Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 marks a dramatic shift away from what we have come to expect from a CoD title. Throwing away the singleplayer campaign, introducing a new style of multiplayer, an overhauled Zombies experience and a new Battle Royale mode makes Black Ops 4 the most interesting CoD title in recent years. The obvious question, therefore, is does all this new content piece together well enough to save the franchise for another year? This is my no-nonsense review of Black Ops 4.
Multiplayer
The first of the three gamemodes that Black Ops 4 has to offer is the multiplayer mode. Featuring enough features to keep it fresh, it is fun to play and entertaining as ever. However, its constant sense of familiarity is both beneficial and detrimental.
What's New in the Multiplayer?
Black Ops 4's multiplayer swaps out its shoot 'em up style for a more tactical-based approach. It includes fan-favourite gamemodes like Team Deathmatch and Domination, but the most fun to be had in the multiplayer is with its more team-based gamemodes like Control and Heist. Instead of having you run around like a lone wolf like in previous multiplayer iterations, Black Ops 4 has a much heavier focus on teamwork, with players needing to use their various skills and equipment to win the match.
Specialists return to multiplayer, with some familiar faces from Black Ops 3 such as Ruin, Battery and Seraph, while also introducing some new characters to the mix. Depending on the gamemodes you play, teams will only be allowed to use one of each specialist per game. This is to give the game a much heavier focus on teamwork, with each specialist serving a different purpose for the team: some are offensive, some are defensive, and some are for support. There is a specialist for all playstyles.
The health mechanic has also been overhauled for Black Ops 4, with the regenerative health system being replaced by a manual healing system. Players can now choose where and when they want to heal themselves, placing more emphasis on a tactical approach to gunfights as opposed to spraying and praying. The health has also been increased to 150, with a visible health bar on the player's HUD showing how much health remains. This increases the time to kill, which makes firefights longer and more interesting.
Lethals and tacticals have been replaced by a new equipment system where players are given a special ability to use that takes time to charge up. These can range from cluster grenades to sensor darts that can detect enemies in its radius, to ammo packs where players can restock while on the move. However, should the player wish to, they can swap their specialist-specific abilities for other equipment like Trophy Systems or active spawnpoints for their team to use instead of randomly respawning.
The minimap has been changed to a more 'Fog of War' style. Players can no longer see what is happening on the entire minimap; only what is in their field of vision or what is shown via scorestreaks. Enemies can still show up on the minimap if they shoot, but for a very limited amount of time. Enemy players will also show up on your minimap if you see them. This makes the tactical element of the multiplayer much more important: players must now work together and communicate their surroundings to work with the new limited visibility.
Finally, the gunplay has been redone: Black Ops 4 now features a predictive recoil system: guns no longer fire with minimal recoil, but instead have patterns which can be learned and adapted to. This puts more emphasis on controlled firing of weapons as opposed to spraying from a distance. Bullet drop-off is also included now, meaning that players must focus more on careful weapon choice and where to use their weapons.
What's Returned in the Multiplayer?
The 'Pick 10' create-a-class system returns once more for Black Ops 4 multiplayer. As opposed to older Call of Duty titles which had rigid create-a-class systems, the 'Pick 10' system allows for much more flexibility when deciding how to equip a loadout. Players can choose which perks they want and how many, which weapons they want to use, and what equipment they want for each game.
Specialist weapons and abilities have also returned, requiring kills and other actions to charge them up for usage. Scorestreaks have also returned, featuring a good slew of familiar scorestreaks as well as a few new ones for players to try out. The paintjob tool also returns for Black Ops 4, allowing players to create their own decals for their weapons to make them more personal. The theatre mode also returns for all modes, allowing players to save their favourite moments.
Black Ops 4 also goes back to a boots-on-the-ground approach for their multiplayer. There is no thrust-jumping or wall-running like in its predecessor. The game also retains a fast-paced approach in its more frantic gamemodes like Team Deathmatch, while emphasising their tactical gamemodes like Control, Search and Destroy and Domination. The gameplay still feels familiar despite the changes, and veteran players should have no issue with adapting to the changes made to the game.
Is the Multiplayer Any Good?
