Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 reviews

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One of the most anticipated video games of 2018 is the franchise that produced the hottest game of 2017. Players were anxiously awaiting its release – but investors were quick to react to data on early performance of sale.

We are talking about Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, which
Activision Blizzard

(ATVI) was released on October 12th. The previous edition was the best-selling title of the year. This year, which includes the Royal Blackout Battle, is expected to be among this year's winners.

The first returns are mixed. Investors reduced their stock by 10% last week, fearing it will not sell as well as last year's version. In the meantime, what do the players think? We have consulted critics on the Internet to get an idea of ​​the answer.

"The game contains very few things that have not been created before by others, but it addresses these features in such a refined and unique way that it does not matter if they are particularly original, "Nick Statt wrote to The Verge. . "Ops 4 It could have been an incoherent mixture of torn game elements, but the developer Treyarch has instead reinvented the franchise in a way that could have lasting effects on the way people play. Call of Duty well in the future. "

• The "Specialist HQ" mode sets the table, explains Nick Plessas for EMG Now.

"The players are taking part in tutoring missions and robot-filled skirmish matches as one of the 10 specialized operators in the game," wrote Plessas. "Winning stars by replaying these skirmishes opens cinematics that unveil the secret history of Black Ops 4. This, at least, gives the specialist HQ a more important objective than testing our ability to follow patronizing orders, but there is no doubt that solo game fans will find it a weak substitute. "

• At Ars Technica, Julie Muncy praised the "Blackout" battle mode.

"Blackout is arguably the first truly AAA experience of the Royal Battle – the first achieved with the budget and complexity expected from major game releases," she wrote. "Despite this, the differences between the new mode and the existing competition of the Royal Battle are quite subtle. The handling and movement of firearms are fantastic, precise and fluid, built on top of the core Call of Duty an experience that gives a level of finish that is often lacking other games of its kind. "

• "Zombies" mode, in which players fight … zombies, offers the opportunity to savor a story, according to Game Informer's Daniel Tack.

"Players lamenting the lack of campaign can find here a solace based on a story, each immersive and arcade-like scenario plunging into the depths of horror and occultism," wrote Tack. "Secrets abound, but new interactions, such as hitting gongs to summon tough champions in the depths beneath the arena, or attempting to swim to the submerged chambers of the sinking ship, offer an attractive fare for all styles. . "

• Games Radar's Ford James feared that not having a campaign mode would turn the game into a "multi-player compliant copy of the last installments of the franchise."

"But that's not the case," he writes. "Far from that, actually … Blackout has a lot of problems … but the whole thing is solid – two of the biggest video games in the world right now: Fortnite and PUBG. Although it is difficult to compare it directly to Fortnite, since their styles are worlds apart, Blackout has noticed PUBG gaps and delivered an experience that we have not yet had in the royal battle genre. "

• The multiplayer mode is "more tactical than the previous entries," writes Kallie Plagge on Gamespot.

"The wall race and the jump jump of Black Ops 3 is gone, replaced by a heavy and rooted movement, and the healing is now manual and on a recovery time, "writes Plagge. "This combination requires you to be more attentive to your positioning, because you can not simply eject and dodge enemy fire until your health regenerates. You need to make sure you have the coverage and time to look after yourself in your immediate neighborhood. This encourages a slightly slower and more cautious pace at the individual level, and it's refreshing to play smart instead of just going fast. "

• In short, it's a pretty good game, according to Luke Winkie of Variety, who said, "Players will be happy to know that the product they take home is carefully designed and presented with generosity, but Black Ops IV do not reinvent the wheel. "

"It may sound like a ridiculous request – most games do not reinvent the wheel – but Activision knows better than anyone that you can only stay on top if you change the world," wrote Winkie. "After all, if they do not, it will be the case for someone else. Although he lacks the reinvention of some of his predecessors, Call of Duty: Black Ops IV is conscientiously crafted, meticulously polished, and the best Call of Duty multiplayer for years. "

Send an email to David Marino-Nachison at [email protected]. Follow him to @marinonachison and follow Barron's Next to @barronsnext.