3/5 ★ – peacebrendanp's review of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

I don't know how much I will continue to play this game, but I am starting to reach my quota. I have played it for about a week, and have put about 30-hours into it. This is a really solid Call of Duty (CoD) entry, but as I get older, I feel less drawn to this series. However, this entry may be the best the series has been, in it's modern-era of entries. This entry has a really solid campaign; it feels like one of the more creative entries in CoD-Campaign history. I see some people saying that this campaign is the best CoD campaign to ever exist? I don't know about that, though there aren't many that necessarily scream "Masterpiece." I think I just have an affinity for campaigns that exist prior to Modern Warfare (2019). I guess my main issues with the campaign are regarding the plot and some gameplay moments. I think the plot is mostly fine. I often find that the modern-day Treyarch campaigns end up being convoluted, especially since they try and make things "not appear as they seem" since the original Black Ops campaign aired (World at War had some moments that were mysterious as well, if I remember). It always feels more complicated than it ever needs to be. This campaign is at least comprehensible, despite the campaign revolving around a villain that has little meaningful motive or carries any weight by the time credits start rolling. The whole last few chapters were spent playing sequences that were creative for a Call of Duty campaign, but pretty boring, generally speaking. I also felt this campaign was lacking in CoD-moments throughout it's run time. The game definitely has it's bombastic moments, so I don't want this to be a big sticking point for me, but it just felt like it was missing something (thinking of the AC-130 or house-raid missions from Modern Warfare games). Again, I think I just preferred the campaigns from early days. I also think I normally prefer the campaigns from Infinity Ward. Regardless, between the open-world mission, and the really weird horror aspect that some missions have, this is definitely a campaign that is memorable for the risks it takes. As I stated above, the campaign is really solid, I just didn't love it. I won't drone on too much about the zombies mode. It's really evolved since it's inception. For better, and for worse. I tried one of the two scenarios they offer, and it was fun, but I just don't think it's for me. I always preferred the more simplified zombies from yester-year, and I have never been a fan of the convoluted nature of uncovering the story within the zombies modes. However, the nature of uncovering the zombies story seems to be more streamlined, with objective markers and general hints on what you can be working towards. And then, there is the multiplayer. The bread and butter of CoD. It's arguably better than ever here. It feels more balanced than it has in the past, with perks feeling like a more refined version of their former-selves. Really it feels like perks can offer a boost, but it really comes down to your gun setup combined with playstyle this time around. The game can also look super cinematic this time around, between the omni-directional movement and the way ragdolls react to the game, it's really impressive to look at. And, really a blast to play. Except for when it starts to feel like a classic CoD game again lol. As I get older, I just don't have as much patience for the multiplayer gameplay loop. It's a fun time-killer. But, getting into a sweaty lobby is just not super fun to me with this type of game. The maps also feel way too small to me. It's probably more conducive to a better CoD playground, but I have always been a fan of a mix of maps, that offer long-range and up-close encounters. Either way, it's fun, for the most part (assuming you enjoy CoD games). Finally, I just want to address CoD as a whole. I don't love where the series is at. And, that's okay. I'm aging out of the series (even though I might play it every once-in-a-while). I hate that the games launch from a centralized HUB. The menus look nicer this time around, so I'll give them that. I hate that there are narrative beats from the campaign tied into the Warzone mode. I hate that the default install size is greater than 200gbs. At least I didn't have to deal with the shader compiling every time I opened the game (this was an issue for me for the past several entries). I hate that the game feels so buggy sometimes. Specifically, it wouldn't let me turn NVIDIA DLSS on, and just general packet loss during multiplayer matches. While this entry was really solid, and for CoD fans, it's probably a must play. But, personally, I'm just not in a place to want to grind out CoD in my free time. I am looking forward to a time when CoD is not centralized, and tied into Warzone. Maybe, that time will never come. No worries. It's a fun time for what it is. I just won't be expecting the series to be blowing my socks off. I'll probably play this off-and-on for some time. But, we will see. Update to Review as of 11/21/2024: Man, oh, man. I don't even know where to begin with this update. I added another 40-hours of gameplay through playing the multiplayer, which definitely speaks to the "fun" aspect that the game has. It also denotes another aspect of this series that can be a trap; being an addicting game, even when you are not having fun. This aspect is what makes the game feel like a complete waste of time. Now, I'm sure there is a whole conversation that could be had about the general waste-of-time that video games can be, but I'm not here to get into that. I am here to say, if there is an experience that is just not fun, or grating, and you still find yourself being pulled towards that experience, then there is probably something dysfunctional about that relationship. In this case, that is true. CoD, is this annoying, sometimes fun, addicting game. And, this entry follows suit. There is genuine fun to be had in the game. Like, I love unlocking and customizing the different guns. The models are so detailed, and each modification alters how the gun behaves; it is just a really cool feature. But, after so much more time playing the game, I have come to the conclusion that this is a package that weighs itself down - for some reasons listed above, and some unmentioned. The centralized hub is terrible. The menus lag. Season 01 kicked off for the game, and oh my god - I forgot how fucking horrendous and annoying having these crazy skins and guns are in the game. Some base-guns are even locked behind the battle-pass. Sure, they add free maps with each new season, and that's a genuine cool addition to keep the map pool fresh. However, I have no idea what happened, but it feels ever since Season 01 launch, I have had so much desync occur in game, that it sometimes is just an annoying experience to play. Having the game restart, when it updates, after it had already been "off," is such a confusing thing to have occur. I want to be clear, games have gotten so fast at booting up, that there really should be not too much complaining for having to wait a minute or two to get into a game. And, it really is not that bad here. But, for one of the biggest games that launches every year, there should not be this many inconsistencies with the experience. I got my fill out of this game. But as of today, 11/21/2024, I have uninstalled the game. I probably sound like a jaded CoD-gamer, which I am lol. I did have an alright experience with this game, and normally get a little something out of CoD's every year. But, it is a series that is genuinely losing me, and I'm am absolutely okay with that. I am lowering the score of this game, as it's marred by bugs, desync, battlepass bullshit, and a story that is pretty forgettable. Whatever man. Console Played On: PC (Steam) Game Played: 10/2024 - 11/2024 Review Written and Published: 11/05/2024 Update Published: 11/21/2024