The changes that have been made with Black Ops 4's multiplayer definitely make it a refreshing experience from the frantic shoot 'em up nature of previous iterations of the multiplayer. A heavier focus on teamwork and cooperation might irk some players, but it's a welcome change to the formula. It's clear that Black Ops 4 has tried to dip its toes much more into the world of team-based multiplayer games like Overwatch and Team Fortress 2, exemplified mainly by its inclusion of the specialists and its focus on tactical approaches rather than offensive, reckless firefights.
I like the new manual healing system as well. It means that I have to pick my fights much more carefully, both concerning my own health and the increased time to kill. The new 'Fog of War' for the minimap is also a welcome addition, meaning that watching my surroundings in all gamemodes is more important than it used to be. The new emphasis on teamwork is unfamiliar for a CoD game, but one I happily embrace.
The return of the specialists is also welcome for Black Ops 4's multiplayer, as opposed to having some unnamed grunts like in many of its predecessors. They add a small but needed element of personality to the experience, with each specialist feeling unique to play. The new specialist abilities are also a good change, meaning that I can pick the specialists which suit my playstyle the best. The abilities feel useful, but not overpowered or broken.
However, the gunplay really doesn't feel all that special to me. It's definitely something to get used to, but if you're playing on a console (like me) then aim assist does most of the work for you. This means that the predictive recoil is a non-feature for console players. It still feels like I'm shooting a straight line of bullets at the enemy team. Perhaps on PC, it might be different.
The swapping out of lethals and tacticals for new forms of equipment is also a decision I have felt very iffy about. Yes, there are specialists available who have them already-equipped, but this still feels like a restrictive decision to make for players who want to have the ability to fully customise their loadouts. This might be the price we pay for using specialists, but it's still a feature that would have been useful to have for players.
Finally, the maps themselves don't feel all that special to me. This was a problem I found in Black Ops 3's multiplayer as well: that the maps just feel formulaic and generic. This could be dismissed as a nit-picky criticism given that the three-lane formula for map design has been present in many CoD titles over the years, but just because something has become a given for a franchise does not necessarily make it a good one. Black Ops 2's map design had a fair amount of variety, ranging from small close-quarter maps to large-scale ones. All the multiplayer maps here feel medium-sized and formulaic. For a game that has had 3 years to be developed, I feel that the maps could have been more interesting.
What's the Verdict?
Black Ops 4's multiplayer gives players a great new tactical multiplayer experience while still managing to retain the fun factor that fans will know and love. Its focus on changing the gameplay is definitely commendable and there's a good amount of new things to experiment with and have fun with while still feeling familiar for older fans of the franchise. However, I feel that this very familiarity holds the mode back from being much more, with the gunplay still feeling the same and the maps still having the same kind of generic design. It definitely doesn't feel like a reskin, but it also doesn't feel like an completely innovative new mode.
FINAL VERDICT FOR MULTIPLAYER: 7/10
Blackout
The second of the three modes is Blackout: a Battle Royale mode done in the 'Black Ops Way' as it was advertised as the reveal event. While the Battle Royale genre is absolutely nothing fresh in 2018, the Blackout mode we see in Black Ops 4 is the best of its kind that I've played so far.
How does Blackout work?
Blackout takes place on a large map that is 1,500 times bigger than Nuketown, as stated by Treyarch developed David Vonderhaar. Players will drop from a helicopter onto the map and battle it out using whatever weapons or equipment they can find lying around. A shrinking playable area pushes players closer together until there is one person, or group, left standing.
So What Makes Blackout Different?
Blackout's core objective is no different to that of every other Battle Royale game that has been released so far, but you can hardly fault it for that. What makes Blackout different is how unique the mode feels, looks and plays. Blackout's map is a throwback to previous Black Ops titles, featuring multiplayer maps from older games as well as playable characters from previous titles that can be unlocked by completing quests in-game, such as Reznov, Mason, Woods and Menendez.
Blackout also features a mix of both PvP and PvE gameplay. There are certain areas of the maps that are marked as 'Zombies' areas, where zombies have the ability to spawn and attack players. Killing them also drops exclusive loot that cannot be found in most other areas of the map, which can still be used to fight. The map also features land, sea and air vehicles to traverse the map, with the air vehicles being something that we have not yet seen in a Battle Royale game. Supply drops also appear periodically during the mode, featuring better weapons and exclusive loot.
