Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Review (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, & PC)

It’s out! Venture back into the early ‘90s in a new spy thriller rendition from gaming’s very own Call of Duty franchise. The Black Ops sub-series launched in 2010, much to the pleasure of shooter fans. It took us to the trenches of the Cold War before the sequel thrust us back into the ‘80s, and then the third game shifted gears into 2065. On and on, we received invigorating campaigns starring blacklisted special units, global conflicts, and new technologies. 

There was admittedly a bump in the road as new iterations in the series began to taste like stale bread. However, Call of Duty Black Ops 6 has been in development for four years now, and the fruits of Treyarch’s labor are showing. We have a new movement system to wrap our heads around, along with fancy spy gadgets, more polished gameplay, and more. Plus, you can always jump into the multiplayer and zombie mode if you prefer a change of pace from the campaign.

In any case, we’re diving headfirst into all the new game has to offer, providing you with a crystal clear picture of what you can expect. For all purposes and intent, here’s our deep-dive review of Call of Duty Black Ops 6.

No Shortage of Patriots

Let’s kick the review off with the single-player campaign, which should take you a decent chunk of roughly eight hours to beat. It wastes no time throwing you into the action as you scamper to take out as many bad guys as you can. As always, the gunplay feels hella crunchy. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 has the pleasure of inheriting a fine-tuned and polished combat system that has worked for decades now, and I still wouldn’t change anything about it. From the snappy recoil to the punchy weight of emptying rounds of ammunition into foes, gunplay remains as thrilling as it can possibly be.

Now, although you are thrust straight into the action, leaving newcomers very small room for getting up to speed with the events unraveling before them, when you give the dust time to settle, you do start to piece the story together. This is a continuation of 2020’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and so you’ll meet returning characters like Weaver, Dr. Grey, and Major Carver, as well as get introduced to new operatives. Russell Adler returns, too, signing up to join the rogue black ops team assembled by Frank Woods and Troy Marshall. Together, you go after the antagonist named Pantheon, which is an international paramilitary terrorist organization that has infiltrated the CIA. 

No Sacrifice Too Great

Plenty of drama will unfold henceforth. Like the jaw-dropping reveal that the Pantheon has been forging weapon deals with Saddam Husein. As always, you can pinpoint some historical references. You’ll discover a potent bioweapon and attempt to stop its use by Pantheon. But the story will take an even more drastic turn when you inhale a hallucinogenic gas akin to BioShock. Suddenly, you begin to see monsters and zombies. You will even hear a woman’s voice, further elaborating on the drama unfolding. All of these unwraps at a digestible pace, with often engaging cutscenes providing much-appreciated downtimes in between frenetic combat chases.

Back at the base, you’ll spend time-solving puzzles. Nothing too complex, just memorizing numbers to open locks or trial-and-error phases. Here’s where you also learn more about the operatives in your team, including the protagonist often shoved off-camera. And there are pretty exciting revelations, even changes in personas, the deeper you dive into the campaign. But while the personal takes on each character have been well-explored, there still remains the glaring surface-level deep-dive into the politics of war – and its consequences in regard to the real world. For a franchise that often builds on historical themes of terrorism and even references actual parties involved, you might expect a more respectable and mature tone. But anyway, the franchise has still managed to put out captivating campaigns, even if geared heavily toward silly popcorn romps.

Going Dark

Fortunately, the single-player campaign gameplay holds up its end of the bargain nearly perfectly. It infuses varied missions that often give you the freedom to approach them how you see fit. Perhaps sneaking behind enemies. Or picking them off one by one is more your style. Rest assured, the sniper rifles will complete the job to a satisfactory outcome. It’ll often only take one-hit kills, though you have to make peace with the slower aim trade-off. Alternatively, you can charge into missions guns blazing, relying on your reflexes and ruthlessness to make it out of there alive. Your decision will doubtlessly hinge on the mission itself, as they range from casing out a casino to optimizing the points of interest in an open-world Middle Eastern desert.

Yup, the open-world Warzone-like mission type returns. But don’t worry. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is far better than Call of Duty Modern Warfare III. Well, at least in regards to the mission variety and tricks you can pull off here. Otherwise, the story arc feels disjointed. For one, there are lots of missed opportunities for exploring the significance of this setting and the events taking place here. Overall, you switch up from linear to open-world missions, scouting various US locations to Russian steppes. Varied terrain goes a long way into how you approach missions. Should you negotiate your way out of trouble, barter trade, or simply light up everything that breathes? And then there’s the Safe House, where you can regroup and strategize, unlocking new secrets and weapons. 

Ghost Town

But you can have your fun in zombie mode, too, which also comes with its own story. However, the story here is less engaging. The most fun will be found in the gameplay. It picks up right where the campaign left off with precise aiming and snappy gunplay. You have two maps to fight and survive through: Liberty Falls, a small American town, and Terminus, a gloomy abandoned prison. Each one has its perks, although I prefer Liberty Falls for its swinging from towering roof to roof.

As always, zombies are a delight to mow down. However, Call of Duty Black Ops 6 has more textured and pleasurable dying animations. Your weapons degrade over time, too, making the time you spend fighting off zombies increasingly challenging. Plus, you can bring along friends for the ride and enjoy non-stop action. Teams come in handy in Terminus, where it can get frenetic pretty fast trying to coordinate keeping power cells protected as zombies swarm in all around you. For some, though, a lack of linearity might pose an issue. You can easily lose your focus, with the sole goal seemingly wiping out as many zombies for upgrades and perks.

Careful Who You Trust

But at least the multiplayer section can provide some sense of direction for you and your pals. It has 16 maps at launch and lots of modes to churn through, from Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, Control, Kill Order, and more. Kill Order is new. However, it relies heavily on teamwork and strategy. Otherwise, it defaults to Team Deathmatch. 

See You on the Other Side

Arguably game-changing is the most exciting new feature called Omnimovement. It essentially lets you sprint, slide, and dive in any direction. And yes, you can mix up the movement and direction as you please. Admittedly, it can take some time to master, especially when you have pro CoD players who’ve already mastered omnimovement breathing down your neck in multiplayer. Still, I’d say to use them as inspiration for experimenting with wild moves like sliding and diving out of the way of gunfire, effectively evading damage. And then there’s the new intelligent control system that paves the way for auto-mantling and auto-crouching.

Lastly, the Prestige system returns, which could possibly give you the best excuse to replay. It lets you reset your progress after you hit level 55, with the incentive of earning Prestige icons, emblems, and operator skins. So, if not for more time with the game, then you could aim higher in Prestige for bragging rights. In this way, the grind never truly ends. It still, though, remains to be seen whether zombies and multiplayer mode will be enough to keep players returning for more weeks or months down the line. Yet the level of graphic polish and fidelity, along with CoD’s gunplay finesse, could be more than enough to stick around.

Verdict

There’s much to be said regarding Call of Duty Black Ops 6’s value. Even though there are some features you might have an issue with, most of the experience on offer here is worthwhile. From the campaign’s captivating romp to the frenetic, faster-paced survival spree of zombie mode and the ultimate satisfying teamwork and coordination of multiplayer, Call of Duty Black Ops 6 proves once again why the franchise has long held its high standing in the gaming world. There simply isn’t any other first-person shooter that does it better than CoD. Thankfully, Black Ops 6 carries the torch forward into a brighter future.