Black Ops 6’s Campaign Strikes the Perfect Balance Between Old and New

While many players flock to the Call of Duty franchise for the multiplayer, the Campaign modes have also been a highlight for many. Even though it has struggled in recent years, thanks to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, players are once again being reminded why this subseries’ story is as iconic as it is. The adventure that campaign developer Raven Software takes them on feels like top-notch classic Call of Duty in the best ways. But if that were not enough to draw skeptical players in, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 also has a few tricks up its sleeve.

For years, the Call of Duty franchise has been experimenting with how it wants to go about telling its story. Through Modern Warfare 3, the series took its biggest departure yet by delivering a far more open-ended tale. That approach may have been extremely controversial, partly due to its length, but the actual concepts were intriguing enough not to be left behind. And luckily, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 seems to be delivering on that potential while also staying true to what has come before, which makes for a fantastic experience for fans.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Takes the Best of Both Worlds

Black Ops 6 Delivers the High-Stakes Action of the Past

One of the biggest things that has drawn players to Call of Duty campaigns is high-stakes action and memorable characters. The Modern Warfare subseries has had some fantastic set pieces over the years, World at War delivered the feeling of fighting through World War 2, many players remember the twist-filled spectacle that was Black Ops, and the gaming industry still talks about the likes of “No Russian” to this day. Along with these memorable moments has also come a whole host of unique characters, with many debating about which ones are truly the best.

Black Ops 6 is once again delivering all of that and more. From the second the campaign starts, players are thrust into this high-stakes wartorn era as they are enveloped in Operation Desert Storm. As the story progresses, they experience a prison break, a fight through a biolab, a battle against Saddam Hussein, and all sorts of wild adventures. Through this, they also learn more about popular characters such as Russell Adler and Frank Woods. All of which makes for a truly unforgettable experience, the likes of which Call of Duty has made a name for itself with.

Black Ops 6 Also Dabbles in What Modern Warfare 3 Tried to Do

While Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 could have just stopped at delivering that tried-and-true Call of Duty experience, Raven decided to also utilize some of Modern Warfare 3‘s tricks. Specifically, it has adopted the open combat missions that formed the backbone of that campaign. Even though that singleplayer mode was extremely controversial, the way that the studio has implemented the concept here makes for a fantastic experience.

Through Black Ops 6‘s Hunting Season mission, players get to see the potential of these open combat missions. They are given a slice of Iraq to explore, filled with enemy camps to take out, caches to discover, and Scud missile launchers to destroy. It may be a massive departure from the rest of the game’s campaign, but coupled with The Cradle, it makes for an unforgettable adventure. Because of its success, hopefully more Call of Duty games will borrow Raven’s formula.

With Black Ops 6, Raven Software has taken the fast-paced adventures of the past and blended them seamlessly with the new style of campaign that Modern Warfare 3 struggled to deliver. The actual story may not reach the heights of some of the franchise’s greats, but anyone who jumps into the campaign is in for a great time. And if the studio can blend the two approaches well here, there is no telling what the future might hold.

Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.

The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.

In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.

Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.

Released

October 25, 2024

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer , Online Co-Op

Engine

IW 9.0

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs

How Long To Beat

8 Hours

Steam Deck Compatibility

Unknown

X|S Optimized

Yes

File Size Xbox Series

216 GB (October 2024)

Number of Players

1-4

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Cross Save

Yes – PlayStation, Xbox, PC

Cross-Platform Play

Yes – PlayStation, Xbox, PC

PC Release Date

October 25, 2024

PS5 Release Date

October 25, 2024

Xbox Series X|S Release Date

October 25, 2024

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