The mode is also entirely in first-person excluding the drop sequence. Blackout also features perks that can be picked up and used for a limited amount of time; these perks allow players to do things like heal faster, find more loot, and heighten their awareness of their surroundings. Multiplayer items like sensor darts and grappling hooks also appear in the mode. The manual health system also appears in this mode, where players can find three different kinds of med kits to heal themselves. Weapons also feature different ammo requirements, which players can find scattered across the map, alongside all kinds of various attachments to add to guns.
There is also bullet-drop for all weapons in Blackout: players will feel that the guns definitely feel different at range in Blackout than they do in Multiplayer, meaning that players must focus more on their aim rather than shooting in a straight line. There is also an inventory system so players can choose which attachments, perks and equipment to stow and which ones to use. However, ammo does not take up inventory space, meaning that players will not have to worry about collecting 'too much' ammo for their weapons.
Is Blackout Any Good?
As stated, Blackout is the best and most fun Battle Royale game I have played so far. It definitely beats PUBG in terms of its gunplay, polish and fun, and feels like a one-of-a-kind experience with its usage of throwbacks to previous games. I love this mode.
The map is big enough so that it gives players room to explore and have fun, but not so big that a game feels like it drags on forever. It's about the right size. The inclusion of Zombies areas also makes for an interesting experience, with players needing to choose whether to fight zombies for their loot, or run away and stay quiet so as to not reveal their position.
The gunplay is excellent and feels much better in this mode than it does in the multiplayer; the inclusion of bullet drop-off and predictive recoil feels more necessary here because of the map's size and the nature of the gameplay.
The inclusion of perks is a very useful and unique feature too: especially in the later game where the only players left standing are likely the ones kitted out with the strongest weapons and equipment, perks given players the edge needed to try and secure victory. The amount of times that the Awareness and Dead Silence perk have saved me from death in later games is amazing. The inclusion of air vehicles is also very welcome: the map might not be as big as some Battle Royale games, but still being able to traverse it by air is extremely useful. Especially if you have a squad of players, all getting into a helicopter and using it to take out ground targets is fun as hell.
The map is also big enough so that you can land at any area when dropping from the helicopter. The inclusion of a wingsuit as opposed to just skydiving out of the helicopter means that you can reach these areas smoothly and quickly. This was a problem I faced in PUBG: where the map was so big that some areas of the map just wouldn't be explored. In Blackout, you can drop at one area of the map and end at the complete opposite end by the end of the game with or without vehicle usage. It feels just right, as it were.
I have a few complaints about Blackout, though, the main one namely being that this is going to (likely) be a one-off mode for the franchise. Come next year, when Infinity Ward releases their next CoD title, we probably won't see another Battle Royale mode. This is a massive shame, as it makes the mode feel more like a one-time gimmick than something that we might see more in the future.
That complaint aside, however, my gripes with the game aren't that big. I experienced a few framerate drops while playing on Xbox One while looking at the wider-open areas of the map, but this was only down to around 45 or 50fps, which could be a lot worse. The inventory system is not very flexible, with players needing to stop moving and have the inventory take up their entire screen space, meaning that they cannot glimpse at what is around them while interacting with it.
Another point I would make is that the only usable guns are the ones we encounter in Black Ops 4. I feel like if the game wanted to be truly unique, then we could have seen some more guns from previous Black Ops titles. Perhaps we will see this in the future, but as of right now, nothing to be seen. The XP system is also unforgiving: if you do not receive a single kill in a game, or make it to the Top 15, you earn 0 XP for that match. This disadvantages new players to the Battle Royale gamemode who will need to grind much harder to rank up.
What's The Verdict?
Blackout is the most fun I've had in a Battle Royale game for ages. It feels unique, it feels polished, and it is actually fun to play both alone and in a squad. It offers a slew of new features never seen before in other Battle Royale games and feels like a one-of-a-kind experience with its throwbacks to previous games. Perhaps it is not quite as much of a throwback as fans might expect, and the inventory and XP systems are a weakness of the mode, but these gripes are minor in contrast to the fun to be had with this mode. It's just a shame that this is most likely a one-off experience for the CoD franchise.
