It's that time of year once again - a brand-new Call of Duty game is upon us, as the nights start drawing in and the sound of teenagers raging at their pals online becomes ever-present around the world. This year though, things are a little different - Microsoft now owns the franchise and has delivered Black Ops 6 to Xbox Game Pass players on day one. We've already spoken about how much we enjoyed the campaign portion of this title (we'll throw a link to those thoughts down below), so this is going to focus on multiplayer, Zombies, and our overall thoughts on Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Let's get to it!
Like most COD games, multiplayer is the real meat and potatoes of the experience - it's where lots of us will be spending months and months shooting each other digitally over the internet. And, the good news here is that Black Ops 6 MP is really, really good - in fact, we reckon this is the best PvP COD since Activision effectively rebooted the franchise with 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Black Ops 6 multiplayer is packed with actual new content, which feels super refreshing when stacked up against how Modern Warfare 3 launched last year. We've got 16 new maps here, before the arrival of Nuketown later this week, across both 6v6 and 2v2 playlists. There's some nice visual variety on show as well — from the snowy cells of Vorkuta to the sunset-soaked football stadium in Red Card — and we can't express how much simply having a fresh batch of all-original maps helps the multiplayer experience this year.
As for the quality of these maps, we really like the variety that developer Treyarch has gone with here. Yes, not every map is a tiny three-lane spawn-fest that nets maximum XP per minute, but we kind of like that. The aforementioned Red Card has been a controversial map so far, but how about just slowing things down a tad and cracking out a longer-range weapon for a match? We don't want to sound like we're attacking COD's very vocal community here, but not everything has to be instant gratification - although that's likely to come with a Nuketown 24/7 playlist in the very near future anyway.
We have a few favourite maps emerging already though, with Payback, Lowtown and Vault coming top of the pile for us at the moment. Payback is our small-map pick of the bunch - with Lowtown and Vault offering some nice variety; both allow pretty much any weapon build on most game modes. Treyarch has seemingly tried to accommodate lots of different playstyles per map in Black Ops 6, and although the jury's still out on their longevity, we're having lots of fun on most of them so far.
Our praise of the overall gun feel from campaign definitely carries over to multiplayer too - taking down enemies just feels fantastic in this game. There's a nice marrying of classic Black Ops weaponry with the new COD engine that feels slick and satisfying in pretty much any scenario. Time-to-kill is just about bang on as well - it felt too long in Black Ops Cold War and often feels a bit short in the Modern Warfare games, but Black Ops 6 gets it just right. We have to give a strange shoutout to the hitmarker audio here as well (the noise made when your bullets connect with an enemy) - something about that sound just adds to the satisfaction of taking down foes in multiplayer.
We do want to address omni-movement for a moment here before we move on to Zombies. During our hands-on time with the Beta, we thought this new mechanic could become an issue, especially in the hands of more experienced players. However, so far we've found the mechanic much less of an issue in the full release. Maybe we're getting used to it, maybe it's the more casual mix of players that Game Pass brings, or maybe Treyarch has tweaked it to be better balanced. Honestly, we're not quite sure, and we know that this could all vary depending on how the game's skill-based matchmaking treats you. Just know that we've had much less of an issue with omni-movement in the full release, to the point where it's not really affecting our overall multiplayer experience.
Right, Zombies. This being a Treyarch game, Zombies mode of course returns in full this year, with two experiences at launch - Terminus and Liberty Falls. Zombies mode definitely follows on from Cold War's variant back in 2020, so if you like the team's 'newer' style of Zombies experience, you'll likely get on well with the Black Ops 6 version.
Terminus is the main experience here - this one feels like the 'proper' Zombies level with its spooky atmosphere, labyrinth-like design and s**t ton of easter eggs packed into it. We must admit we haven't gone too deep into this mode yet (it takes a while to go deep with COD Zombies these days) but that's kind of the beauty of it. You can still play Black Ops 6 Zombies pretty casually by just treating it like a wave-based survival mode, but then there's lots more to dig into if you want to fully immerse yourself in the experience. Zombies nuts, have at it.
