Call of Duty Black Ops 6 - A Fun Return To The Black Ops Universe

Written by Brandon Hofer on November 01, 2024

Reviews: This year’s Call of Duty game takes us back to one of the most popular sub-franchises in the history of the franchise.

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is now available and comes with four big modes to keep fans busy. While most of the studios who work on this franchise had a hand in making Call of Duty Black Ops 6, I believe it was Treyarch that took the lead for this iteration. This is also the first Call of Duty game to be released under the Microsoft banner now that they own Activision. As such Game Pass members are able to download this anticipated title for free as part of their membership. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 brings a continuation of the Black Ops story in its campaign, a whole bunch of new modes and playlists in their standard multiplayer suite, a new Zombies adventure and, of course, Warzone.

One of the big new feature in this year’s Call of Duty is the introduction of a brand new movement system. This new system is called “Omnimovement” and has introduced an incredible level of fluidity to the gameplay. Call of Duty is a series that has always played extremely well but the developers have taken it to the next level with this upgrade. The moment I started playing multiplayer I was immediately impressed with how smooth everything was from a gameplay standpoint. For those who might not be familiar with this new movement system, “Omnimovement” allows players to use familiar mechanics found within the Call of Duty games but now in any direction. The way it has been described is that instead only being able to do certain things in a forward direction, now it is a bit more realistic and you can do it from all directions. The only exception revolves around the Tactical Sprint which can only be done moving forward. While spending quite a bit of time in multiplayer as well as the campaign, this new systems really well but can also work against you, especially in multiplayer. You have access to this improved movement but so does everybody else. I have definitely played against people that are better than me and can use this system more efficiently than I can but it also feels good when you get the drop on someone by sliding under gunfire or diving out of the way at the last moment.

The first mode I usually play in any new Call of Duty game is the campaign. I have always really enjoyed the stories in Call of Duty and Black Ops 6 is not an exception to that. Events pick up after the last Black Ops game and there is a crisis on our hands. It is up to you and your team to travel the world to try and stop a plot that could change everything. This particular story has some interesting twists and turns that I haven’t seen utilized in a main Call of Duty campaign before. In addition to the standard stuff that everyone expects, there is a bit of a horror element in some of the missions as well. There is also an open ended mission that includes having to fight off a zombie horde as the team explores a strange new location. I am not going to give any specifics about the story because I don’t want to ruin it for others but there is a good amount of variety to be found here. I enjoyed the team dynamic as I was assembling my group and your safehouse in the game is massive, allowing you to search for hidden secrets (and hidden rooms) if you so desire. As you go through missions you can find cash from time to time so be sure to grab it so you can purchase upgrades at your safehouse. You will find these upgrades very helpful as they can range from having your weapon become more powerful to giving you more health or being able to carry more ammunition. The choice is yours on how you want to proceed and I appreciated the level of flexibility the game gave me to go down whatever path I wanted.

Once I was done with the campaign I immediately jumped into the multiplayer suite. There is a lot on offer this year. Black Ops 6 launched with 16 maps with new maps set to be added in the future. Before you jump into the action though you might want to have a look around. You can check out the different weapons that are available to you, set some scorestreaks, select which operators you want to use and more. There is also the capability of selecting your custom loadout but that option will not unlock until you reach level four, which shouldn’t take you too long to do. You will most likely reach that in just a few games depending on how well you do in those matches. There are also daily objectives for you to complete that will give you a nice boost of XP to level up your character. Just like in previous iterations, the maximum level your character can reach is Level 55 and then you have a decision to make. Do you choose the “Prestige” option and start back at Level 1 to work your way back through the ranks, or do you just stay at Level 55? For achievement hunters out there you will want to Prestige at least once which means you’ll be spending a lot of time in this multiplayer suite.

During my time with the multiplayer I found that I seemed to do the best on some of the mid-size to large maps. For a map like Nuketown that is so small and incredibly chaotic I would get completely wasted. For a map like Skyline however that was a little more open (but not to open) I usually did fairly well. Of course once you get to know the maps and the different routes that can be taken that helps out a lot too. Knowing about secret passages or how to take a shortcut can mean the difference between life and death in a game where you can be taken out in an instant. Currently my favorite maps seem to be Skyline, Lowtown, and Rewind. The main weapons that I utilize in my custom loadout includes the XM4 and Tanto 22. Of the field upgrades that are available I really like the spring mine and the bankroll perk is one of my favorites since it starts you out with 150 score, meaning it is easier to get your a scorestreak where you can hopefully do some damage against the enemy. Some of the scorestreaks that I enjoyed using includes the SAM Turret which can help take out enemy helicopters and planes, as well as Counter UAV that can mess with enemy minimaps and then of course the Sentry Turret which can attack any enemy that crosses its path.

Once all of the prep work is done you then go to try and find a match and set the parameters you want to play with. I tend to filter the categories so I only play the modes I really like such as Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed. If you don’t really care which mode you play, just hit “Find A Match” under Quick Play and you will be off to the races. There were times when it seemed to take a while to find a match for me but once I got in the gameplay was smooth, the action was frantic, and I was just trying to do the best I could to win the game and level up my character. There are some frustrating moments when you get the drop on someone but somehow they kill you instead but overall the multiplayer suite is a tremendous amount of fun.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched with two new round-based zombies maps, Terminus and Liberty Falls. This year’s version of Call of Duty Zombies continues the Dark Aether narrative that started in Black Ops Cold War. This Zombies mode features items like “Perk-A-Colas,” which can grant you abilities to battle against the seemingly never ending horde. GobbleGums have also made their return making their first appearance since Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. Using GobbleGums will provide some unique effects to players that will help you survive against the onslaught. While playing through this mode you will want to explore the area as much as you can to potentially find plans for secret weapons, as well as to advance the narrative in the game. One thing that I really appreciated was the new ability to save and quit. This is the first time players have been able to save and quit in the middle of a Zombies match so that they can pick it up and come back later. There are a few requirements that must be met, such as not being in the middle of a tense battle, but being able to save your progress and pick up from there at any time is a game changer for those who might not be able to engage in long gaming sessions.

Call of Duty Warzone is also included in this package but it is more of a standalone product that is continually evolving. For that reason we focused mainly on campaign, multiplayer, and zombies for this review. As I was going through all of the different modes and experiencing what Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 had to offer, I was really happy with everything I saw. The campaign has a good amount of variety and some things I haven’t seen in a Call of Duty campaign before, the evolution of the Zombies mode is a lot of fun, and then of course the multiplayer suite should hook players for a long time as they try to level up their characters and build the best possible custom loadout. The gameplay is incredibly smooth throughout all of the different modes and I’m sure it will get even better as time goes on. If you are a Call of Duty fan, be sure to pick up this title and give it a try. If you aren’t familiar with the Call of Duty franchise but have a Game Pass membership, be sure to download Call of Duty Black Ops 6 for free and give it a shot as well.