of weapons, enemies, and player characteristics. You can do it so that You can turn on or off friendly fire. You can set the parameters and customize the walls and make them look like a Zombies game. If you want to play Zombies your way, now you can.
Of course, there's still a lot of room for each person. Zombies map, the kinds of stories and mysteries that a vast majority of us will never see. If there's one thing about Zombies, it's that even more basic story paths can be too ambiguous and mysterious. For a lot of players, Zombies will simply be fighting in ancient Rome, on the Titanic, or on Alcatraz island. I know the hardcore players like their deep mystery and difficulty, but I do not wish that Treyarch had added the same "casual" path that Sledgehammer did with Nazi Zombies last year. It was still a lot of fun, and it was still more difficult, and it was more of a hit with the Zombie Horde mode.
Blackout – Last Man Standing
Two years ago, who knew that the world would be enamored with battle royal experiences? Named after the 2000 film of the same name, the idea of a large group The Hunger Games books and movies. Video games just picked up the concept as a mainstream idea within the last couple of years.
I've never been the biggest fan of royal battle modes, mostly because I'm not very good at them. I like a strong sense of progress, and chasing the top of my head. The idea of a game where you can not get away from it. That said, Blackout is a strong addition to the Black Ops 4 package that actually cracked my shell a little. I had fun with Blackout. There, I said it. And I might even boot it up again. Shout out to the Lady Lions, my four man, one man, one man, one man, one man, one woman, one man, one woman, one woman, one woman, one woman, one woman, one woman, one woman, one woman, one woman, one woman.
Compared to other battle royal experiences that I have played (minus FortniteBlackout feels the most complete and finished. My experience with these military-style last-man-standing game types Granted, most of them are free-to-play and a good number of them are still in beta-but nearly always Blackout bucks that trend with a wholly solid experience that bears the seal of Call of Duty quality. Visually, it might be a little more simple than the traditional multiplayer, but Treyarch did a lot better job at scaling the experience and masking what concessions they had to make in order for Blackout to work.
Most importantly though, Blackout still feels like a Call of Duty game. It might be an enormous map with references and callbacks Black Ops environments, but when you're engaging in those firefights with enemies, it's entirely Call of Duty. Treyarch's responsiveness over time, they have been able to make the game (and then for the launch of the game)
What Blackout does not currently exist? While I would not be able to do so, it would be a good idea to do it on their own, and it would be a "what you see" proposition with a chase of any kind. I'd like to see the map change and evolve in some of the same ways that Fortnite does. I would like to see some kind of battle or similar functionality, giving players challenges, goals, and rewards to be earned. If you give them something to chase, they'll come running. Blackout is easily the best battle of its particular style, but it needs to be stimulated.
There are plenty of Treyarch-level secrets to discover, though, and you'll be able to discover them. Blackout is basically a "Greatest Hits of Call of Duty Black Ops"Smashed into a huge fashion, and if you can not help it, it has a real opportunity to be dominating the force within the royal battle genre.
Heed the Call
Once you accept that the campaign is gone, you'll realize that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is a game made specifically for the fans. Leaving a traditional single-player campaign behind the walls of the world Treyarch to refocus their efforts on an even better multiplayer experience Call of Duty fans to enjoy. It's exactly what people are doing and it's going to be great. This is the Call of Duty that Treyarch is known for. The story is still there, Treyarch to get the most out of the game. Black Ops 4 might be missing a campaign, but it still looks like the most robust the series has ever been.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 review copy provided by publisher. Version 1.02 reviewed on a standard PS4. Reviewer also attended a Black Ops 4 review by Activision. Event used in PS4 Pro for the review. For more information on scoring, please read our Review Policy.
9.0
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