Speaking of playing the mode more casually, it definitely feels like Liberty Falls is designed for that sort of experience. Set in broad daylight with a more simplified design, this small-town map is fun to get stuck into and feels like it's built more with replayability in mind. That's to say, it might not scratch that same itch for hardcore Zombies players, but we're glad this map is present - it's a solid option to mix things up from Terminus.
As we mentioned before, gameplay-wise, Zombies is on a similar wavelength to how the mode played in Black Ops Cold War. You've got loads of playable operators to choose from, custom weapon loadouts, chargeable abilities and more - all mixed in with classic COD Zombies mechanics like perk machines, the mystery box and pack-a-punch. To be honest, we prefer the way Zombies used to feel back in the older Call of Duty games with its more simplistic approach and a focus on subtle storytelling, but the new version is still a lot of fun - and a great alternative to online PvP once you've blasted through the campaign.
Conclusion
Overall, then, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a massive success for Xbox. This year's COD is packed with content across its three main modes, and Game Pass players will be able to enjoy this one for months - especially when additional seasonal content starts to release. Raven Software's campaign mode is a blast, multiplayer is the best it's been in years, and while Zombies isn't what it once was in our book, it's still a fun third mode to mess around with. If Call of Duty can continue to remain this high-quality each year, Microsoft has a winner on its hands, but for now let's just enjoy Black Ops 6 for what it is - a cracking COD game and a fine example of a console FPS.
Comments 50
Is this site getting paid for making Gamepass News???
It's really highly noticeable here.
The game just arrived on consoles, digital and on disc.
Why has Gamepass to be the headline? 🙄
@Nintendo4Sonic I’ve asked before.
With gamepass in the headline they get a lot more traffic. People just are less interested in Xbox if it isn’t on gamepass.
For example, DA veil guard has less than 40 comments.
I haven’t played CoD in over 10yr so I’m glad the one I’m going to try is a good one.
Definitely the best COD in a while. I’m really loving the multiplayer and the small amount of zombies I have played has been a blast. The respawns are a bit all over the place at the moment and a couple of the maps are terrible but it’s a huge return to form.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner and not only that, they're acting like disc's aren't existing anymore.
@Nintendo4Sonic Yeah, as has been said, it's just one of those where if the opportunity to get Game Pass in is there we reach more readers who are interested in things coming to Game Pass... arguably not so much for COD but we didn't use it in the campaign review, so, I went with it here.
Of course you can still buy the game - the good news is that BO6 is worth the money either way.
Haven't played a COD since the 360 so was just going to dip into this and see what it's like and I have to say it is really quite good indeed! Looks great, polished to a sheen, and satisfying gunplay. It isn't, on paper, my kind of game, but I'll check out the others when they make their way to Gamepass.
Might even try the multiplayer.
Also, quite surprised by how challenging it is. No, it isn't Sekiro, but if you play it 'gung ho' then you'll be cut down in seconds.
@Kezelpaso thank you for your complain.
I thought the campaign was real good. Although, I thought the "Separation Anxiety" level (mission 10) was more out of place than the Iraq mission.
The game feels like a generational leap compared to last year's. This is what a next-gen COD feels like.
@Nintendo4Sonic gamepass hater?
This site probably talks about game pass often because....uh...they are called pure Xbox. They are everything Xbox.
@Gabrielmpf what do you mean? It uses the same engine MW3 used. Graphics are pretty much the same. MW3 just had a disappointing campaign, but the rest was good.
@Simplejohn I wouldn't say hater.
I do understand why some people are paying for Gamepass. And it can be a good value for some.
But I'm seeing the whole thing and beyond it. This model of subscription hurts the whole industry, some understand earlier and some later.
@Nintendo4Sonic Im really curious how game pass hurts the industry in your mind. Because there are several ways in which it plainly does not. For example, the money from game pass deals can be extremely beneficial for smaller indie studios that have their games on the service. Not to mention, it gives many people an affordable option to play new games, which can be rather expensive. So like I said, just curious how this hurts the industry exactly.