FINAL VERDICT FOR BLACKOUT: 8/10
Zombies
Treyarch's fan-favourite Zombies mode returns for Black Ops 4, with two new stories to choose from as well as an overhaul of the game's core gameplay mechanics to make it a completely refreshing experience for players. Unfortunately, this is the mode I have to criticise the most, as despite the mode's slew of innovation, consistent gameplay crashes and impossible easter eggs make this the most disappointing instalment of Zombies I have seen yet.
What's New in Zombies?
Black Ops 4 features two different storylines for players to follow: a new Chaos story with new characters and set in a completely different universe, and a continuation of the Aether story from previous games, with returning characters both old and new. This gives older fans something to return to, and new fans something to start a journey on without needing to know years and years of backstory and lore for the mode to make sense.
Zombies in Black Ops 4 has also overhauled almost every single mechanic that we have come to know in previous iterations of the game. Points are no longer earned based on how many bullets you shoot into a zombie, but rather by how much damage you deal to them. Health has been increased to 200, meaning a player can take 4 hits before going down. Perks have received a massive overhaul, with previous 'crutch' perks like Juggernog, Speed Cola and Double Tap being removed. However, there are now 14 different perks to choose from, some returning, some new.
GobbleGums also make a return from Black Ops 3 in the form of elixirs, which serve the same purpose as before in giving players mini abilities to use in-game. Special weapons also make an appearance for the first time, which charge up by getting zombie kills and get more powerful the more they are used. Weapons can also be ranked up and given new attachments, a returning feature from Black Ops 3, and given camos and paintjobs.
To compensate for these massive changes, players can now create their own loadouts for each zombies game, determining what weapon they start with, which perks they want and where they want them to be on the map, which elixirs the player will have, which special weapon the player wishes to use, which grenades they wish to use, and an all-new feature called Talismans, which give the player permanent abilities for that game. This level of customisation is a never-before-seen thing in Zombies, allowing players to fully tailor their gameplay experience to their liking.
A new gamemode has been included with Black Ops 4 Zombies, called Zombie Rush. In this mode, players must compete with each other to get the highest score possible, with each kill building up a score multiplier. Doors across the map are opened periodically, and all weapons, perks and upgrades are free to use. The last player standing with the most points at the end of the game is the winner. This allows new players to get a feel for each map in a less demanding way, as well as giving older players a fun new way to experience the game.
Finally, a new gamemode called 'Custom Mutations' has been added to Zombies. In this, players can create their own custom games for Zombies and change the rules to their liking. There are over 180 different ways to change the rules, meaning that there are thousands of possible ways to experience the game. Players can change things like zombie health and speed, player health, which perks are allowed or not allowed, which zombies spawn, which weapons appear, how many points players earn, and many, many more.
Is Zombies Any Good?
Before I speak about why I have to give this mode a negative rating, I'll talk about what I do enjoy about the mode first.
The two storylines is a neat addition to Zombies. I can experience a wholly new story while still being able to go back and visit the old storyline that I've come to know and love. The new crew in the Chaos storyline is quirky and interesting, while the old Primis and Ultimis crews featured in the game are as good as ever. I feel like the voice acting for the Ultimis crew is not as on-par as in previous Zombies titles, but this is a nit-picky point I can certainly overlook.
The changes to perks is something I am very happy about. Removing the crutch perks means that I need to find a new way of playing the game that works for me, and thankfully, having 14 perks to do that means I've had a lot of fun experimenting to see what works for me. The new health system is something I have needed to get used to, but it makes the mode feel different to previous iterations, with me needing to watch myself more. The points system is also a nice change, meaning that one cannot go and get a massive slew of points on Round 1 anymore, meaning that progression through the game takes more time.
The elixirs feature a good amount of new additions while bringing back some old ones from Black Ops 3 Zombies. They've been balanced much better and don't feel insanely overpowered to use anymore. New elixirs can be made by collecting Nebulium Plasma, the replacement for Liquid Divinium, but it feels like I earn it much slower now than in previous games. This could be interpreted it as good or bad, it's up to you.
