Four years of development for Black Ops 6 to be the most insufferable multiplayer experience in Call of Duty history.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is finally about, and as we’ve taken on 2 years of Modern Warfare games (Modern Warfare II, Modern Warfare III), we’re now in a brand new era that’s Black Ops. Now, apparently, there’ll be two games in this era, but these are said to be leaks, and we’ll just have to wait for confirmation in the future. In the meantime, let’s enjoy the latest Call of Duty. Four years ago, the last game, Black Ops: Cold War, was released, and we gave it a good rating, especially the campaign and Black Ops: Bold War Outbreak zombie modes.
As you’re all aware, Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard a few years ago. This means that all rights and games owned by Activision now belong to Microsoft—including Call of Duty titles. This is why Modern Warfare III just recently became the first Call of Duty title to become available on Xbox and PC Game Pass.
However, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be the first ever Call of Duty title to be a Day One release on Xbox and PC Game Pass, and we expect future titles to follow. Four years in development for Black Ops 6, and it’s expected that we’d get so many improvements, content, and more than the last game. But did they put all of those years to good use? Well, stick around, and we can find out together. We have a lot of hope as we’ve left the Cold War and have now entered the Gulf War.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s campaign is a cinematic whirlwind rollercoaster ride that combines fast-paced action, thrills, drama, and, more importantly, espionage. As we’ve concluded the Call of Duty: Cold War, we now enter a new time in the early 1990s, and you’ll be involved in a wild spy action thriller set during a period of massive transformation and disorder in global politics and the rise of the USA as a superpower.
Get ready for very exciting missions, as well as weapons, gadgets, and stealth, which will make you feel like the ultimate secret agent. A weapon you’d like is the new ‘homing knife’ that allows you to control the direction of the knife after throwing it.
This is especially useful against enemies that are in tight covers. Moreover, the knife can explode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. The campaign is simply incredible and one of the best plots I’ve seen in a Call of Duty game. Plus, you can use a vehicle to explore maps during certain missions.
As for the multiplayer, it’s kind of the opposite. This is where we get really critical here. They’ve had four long years of development to get it right, so where and how did they go so wrong? The experience is far from bad – it’s still enjoyable. However, it could’ve been better – a lot better. By the way, Prestige has returned.
We should tackle the good, the bad, and the ugly of multiplayer, and obviously, we begin with the good. And what better way than to start on a system that’s surely going be a Call of Duty game changer, called Omnimovement?
Omnimovement is a brand-new system in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 that involves more free-flowing movement than ever before. You can now sprint, dive, and slide in any direction, which is said to add much more to your FPS experience. This new system allows you faster and more flexible ways to overcome many more situations in gun battles.
For example, if you dive, but an enemy somehow manages to end up behind you, you can use Omnimovement to quickly turn around as you’re on the floor and take him down. Omnimovement is a very effective and impressive mechanic, and you have no choice but to applaud. Although this system focuses on multiplayer, it’s also applicable to Campaign and Zombies.
There are 25 core weapons in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and most of them are great to use. Including those such as the assault rifles like the XM4, AMES 85, and GPR 91. Also, the SMGs like the C9, PP-919 Jackal PDW, and so on. There I say it – the gunplay is actually, surprisingly, very good, especially when shooting.
The bad? Maybe it could be that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 just came out, but I think the majority of the maps weren’t very well designed. There are far too many areas in most maps that are very difficult to cover; enjoy gunfights, and there are other areas where enemies have a huge advantage over you to the point where you’re a sitting duck. Also, there are some maps where it’s very difficult to have good sessions. There’s even a map called ‘Redcard’ that’s located in a sports stadium, where there’s very limited space.
The same goes for the ‘Payback’ map that’s located inside and outside of a Bulgarian mansion – the same place your hideout/headquarters is from the campaign mode after finishing missions. They have very limited space and are hubs for campers. It’s unbelievable that with 16 core maps in the mode, only a few are actually compelling. There are 12 core maps for 6v6 contests. Plus, there are four strike maps you can play in 6v6, as well as 2v2 contests.
Now, for the ugly, which is arguably the mode’s biggest problem in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) is arguably at its worst all time. Seriously, you’re being punished even more now for performing well. You’d have a good match, and then the very next game, you’re set up against extremely sweaty and competitive-like players. This means many of you will be unable to be consistent – especially if you’re playing solo.
Furthermore, we have Engagement Optimised Matchmaking (EOMM) to worry about, which is a system that emphasizes player engagement. Also, let’s say I had 30 kills and under ten deaths; in the next match, EOMM would put me in a lobby mixed with better, more experienced, and much higher-ranked players. Like, what reason is there for this to be a thing? Both the SBMM and EOMM are neither fun nor necessary and have taken a considerable portion of enjoyment out of the multiplayer.
In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, zombies have returned to the traditional round-based gameplay that we all know and love. It may not be as great as Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 or even Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Zombies, but this version is holding its own greatly.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 becomes the first ever Zombies mode to allow you to play in either first or third-person mode. You can switch between views at any point during your sessions. Moreover, the third-person perspective allows you to see the omni movement much more differently.
Unlike the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Multiplayer, Zombies maps are uniquely and well designed. You have more new and creative ways to avoid or even train Zombies, such as the Terminus map, which is probably the best one. I say this because it includes a unique tactical raft that you can call for at spawn points. This raft allows you to travel around the map and explore places such as ships and smaller islands.
What’s also returned in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the pack-a-punch, where you can upgrade weapons and make them more powerful, have more ammo, and have more effects on them. And, of course, the return of Gobblegums, and there are a few that are my favorites and help me get higher rounds. The ‘Kill Joy’ that’ll bring out an Insta kill power-up. The ‘Cache Back’ brings out Max Ammos and ‘Shields Ups,’ which temporarily doubles the strength of your armor.
The only negative aspect of this mode is that you’ll have to spend actual money to obtain certain Gobblegums from the in-game store. By the way, for any of you who suffer from arachnophobia, seeing as there’ll be spiders in Zombies, you now have the option to turn the spiders off. Which, whichy considerate from Treyach, to be fair.
It’s fair to conclude that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is nothing short of inconsistent. The story is impeccable, and I’d replay it multiple times as it’s incredibly fun to play. The Zombies mode is back to greatness, and I love that they’ve gone back to the traditional style we’ve missed. But the multiplayer is the problem. It’s sad to say because it does have very promising features that have huge potential—especially the new Omnimovement, which takes your FPS experience to the next level.
It’s ironic, really, because, in my opinion, Call of Duty Cold War multiplayer was one of the best, which was, of course, developed by Treyarch. Yet, they managed to deliver the worst and most intolerable multiplayer experience in the franchise’s history. Unless the multiplayer gets a major buff in future updates, the zombies mode may be the content that saves Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