@Romans12 That one & the "zombie" mission in the campaign are by far the worst ones you have to suffer through. I enjoyed the free roam desert mission the most with the rest being ok for the most part.
(being intentionally vague as its still in spoiler season for a lot of folks.)
I definitely wouldn't be playing the game if I didn't have gamepass. I'm so happy that they are launching there now, it is a great thing for the franchise and xbox.
I need to convince myself to take a few hours off from multiplayer and zombies to run through the campaign. I can't pull myself away to play anything else.
@Nintendo4Sonic Quote from the actual review: "Gameplay is super tight on the new COD engine".
C'mon, graphics are way superior. Are we playing the same game? The Omni-movement is a game changer, too. It's more fast-paced, but I guess that may not be for everyone.
For me, it's superior in every way from MWIII.
Really surprised how good the game is loving the campaign and multiplayer 10/10 for me!
@PsBoxSwitchOwner actually this article includes Gamepass and has less than 40 comments as well
@Nintendo4Sonic I'm a subscriber since 2020. Until today Gamepass has saved me about $3-4k. Sorry but if this is hurting the industry I really don't care at all.
I'm not convinced that paying full price for games has improved the industry, many games release unfinished, broken, filled with micro transactions and almost none creativity.
In my opinion bad games (Concord, Red fall, list goes on) and remakes, remasters (and sometimes remasters of remakes) hurt the industry not me paying less to play more.
Great that this has landed so strongly, so many people enjoy it and will have a lot of fun with it. It's definitely not for me, I really dislike COD and indeed most such shooters, but I'd far rather this was well received than not.
Hopefully GP will get the lift that MS expect from it - as apparently its 10% less sales than last years, with that 10% being entirely due to less Xbox sales. Thats less drop than I would have expected, so I'd suspect even a modest lift in GP subs will be seen as a win here.
If anyone wants to read more: https://twistedvoxel.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-6-uk-launch-sales-below-modern-warfare-3-xbox-game-pass/
I did try this game via Gamepass and it is definitely a step up over the last two years of CoD. I like how they went back to tradition prestige. The only thing I don't like the disbanding lobbies after each match and the SBMM still makes the game sweaty. Other then that it's probably the best CoD in the modern era.
@Foxx_64740 yet this article is far newer and had a previous review.
I’m not arguing I was giving a recent example on what is a large game. (The equivalent on PS or Eurogamer have 200+ comments in comparison)
@Gabrielmpf I loved the MW3 multiplayer and I don't see a boost in graphics in Multiplayer, MW3 looked very already. But of course, Black Ops 6 is a good game.
@Foxx_64740 that's where the problems are starting. People aren't buying games anymore, which means, games sell worse and people are losing their jobs.
Also, since games came day 1 into Gamepass, studios were closed by Microsoft. Gamepass gets more and more expensive. It's not a good thing, what's happening in the gaming industry.
@Nintendo4Sonic I haven't seen numbers of decreasing sales but I can speak for myself, I'm still buying games every month even subscribing to Gamepass (of course I might be the only exception)
On the other hand, many publishers are not launching their games on a service and closing studios or firing people too. How subscription services are guilty in that case?
@Foxx_64740 actually, I have Gamepass Ultimate right now. But not that long anymore.
I did it because of 2 indie games, which I wouldn't have bought.
And i got the Expansion Pass on Persona 3. So there was enough value.but to be honest, i bought Gamepass Core and upgraded.
That won't happen anymore since Microsoft made everything worse.
@Nintendo4Sonic you see, people just complain with Gamepass without having proofs that it's destroying the industry. But that's normal just like people complained against Netflix (it didn't destroy the movie industry) and Spotify (it didn't destroy the music industry).
For me that's the beauty of having options and Gamepass gave people more options. For you it's to continue the old model and that's fine, you still can do that. For me it's a sum of both ways, subscribing and buying. Other people may find appealing playing only through the cloud. More options are not bad.
Different than you, I'm very pleased with MS right now. Nintendo is doing a great job as well. I'm a little bit disappointed with Sony this generation and my PS is getting dust most part of the year.
I’m hugely enjoying the multiplayer tbh.
