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The follow-up to 2020’s Black Ops Cold War has aimed to be a much-needed comeback for the beloved Treyarch series.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6continues the story of the previous game, now set in the post-Cold War era of global conflict in the 1990s, while also taking some bold risks with new and innovative gameplay.
This latest Black Ops title comes on the heels of the underwhelming and critically panned Modern Warfare 3 and aims to be a beacon of hope for the series. Does it ultimately achieve that goal? That remains to be seen below.
Review
TheGamer’s Senior Staff Writer and Live Service Specialist,Charles Burgar, rated Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 a solid 4/5 stars in his official review titled ‘A Strong Return To Form.’
One of his chief concerns going into the game was that it would fall into the same curse as the previous Call of Duty titles, with everything feeling the exact same. However, Burgar confesses he spoke too soon and that"Treyarch has created the most unique Call of Duty in years."
Where the immediate praise comes in isthe Omnimovement system for multiplayer, which he found himself enjoying quite a lot, calling it “transformative” and a “breath of fresh air” that reminds him of frenetic gunfights you’d see in a John Woo film.
On the other hand, according to Burgar,“Black Ops 6 has the weakest map roster in a Treyarch game to date,“as he notes that only two of the multiplayer maps, Skyline and Vault, utilize Omnimovement’s strengths. However, that doesn’t stop multiplayer from being any less fun.
Even with its lackluster map selection, I couldn’t pull myself away from multiplayer. Omni-movement has added a new means of skill expression to a series that’s long stagnated. Each new shootout is an opportunity to hone your skills and uncover strategies that mesh with your playstyle, either through omni-movement itself or the game’s wide arsenal of weapons, gadgets, and perks.
Zombies is back and more challenging than ever, featuring tons of new enemy variety and mechanics that have “taken the best elements from every Zombies iteration.” You get some things recycled from Black Ops Cold War as well as Black Ops 3’s Gobblegum,and there are plenty of Easter eggs to embark on.
While Zombies is the best part of Black Ops 6 for Burgar,the Campaign mode is the exact opposite. He calls it “adowngraded version of Cold War’s campaignset in the ’90s.” Although there is some new and neat mission design, the story and themes are all over the place, and the game doesn’t know what it wants to be, with the characters also coming off poorly written.
As great as these missions are, they can’t be the only load-bearing wall for the campaign’s narrative. Pantheon’s motivations are superficial at best and never properly expanded, so all BO6 has going for it are its flashy cinematics and characters.
With all that taken into consideration, Burgar still holds firm that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is “a strong return to form” for the series andthe best and most original Call of Duty experience since 2019’s Modern Warfare. He also understands Zombiesand multiplayer modeare valued over the campaign, so that’s why BO6 ultimately received the 4-star score that it got.
Time Expenditure
Call of Duty story campaignstend to be on the shorter side, but Black Ops 6 is much longer than its 2020 predecessor and comes with a similar length to the first three Black Ops games.According to HowLongToBeat, the story should take you somewhere aroundeight to 11.5 hoursto complete, depending on your goals.
There’s a lot more to do in Campaign mode this time around,including upgrading your safe house, solving puzzles,and exploring more open environments during the main missions to complete side activities and utilize stealth. In addition to the main story, you, of course, have a variety ofmultiplayer modesto Prestige your accountandnew Zombies mapsto tackle, which is where most of your time will inevitably be spent.
Cost
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6is still available on old-gen consoles, as well as PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The standard edition on all platforms will cost you$69.99 USD, and then you also have the Vault Edition, which is$99.99 USD.
The items you receive in the Vault Edition include:
However, if you don’t want to pay full price for the game,Black Ops 6 is a Day One title available on Xbox Game Passsince Activision is now an entity of Microsoft. To play it on Game Pass, you will need the Game Pass Ultimate subscription, which is$19.99 USD per month.
What Players Are Saying
Honest, Refreshing, And Fun - Daniyal Malik
Call of Duty has been losing its spark for me since Modern Warfare (2019), but Black Ops 6, fortunately, does enough to revitalize my love for the series once more. While I initially expected the hyped Omnidirectional movement to steal the show, the real star here is the Zombies mode. It’s an exhilarating experience packed with action and adrenaline, making every match feel thrilling, challenging, and, most importantly, fun.
Though I can’t sit here and deny that Black Ops 6 is too different from prior entries, the gameplay itself is a blast, especially in Multiplayer and Zombies. The Prestige system is a more forgiving version of its classic iteration but still keeps you hungry for progressing through the ranks and getting those exclusive emblems and rewards. Treyarch made the right moves with this title—subtle but impactful changes, fan-favorite features brought back, and the nostalgic return of Nuketown at its best.
All Worries With Multiplayer Omni-melted Away - Drew Ferguson
Going into Black Ops 6, I had trepidations about the Omnimovement system. It looked cool, but I was worried it would exacerbate some of the occasionally frustrating aspects of the CoD multiplayer without adding anything particularly meaningful to the table.
I could not have been more wrong. Black Ops 6 multiplayer has so much going for it: a high level of polish and fluidity, great maps alongside tight weapon balance, and the new Omnimovement system accentuates all of it. This is a leap forward for Call of Duty and is going to be remarked as a franchise classic in the years to come.
Still Not A Winner’s Circle Black Ops Entry - Dennis Moiseyev
Call of Duty used to be exciting for me. I would look forward to getting the new game each year as religiously as Assassin’s Creed, but ever since 2017’s WW2, the series just fell off. I’m a huge fan of Black Ops 2 and 3 (who isn’t?), but Black Ops 6 is not that, no matter how hard it tries to sell that aspect.
I was thrilled that BO6 might have the potential to bring the series back, but it just feels like a re-skin of Modern Warfare 2019, MW2, and MW3 with the Black Ops logo slapped onto it. Though there are some great characters inside a lackluster and generic story, I much prefer the Black Ops Cold War campaign, as this one overdid it with stealth and threw everything but the kitchen sink into it, so it wasn’t as cohesive as past campaigns. If I wanted to play Hitman 3 or the Metal Gear series, I would’ve gotten that instead. Thankfully, I tried it out on Game Pass.
And despite the return of Gobblegums, Zombies mode is still not restored to the glorious state of Black Ops 3 that fans deserve. BO3 remains one of the best times ever in a CoD title and is the definitive Zombies experience in the series, period. BO3’s multiplayer maps and gameplay are also much more memorable compared to BO6, with no superfluous Omnimovement needed. This game showed me that it’s officially time to part ways with the Call of Duty series for good.
