Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was released to the world Nov. 13. Developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, the game marks the sixth Black Ops installment to hit the market and the seventeenth overall Call of Duty game. The game follows the widely grossed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which included the battle royale game mode called Warzone. Battle royale is a free for all in which squads compete against one another in a hunger-games-esque format to produce a winner. Fortnite popularized the format, and since then developers have taken notice and installed it in their own games. Warzone and Modern Warfare were huge hits, grossing 23 million players as of November 2020. Now, Treyarch hopes to strike gold again with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.

Black Ops Cold War marks the sixth installment in the Black Ops series, the latest released since Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in October 2018. Similar to Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War includes a single-player campaign and a multiplayer game mode, but it also offers a zombies game mode, a nod to old COD games. Zombies is a game mode in which one to four players take on zombies round after round in an attempt to survive as long as possible. Unlike Modern Warfare, however, Black Ops Cold War is centered around an era of history: the Cold War.

Game spotlights important moments in history for plotline

The game includes plenty of real life references to the Cold War; for example, the queues for games include transition slides which feature information about the Cold War, from pictures to dates. The game centers around the clash between the Americans and Soviets. Set in the 1980s, the 4-5 hour campaign consists of CIA and M16 members who attempt to hunt down and destroy Perseus, the main antagonist of the game. Alongside these characters, players, authorized by President Ronald Reagan, go on a wild goose chase to capture Perseus, who threatens to unleash terror on the world and tip the tide of the Cold War in favor of the Soviets. The character of Perseus is based on a Cold War conspiracy theory. Perseus was the codename of an alleged Soviet spy who stole information from the Los Alamos National Laboratory during the Manhattan Project, and if real, would have been instrumental in the Soviet development of nuclear weapons. Pretty cool touch, as the game incorporates modern history rather than completely fictional characters and plots.

Similarly to the campaign, the multiplayer section of the game revolves around the Cold War. In total, there are eight new maps, all revolving around the Cold War. Some of the coolest include Armada, which is based off of Operation Azorian, where U.S. and Soviet forces meet in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean in search of a prototype nuclear submarine. Another is Miami, where DGI forces mobilized by Perseus ambush a prison transport in order to free an ally and CIA forces have been deployed to prevent it. Furthermore, in each multiplayer game, there are two teams: one labeled NATO, the other Warsaw Pact.

An area for criticism, however, is the content. As of now, the game only has eight maps to explore, 27 total weapons (including secondaries), and few game modes. Right now, there are only eight multiplayer maps available, with two others unique to Fireteam. Modern Warfare, in comparison, boasted 19 maps; however, the maps in Black Ops Cold War are designed much better. So, pick a poison: more poorly put together maps or fewer, well thought out and thoughtfully designed maps. There is little uniqueness in the game modes. They include the Call of Duty staples like Search & Destroy, Team Deathmatch, Hardpoint and Domination; however, there few new ones outside of Control and VIP Escort, and none of the game modes that were trialed in Modern Warfare appear in Black Ops Cold War. Combined Arms, a larger game mode similar to Ground War from Modern Warfare is disappointing. It consists of 12v12 on a large map with vehicles. The main problem is that the maps are too big, so it ends up with groups of snipers camping and picking people off one by one… that is if your team can find enough loot to survive the beginning.

Spending time on a map that is way too big and filled with campers is no fun for anyone.

Control, on the other hand, is a good game mode. It is similar to other COD game modes in which one team attacks two points and the other defends it, while each team has a thirty-life limit. This game mode is similar to Demolition, a game mode from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (released in 2009). Fireteam is another game mode that is actually quite good. Fireteam is similar to Warzone, as it consists of ten four-man squads who compete against one another. Unlike Warzone, however, Fireteam is smaller and players fight to complete objectives rather than fighting to be the last squad standing. Squads fight to collect uranium and deposit at sites scattered across the map to rack up points. Planting and detonating a bomb yields big bonus points. These two game modes are chaotic, so, if you prefer larger, more chaotic gameplay, these two game modes are for you. However, the latter is higher paced and therefore more entertaining.

Limited weapons choices don’t always fit encounters

Another area of critique is the balance of weapons or lack thereof. In all games, there are guns that are naturally better than others. However, in Black Ops Cold War, there are a few that stand miles above the rest. The MP5 is one of them. With the best attachments possible, the MP5 absolutely shreds enemies with little to no recoil at all, making it the best weapon in the game, hands down. Another is the M16, which is a tactical rifle unlike the MP5, a submachine gun. The M16 is a burst, meaning it fires three bullets per shot. What makes the M16 so overpowered is the one-shot capability. Usually, it takes multiple shots to kill an enemy, however, at close to medium range the M16 has the ability to one-shot enemies. The three bullets in the burst fire so rapidly that the enemy has no time to react. In a sense, it is impossible to miss any of the three bullets because they fire so rapidly that there is no time for recoil. The last overpowered gun is the Hauer 77, a pump-action shotgun that seemingly has infinite range. Similar to the 725 shotgun in Modern Warfare, the Hauer 77 has the ability to inflict massive damage on the enemy with one shot. The Hauer 77 is basically a sniper, or it seems anyway, as it can two-shot enemies from almost any range. Normally, shotguns are for close range encounters, so this is frustrating.

The prestige system has been a part of COD games forever, with the exception of a few games, including Modern Warfare. The system works as such. Prestiging is an option players receive after they reach level 55. Prestige mode restarts the player back at level one, with all weapons and challenges reset. The player must progress through the ranks to unlock challenges and weapons again. In return, the player gains a special symbol next to their name; an indication of prestige mode.

The player can prestige a total of ten times, each time yielding a new symbol. In prior games, it was as such. In Black Ops Cold War, however, it varies. The concept of reaching level 55 remains, but the loss of weapons and challenges has been removed. Instead, Black Ops Cold War is in tandem with both Modern Warfare and Warzone, allowing players to progress across all three games simultaneously (a player can level up while playing Warzone and Black Ops Cold War. The progress earned all goes to the same place). This is unique to a COD game and is something that I do not like. I like the old prestige system. The one with ten unique prestige levels each acting separately from each other. In Black Ops Cold War, however, the scene is different. Right now, Season One has yet to be released (it releases in December 2020). Currently, players can prestige a total of three times (Prestige Level One reached at Season Level 1, Prestige Level Two reached at Season Level 50 and Prestige Level Three reached at Season Level 100). Each prestige level rewards the symbol and a prestige key. These keys will unlock a Prestige Shop, in which players can purchase Legacy Prestige Icons across other COD games. Prestige Master, which was formerly awarded for prestige ten times, will now be awarded for reaching Season Level 200. Season levels continue until level 1000, with awards after each 50 levels. So, it is slightly similar to former COD games, but I am not a big fan of the complexity and syncing between multiple COD games.

Recommendation:

Overall, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a great pastime. It is slightly underwhelming for the year 2020 (which features the release of two new consoles: the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X), as it lacks variety over multiple areas. The response times and mechanics of the game are great, as they are in most Call of Duty games. Black Ops Cold War seems to be more of a reiteration of older COD games as it continues the experience rather than expanding on it. The foundation for the game is great: the mechanics are excellent and the polishing of the game bodes well for the post-launch content drops. It is a back to the basics for Call of Duty, which is not bad in any sense, just gives off the broken record player vibes. Regardless, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has plenty of potential to be a great and much-needed game to end 2020.

Rating: ★★★★