A lot of fun
I was surprised when I went on the BO6 community on Reddit and most absolutely hate the maps.
I’m sure some people are just never happy.
Sure some are a little small but sure we’ll get that evened out with DLC.
@Titntin from an xbox perspective, the concerning part is that sales (physical, as we don't know digital yet) on other formats are a match for previous years. Which means people are still playing in the same place they usually play rather then switching. Will be really interesting to see if/how much this landing on GP has moved the needle.
COD isn't for me either but it's always good to see a developer firing on all cylinders as they seem to be here.
@Nintendo4Sonic i played 1.800 hours last year,gamepass only,304 games,no complains here...
@Nintendo4Sonic Well you are wrong, multiple devs have come out and said how successful it has been for them to be on gamepass with lots more trying to get on it
@Foxx_64740 if it's staying with these options, that's also fine for me. But I fear it won't.
@UBERSICKO yeah that's the question if that's true or they are just telling the public. I'd wish that it's worth it for the indie developers.
I'm glad that it's being critically acclaimed and a resounding success on all platforms (including Xbox and Game Pass). I enjoyed Modern Warfare III, but this is much better. As for the studios versus Game Pass narrative, Sony just shut down two more studios and every big publisher has done the same since 2020, so it's not related to Game Pass. There are so, so many "indie" studios, that it's impossible that all of them are successful, but Game Pass is a great deal for those small (and big) studios included. Nintendo has a different strategy, they have become a skeleton company that barely makes games, but hire or buy small studios to make them with small budgets, while exploiting their fans (including myself). I'm not going to say no to the good value available on Xbox!
I'm really enjoying the main campaign.
Glad to pay GP for a few months to enjoy it
Currently playing the campaign and really enjoying it! Feels like a blockbuster action movie of the best kind. Just what I needed right now. Also, this is my first CoD game but now I kind of want to try some of the other CoD games too.
@BIG3 You're in for some treat, then. COD campaigns are always fun to play, except for last year's, which went a different route.
I'd recommend Cold War and Infinite Warfare, but Sledgehammer's Vanguard and WWII are also very good, IMO.
This one is a GAME I will gladly PASS, not interested in American Military Propaganda shooters in the slightest.
@Gabrielmpf thanks for the recommendations!
As a relative COD novice, I've been having a great time with Zombies, particularly Liberty Falls, which is perfectly designed for learning all the games mechanics. The game really doesn't explain much about how Zombies works, so a few online guides and YT videos really help. I find it much more enjoyable than Zombies in MWIII. I'm not up to the pace of multiplayer these days, will eventually try the campaign, but for now am having a blast. And we have a double XP weekend!!!
@gamer5634 You can always train with bots before venturing with multiplayer. It's great to learn the maps and test different loadouts and you can have a taste of how multiplayer works at your own pace, since you can choose bots difficulty.
@Gabrielmpf I’m flattered that you think I could ever be good at multiplayer, but you’re right, I could practice. Didn’t realise you could set up bot matches (just like I didn’t realise there is split screen co-op). Thanks for the heads up
@PsBoxSwitchOwner I always do that! Whenever I play Game Pass I can't stop, but when it expires, all of the free to play games are kinda boring.
Do people still play EA DICE games? I know people still play Star Wars Battlefront still, but is Battlefield and Mirror's Edge still active? I really like the FROSTBITE game engine. Its somewhat similar to GTA V's RAGE Physics Engine.
@Gabrielmpf I noticed you have a Mirror's Edge sticker! Do you play a lot of EA DICE games?
@UserTK-421 Both Mirror's Edge games are among my all-time favorites. I did play some Battlefield and Star Wars, but not much recently.
Mirror's Edge is not active anymore, unfortunately, but I still play it from time to time just to chill.
I knew the Series X had the power. 4K/120 no problem and it looks amazing. Why are other developers having problems getting power out of this box? I now have to boycott anything less than 60 frames a second unless they do it on purpose and really on purpose, not pretend on purpose just because they are lazy. These 1080p/30 games that are coming out are a joke. 1080p/60 is I guess okay if there's a lot going on, but other than that there's no excuse.
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