Earlier today, Activision revealed the much anticipated Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Over the last few months, rumors and speculation abound. Would there be a battle-royale mode? Is it true there was no story mode? Will this iteration restore the franchise to it’s former glory? Those questions and more were answered today. They are: yes, yes, and that remains to be seen.
Every year since 2008, the Call of Duty franchise has been in the top 5 of title sales.
Multiplayer and Zombies have been the two most popular game modes in Call of Duty games over the last several editions. Both modes will be in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, albeit with some changes. The multiplayer mode will have several pre-made characters as opposed to the class system the most recent titles have employed. There are operators that specialize in defense, some that specialize in attacking, and others that are focused on controlling the battlefield with hazards and obstacles. Having pre-set operators is the new feature here, and some are saying it borrows heavily from Rainbow 6: Siege. There are a few problems I have with this comparison. First, RB6: Siege is a set up defense and plan your attack game, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is more open area combat with run and gun tactics. Rainbow 6: Siege employs an attackers vs. defenders and then switch sides game play. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 does not appear to use this system, but there will likely be a mode such as headquarters that uses it. The gameplay we saw still centers around fast twitch reflexes and run and gun tactics. My guess is that the pre-made characters with their gadgets will more or less replace the perk system. I don’t see the multiplayer in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 changing a whole lot from the previous titles in the series, so if that is your concern, I think you will be happy with the outcome. The multiplayer trailer can be found here and the specialist trailer can be watched here.
If the zombie mode Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is like Left 4 Dead, I am definitely interested!
Black Ops 4 Zombies
The zombies mode has three different maps, for now anyway. That number will likely go up with the expansions that will inevitably be released. One map takes place in what looks like a Roman coliseum, another is on the cruise ship Titanic, and the third appears to be in a prison maybe. There were several characters featured the trailers for the zombies mode, with several of them appearing in most or all of the trailers. This reminded me a lot of Left 4 Dead, with the same cast of characters in various scenarios. While no gameplay for zombies was shown, I think we know what to expect based on previous titles. For some fans of the series, zombies is the major draw to the game, and I think Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will not disappoint those fans in that regard.
Here are the trailers for the zombies mode: IX, Voyage of Despair, and Blood of the Dead
For the first time, a Call of Duty title will not have a campaign, but battle-royale mode instead.
The new feature that was added to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is the current talk of the town, battle-royale mode. This game style is really popular right now with Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds being the two big names on the market. No doubt, Activision has seen some of their Call of Duty population go to these games and are trying to regain some of that player base. Just as with zombies, there was no gameplay for the battle-royale mode which they have dubbed, “Blackout”. My guess is that the gameplay will be similar to the multiplayer and zombies modes, being first person and not third person. You can watch the Blackout trailer here.
There are a lot of people that are upset with the reveal, and claims that Call of Duty is forever ruined. This has been the same thing that people have said for the last few releases, and those have all sold well. Every year since 2008, the Call of Duty franchise has been in the top 5 of title sales. I have no reason to doubt that this one will be any different. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
