Calling all the shots
ANOTHER year, another Call of Duty, but in order to review the latest addition to the Black Ops series I’m going to have to leave everything I know about the game at the door.
Black Ops 4 is a very different beast to the CoDs which have gone before.
The biggest change is that there is no story campaign, something which has been a staple of the series since day one, 15 years ago.
Instead, there is Solo Missions mode – which focuses on the back stories of the various different ‘specialists’, six of whom are returning from Black Ops III, plus four new faces to add to the roster.
The game’s mechanics have been overhauled. There’s no automatic health regeneration, instead, you’ll have to heal manually.
The ballistics system has been altered, and weapons now have predictive recoil – meaning the more you use a weapon, the more familiar you’ll get with its kick.
While some will lament the loss of story mode, the real backbone of
CoD has always been its multiplayer, and there’s a solid experience here.
In a bid to discourage lone wolves from ‘Leeroy Jenkins-ing’ it, this year’s multiplayer boosts teams that play together, and stay together, with rewards for all players that contribute as well as for individual performance.
The ‘Guns Still Up’ system means you’re always prepared to defend yourself, and the addition of ‘Fog of War’ really keeps you on your toes, essentially rendering all but the closest enemies invisible.
For me, personally, the best part of CoD is always Zombies mode, and Black Ops 4 boasts one of the most fun ever.
From launch, there are three maps you can dive into – the RMS Titanic, an arena in Ancient Rome, and Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.
There are more options than ever to customise your playing style, and you really have to explore to uncover all the goodies hidden in the maps.
Blackout is the campaign mode which has been causing the most excitement.
It’s essentially a Battle Royale, which sees 88 players dropped into a sprawling map and fighting till the last specialist is left standing.
As players are picked off, the map shrinks, killing off unwary folk outside its shrinking boundary.
The Blackout map is always the same, so it’s great to familiarise yourself with, but the way in which equipment, weapons and other essential items are distributed changes every time you play – just to keep things interesting.
As someone who used to love losing themselves in the story campaign, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy Black Ops 4 quite so much.
But after putting in a good few hours, I have to admit, I haven’t missed it at all.
This is still a solid and rewarding CoD experience, and one I’ll be playing a lot more of.
■ Bargain buy: £46.99 from 365games.co.uk