Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: activision, Black Ops 4, call of duty, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, treyarch

The Big Takeaways from Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Today we got the chance to attend the big reveal for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 at their special event in Los Angeles — which means we saw the same presentation you did, only with deafening audio! Joking aside, we got the full treatment, which included being able to play a demo of the game at the event and talking with some of the developers. Here's our big takeaways from it all.

No Campaign

Yes, the rumors were true. There's no campaign mode. You got two options: accept it and move on and try the game when it releases, or pout and not play it. The game's story is going to be told in different ways through co-op missions, multiplayer, and other modes. Much like how Overwatch has created an entire universe based on in-game content and extra material created outside the game. It's too early to know what kind of approach they'll take, but for those of you throwing a fit that you don't get 10 chapters of single-player hell, reserve judgement for the actual game. There are other ways of telling a story that don't involve a 25-hour campaign.

Some Returning Favorites

Along with the Pick 10 system that was already given away, you're going to see some returning characters and job classes make their way back into the game. Because this is a different kind of title of the Call of Duty series, Treyarch is basically doing a love letter to the fans in every way possible, from classic modes to familiar faces. There's plenty of new content to go along with it, but if you've been following the series, you're going to get some surprises when you hit October.

Blackout… Just Blackout

Fortnite may be king, but if anyone has a chance at going for the crown, Black Ops 4 may have it. Absolutely nothing was shown to us for Blackout, so this is just based on the info we were given and the intro graphic you saw. But if the size of the map, quality of the gameplay, and options available to all players is correct… it's going to be the biggest and best streamlined battle royale title on the market come October.

Zombie Blast from the Past

How do you make zombie mode more interesting? Add time travel. Yep, through a series of events involving an artifact and some goo that helps you time travel through the eyes of ancient warriors, you'll be able to fight in several zombie modes throughout the ages with a new cast of characters. This includes their version of what happened on the Titanic. This could be very badass or turn into a complete joke, but either way, at least it will be bloody fun.

Partnering with Blizzard

The absolute best thing Treyarch and Activision could have done was partner up with Blizzard to be on Battle.net. Considering the time and care Blizzard put into their servers, monitoring, and updating, it may be the best-dedicated server a CoD title has ever been on. This means it comes with the added benefits that Destiny 2 players have been experiencing of being able to be connected to and experienced by a thriving community. It's basically their way of making sure the game's tree branches out and doesn't just fork with diehard fans for taking a different path, and that should be celebrated.

A Chance at Something New

We'll have more to say on the game in the days to come as we discuss other aspects, but the biggest takeaway for us is that Call of Duty is now entering uncharted waters. While the options may have changed over the years, the core of what a CoD title is has remained the same as far as being a first-person shooter with a story and a multiplayer setup. Now that it simply focuses on multiplayer, this gives the developers a chance to take the game into areas they didn't tread into before because their focus was in a different spot.

And we're not talking about adding Prop Hunt or seasonal events. We're talking about experimenting with the way you approach a multiplayer match, from the five-player setup with multiple options for a loadout to the tactical resources used to conquer a specific match. This is their way of putting a stamp on what others have perfected. If it works out, they'll be praised. If it fails, they'll be panned. But at least they tried something new, and we have to give them a lot of credit for taking a leap without a parachute.

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