Having recovered from the Black Ops 6 blowout at the Xbox Showcase last weekend, I wanted to share my first impressions of the game. Surprise, surprise: I’m feeling pretty positive!
Campaign
The campaign reveal trailer was an epic blend of archival news footage and gameplay, soundtracked by Firestarter by The Prodigy – an excellent choice for the trailer of a Call of Duty game set in the nineties.
The Campaign is exactly what I hoped we’d see from Raven and Treyarch’s continued collaboration. It doubles down on everything that made the Cold War campaign interesting, focussing on a central mystery. This time, instead of “Who is Perseus?” it’s “Who is the mole?”.
New characters continue to work with returning legacy characters, and the safehouse returns to add some quiet moments between all the shooting. It sounds like there’s some exploration to be carried out–hopefully, there’s a terminal somewhere!
The decision to add more player agency into each mission is a much more exciting premise than the “open world” of Modern Warfare 3’s campaign. It should mean engaging with enemies however you want, including the option to talk and barter with key enemies to gain access.
I’m glad we got a clear answer on how Black Ops 2 will fit into the campaign, even if I’m a little gutted about the fate of Mason. It should lead to some great conversations with Frank Woods, who will undoubtedly feel guilty over how Black Ops 2 went down.
Multiplayer
I spend more time in Multiplayer in Black Ops games than any other COD sub-series, so I always pay more attention to it during Treyarch years. I’m very happy with what was shown off. The 6v6 revival that started in MWIII will continue in BO6 – and so it should! Sixteen new MP maps at launch is a healthy number, with the fan-favourite remakes sure to follow in post-launch seasons.
The new omnimovement system looks like a lot of fun, and including it across all modes (including Warzone) will give a great sense of synergy. I’ll be gravely upset if we don’t get an opportunity to use Bullet Time at some point in the campaign.
The return of classic prestige is also massive—it’s part of the reason COD MP popped off in the first place! Most players won’t miss the various attempts at a seasonal progression system we’ve seen since MW19. It always felt like the move towards seasonal progression was to try and entice players to come back throughout each season – something the battle pass and weekly challenges already have covered. A hat on a hat. Also, if the game is fun, people will continue playing it!
Zombies
While we didn’t get much information (though more than usual at this stage), I’m thrilled with the small glimpse of the mode. Some may be confused about the emphasis placed on “the epic return of round-based zombies,” considering Call of Duty: Vanguard had a Shi No Numa remake in 2022. I believe it was a statement of intent: Round-based Zombies is priority number one for the Zombie Team in Black Ops 6.
Two round-based maps at launch is the perfect amount—just look at the mode’s history: Black Ops had Kino Der Toten and Five, Black Ops 2 had Tranzit and Nuketown, and Black Ops 3 had Shadows of Evil and The Giant. Some may be disappointed, given the longer development time and the fact that Black Ops 4 launched with four maps, but Treyarch is clearly going for quantity over quality in Black Ops 6. Terminus and Liberty Falls are two diverse locations that should offer different gameplay challenges and opportunities for storytelling.
The biggest news by far was the confirmation of a dedicated crew. For the first time since 2019, we’ll be playing as original Zombies characters. I always had faith that Treyarch would listen to the feedback from Cold War, and it happened! Having the choice between crew or operators means players on both sides of the divide are happy. The crew can also be used in Multiplayer and Warzone, so I look forward to embarrassing sweats as a Zombies main.
Although an obvious choice, having the Requiem Heads from Cold War makes perfect sense: we already have a connection to Gregori Weaver, Elizabeth Grey and Mackenzie Carver (and they’re all great characters!). While playing as Strauss would’ve been hilarious, I like that we have a newcomer in Maya Aguinaldo. She’s a bit of a wildcard. With ties to Doctor Peck, can she be trusted?
There’s also the important question of how Liberty Falls will work. The two maps happen concurrently, so Carver, Grey, Weaver and Maya can’t be in two places simultaneously. Another crew? A celebrity cast? Operators only? Clones? We’ll need to wait and see.
It was great seeing Kevin Drew present the Zombies portion. He’s been the face of Zombies since Cold War, and I think he’s great at it. When he was active on Twitter, we’d get explanations for certain changes, clarification on upcoming patches, requests for feedback, and a lot of honesty. As much as I loved Jason Blundell, he’d get too invested in the cryptic stuff to the point where mechanics and features weren’t really explained. That’s not to say Kevin isn’t capable of some trickery of his own, though. Eagle-eyed viewers noticed that beside him was the Black Ops 3 strategy guide, a jar of GobbleGum, and a book titled “Thanks for the Feedback”. You’re more than welcome, Kevin!
Closing Thoughts
The overall presentation was fantastic. It was a reveal event crossed with a documentary. As someone who loves getting a look behind the curtain, I could’ve listened to the developers talk for hours about the changes coming in Black Ops 6. The only disappointment was the lack of news surrounding legacy COD titles being added to Gamepass. I’m sure that’ll happen sooner rather than later, though. I’m not losing sleep over it.
Black Ops 6 is shaping up to be a confident successor to Black Ops Cold War that improves upon every aspect of the 2020 title. It’s almost like rushing out a Call of Duty every year isn’t the answer. The developers at each studio should be given the time required to execute their visions. I’m thrilled Treyarch has been given the time to show off what it’s capable of, and can’t wait for the next information dump.
Treyarch season hits different.