The three maps included on disk (or four if you buy the Black Ops Pass) all look very nice and feel different to play. The new Chaos maps, IX and Voyage of Despair, are vastly different in their gameplay and layouts, but this is a good thing for me: it means that I cannot use the same strategy on each map and must find different ways to play. The two Aether maps, Blood of the Dead and Classified, are reimaginings of older maps, and feature enough new space to keep things interesting while also giving them a better look and polish to bring them into the next generation. I very much like all of the maps available on disk, and I can't decide on a favourite.
Unfortunately, this is where my praise for the mode ends. This time around, it feels like the Zombies community has been shafted, with numerous people experiencing crashes mid-game, bugs, and impossible easter egg steps. It feels like a half-baked product overall, and no amount of new features can dismiss the fact that Zombies in Black Ops 4 feels like a Beta. Bluescreens on PS4 and crashes on all consoles are all too common, especially for high round players.
I, myself, have also received crashes while playing on Xbox One. The strange thing is that I have not crashed once while playing Multiplayer or Blackout on this game, but I have about 4 or 5 times while playing Zombies. The game has been out for one month and, as of writing this review, there is still no sign of crashes being fixed. The main easter egg quest for Classified can only be completed, as of right now, through glitches and exploits. This is absolutely unacceptable for a triple-A product that has had three years to get itself together.
Moreover, many features that were promised, such as the Black Ops Authenticity Stamp System which would support the high round community, have not been implemented yet. Callings, a new system which would give players periodic challenges to complete, have been implemented with very underwhelming results. Leaderboards are currently a mess, which is strange considering how they were fine in previous games. Finally, paintjobs currently do not work in Zombies: you can make one and supposedly put it on your gun, but it does not show in-game. Several other bugs have also been found in the game, like incorrect characters spawning, players going down for no reason, and even players not being able to buy more ammo off the wall.
It is a real shame because I could not find much to fault Black Ops 4 Zombies on gameplay-wise. It is the unfinished state of the game which majorly lets it down. Even though the other two modes are fully-fledged and have very, very few issues with their modes in terms of bugs, the fact that Zombies feels like a half-baked experience suggests to me that the game was released too early. If there are community members wishing to purchase Black Ops 4 simply for Zombies, I would have to strongly advise against it for now until the bugs and crashes get fixed. It's got the content, it's got the maps, it's got all this fresh new stuff, but the very unfinished nature of the game makes it feel like a Beta product rather than a fully-fledged mode.
What's The Verdict?
Black Ops 4 Zombies offers a lot of new features, modes and gameeplay changes to make it feel like a fresh new experience. Unfortunately, the fact that it is still riddled with bugs and crashes with no sign of them being patched out is abysmal. It is the most innovative Zombies mode yet, but also manages to be the most disappointing. It doesn't feel like a finished product at all, and I am almost entirely certain that it was due to the game being pushed out too early. Until it gets ironed out, I cannot give this mode a higher rating even though I really wanted to.
FINAL VERDICT FOR ZOMBIES: 4/10
The Overall Verdict for Black Ops 4
Treyarch has pushed the CoD franchise in a new direction with Black Ops 4, and it is, on the whole, a very welcome change. The multiplayer feels fun to play and polished while retaining a sense of familiarity, and the Blackout mode is extremely exciting and unique. Unfortunately, the Zombies mode makes the game collapse at the final hurdle, with its ambitions overshadowed by bugs and crashes. If you're after a good multiplayer experience or a fresh new take on Battle Royale, then this game will be worth your time and money on the whole. However, if you're after Zombie mayhem, you aren't going to be pleased with its current state. The game certainly does not feel like a £50 purchase, or more if you want to get the extra season pass and other bits, since one whole mode is sub-par. But if you're willing to overlook the price tag and play what is currently here, there should be enough to sustain you for one more year.
FINAL SCORE: 6/10
- + A solid multiplayer experience with more focus on tactics than spraying.
- + A fun Battle Royale mode that feels polished and unique.
- + A massive helping of new Zombies content that changes the formula to make it interesting.
- - The map design and gunplay on multiplayer lets the game down.
- - Zombies is riddled with bugs and impossible to play to high rounds without exploits.
Written by Logan Myers