Last month on Oct. 25 Treyarch & Infinity Ward released the newest addition to the Call of Duty & Black Ops series, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Just under four years after the last Black Ops game Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War which got very mixed reviews, however I thought it was a good game that put the franchise in the right direction. In the last four years, there have been two games between them, Call of Duty: Vanguard, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Both were not received well by the community at all. However, Black Ops series fans had hope that Black Ops 6 could bring Call of Duty back to life.

Campaign: 9/10

The campaign or “story mode” of the game is set in 1991, at the peak of the Gulf War. The story follows a group of rogue operatives who try to hunt down a paramilitary group named the Pantheon. The Pantheon is trying to discredit and replace the CIA. The story follows this rogue group and you are one of them. There is a wide variety of missions in the game ranging from the normal gunfight, espionage operations, and heists. You start in Iraq fighting Iraqi soldiers, and then that leads you into fighting the Pantheon. The campaign is very fun and the story is easy to follow. It also adds in other missions rather than just simple gunfighting to make it more engaging.

Multiplayer: 7/10

Multiplayer in Black Ops 6 is a pretty average experience. It feels like pretty much every other Black Ops game which is not a bad thing. First and arguably most important, the gunplay is very good. There aren’t many guns that are too overpowered and there aren’t many that are unusable. An issue with this mode is the lack of renovations. It doesn’t try and take a risk or do something different than we have seen in the past. The only new thing that has impacted the game is omnimovement. Omnimovement is a feature that allows you to control your character in almost any way imaginable. It gives you more control as a player which is always a good thing. However, the maps in this game are by far the worst part of it. They have absolutely no flow and most of the time you get stuck in your spawn for half the game. The spawns and maps are dragging the mode down, other than those two the mode is good.

Zombies: 9.5/10

Terminus is the main map of the two at release. It takes place on a secluded island in the middle of the Philippine Sea. The map features an above-ground facility/living quarters, an underground lab, and surrounding islands. It features two miniboss zombies, the Mangler and Amalgam. If you do the full easter egg there is a Kraken boss fight at the end.  It also adds a new wonder weapon in the Beamsmasher, which is very powerful. The map flows very nicely and feels smooth to play. The gameplay is very fun and the map is easy to follow. The second map at release is Liberty Falls, a small town in West Virginia. This map is very simple and very focused on the barebones and basic survival. It features a traditional town with shops, a gas station, a church, and a bowling alley. This map also has Manglers but it also adds in the Abomination. The Jet Gun wonder weapon returns from Black Ops 2 and is much improved. Both Terminus and Liberty Falls have the original wonder weapon the Ray Gun. The perks of the game include Juggernog, Quick Revive, Stamin-Up, Speed Cola, Deadshot Daiquiri, PHD Slider, Elemental Pop, and the new Melee Macchiato.

Overall Thoughts: 8.5/10

Black Ops 6 is a good game and possibly could be towards the top of the Black Ops series. The campaign is the best it has been since Black Ops 2. With the variety of missions and storyline, it is very engaging and interesting to follow. The multiplayer is right between being average and good. Gunplay and omnimovement carry the mode while the maps tank its rating. With adjustments to the maps and spawning, it could be great. Zombies is a wonderful experience with a mix of new school and traditional elements. The gameplay is fun and engaging until about round 25 then it becomes chaos. Instead of a gradual difficulty increase it is very abrupt and hurts the flow that it has originally. The new perk Melee Macchiato is also very irrelevant and almost useless. The camo grinding for both the multiplayer and zombies is a fun and challenging experience that adds a lot to the modes. Overall this is a wonderful game and I fully recommend buying it.