The end of 2024 is just around the corner and that means everyone’s favorite time of the year is rapidly approaching. Yes, you guessed it, we are talking about the holiday season. With the holiday season comes the opportunity to spend time with loved ones and exchange gifts with those you care about. 2024 has had an amazing assortment of games released; these games will easily be on many gamer’s lists this holiday season. Each year, one franchise is guaranteed to be on most gamers’ lists, Call of Duty. This year, Activision released the latest installment in the Call of Duty: Black Ops series, Black Ops 6. So is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 a flop or a return to the glory days of Call of Duty? Let’s find out in our Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 review!

Developer: Treyarch & Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, & Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: October 25th, 2024
Players: 1 to 12
Price: Base: $69.99 USD, Free through Game Pass Ultimate 

Before we dive into the positive aspects of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, we need to discuss some of its frustrating areas: the game’s overall hub (Menu & Achievements), Installation, and the leveling system.

When you first install Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, you will need to check and see what files are installing; the reason this is so important is that the game will try to download Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3, Warzone, and Black Ops 6.  This process can take up a ton of space on your device or cause a long installation time.

Up next is the game’s leveling system.  Whether you are playing multiplayer or zombies, you share a level. For those who like to play both but want to prioritize Zombies, coming into multiplayer at a higher level can leave you at a disadvantage.

In Multiplayer, the early levels are a great time to learn the maps, try out new guns, and find out what attachments work best for you; you can also find out what game modes you enjoy if you are new to Call of Duty. Because of this shared level experience, newer players are robbed of that valuable time. Yes, you can unlock attachments for your guns in Zombies but it is not the same as playing Multiplayer.  

Our third main complaint revolves around the central hub and achievements. The main hub is cluttered and can be overwhelming to find what you are looking for. Even when you do find the right hub, it takes you to a central Black Ops 6 hub rather than starting the mode you selected.

Once in there, you can find your way to the correct area, but it is a tedious task that adds extra steps. This clutter also applies to the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Achievement List. Rather than having a separate list, Activision has lumped together the achievements for the game into one big grouping; this combination makes Black Ops 6 feel more like an annual DLC than a stand-alone game. 

Now that we have talked about some of the frustrating areas of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, let’s go over what Black Ops 6 has to offer and its positives and negatives. The game has three key game modes (Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies).

Unlike last year’s Call of Duty, Black Ops 6‘s campaign offers players some substance and doesn’t try to rewrite the franchise’s lore; throughout the campaign, characters will mention different plot points from Call of Duty Black Ops, Black Ops 2, Cold War, and even Black Ops 3.

Unlike the previous Call of Duty games, Black Ops 6 isn’t just an action-packed fast-paced full-throttle story. In fact, this year’s edition is a blend of action with some horror. Not only does the game add horror elements to the campaign, but it also looks to tie in the Zombies’ Outbreak.

This year’s campaign looks to give players more of a choice in how they want to play. In multiple missions, the player gets to choose how they want to undertake the mission at hand and it gives suggestions on how to accomplish it. On one level, the player is given the ability to explore a largely open area with a variety of option objectives to complete.

In addition to the different feel and mission style, the campaign features a new upgrade system that gives players an advantage within the campaign; these advantages can be helpful when trying to complete the game on either Recruit, Normal, Hardened, or Veteran.

In order to unlock this system, the player will need to collect cash through the different levels. Once the player has returned to the base, they can choose to use that money to upgrade their operator’s perks (training, gear, and weapons); these upgrades can unlock skins, increase the player’s health, increase damage, and even gather armor plates. 

In multiplayer, competitive fans can face off against one another either in Core or Hardcore game modes; the game features nine game modes in Core including Control, Team Deathmatch, Domination, Search and Destroy, and Hardpoint.

The game features a variety of maps ranging from small to medium size that focus on fast gameplay and tactical advantages; this weekend, Treyarch is bringing back Nuketown! As previously mentioned, the experience you get in either multiplayer or zombies will carry over to the other game mode; this makes unlocking attachments for each weapon a lot easier especially when there is a double experience event. 

Black Ops 6‘s new omnidirectional movement system changes the flow of combat. No longer will characters move in linear angles. Now, you have a free range of motion to peak around corners, dive out of the way of bullets, and even get a surprising drop shot on your opponent.

This makes predicting your opponents’ movements more complicated so you are never quite sure what to expect. Getting a trickshot or a shutdown feels even more satisfying knowing that things could have gone a different way.

The game’s progression system follows the standard Call of Duty style, leveling up to unlock new weapons and attachments until you can prestige. Presteiging in Black Ops 6 is a bit different this year, granting special operator skins and emblems revolving around previous Black Ops titles. With a wide variety of guns to use and more maps coming out in the near future, players can expect a ton of fun multiplayer action throughout the next year. 

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 brings back zombies in a way many people love. Yes, the annoying armor system is still around, but they have taken the Call of Duty Cold War system that players have grown to accept and fine-tuned it.

Gobblegums return from Black Ops 3, however, the Gobblegum cookbook system has not. Players will need to earn Gobblegums by completing rounds successfully, Sam Trials, or by completing each map’s main story Easter Egg. This year’s Easter Eggs appear fairly simple, however, I do not know if there are some that have yet to be discovered. 

Before loading into a Zombies match, the player can choose if they want to play with a squad or go at it solo. If playing the game Solo, they have the ability to save their progress and come back to it at a later time; this feature is fairly nice for those who like to try for high rounds but don’t want to dedicate continuous hours to the challenge. At the moment, the game features only two Zombies maps: Liberty Falls and Terminus; a third map is scheduled to be released within season one so players will not have to wait long for a new one to come out. 

Similar to Call of Duty Cold War, Black Ops 6 has an Augment Research menu where the player can research upgrades for perks, ammo mods, and field upgrades. These augments can make it so players don’t lose perks when revived (Healing Aura), increase the player’s health (Juggernaut), and even make it so that you can protect allies more easily. Each ammo mod, perk, and field upgrade can have a major and minor augment attached; these augments can change the feeling of each Zombies’ match. 

After equipping the different augments, players can set what Gobblegums they want to use in the upcoming match; the game no longer offers free Gobblegums that can be used unlimitedly which feels like a step in the wrong direction. After you have set your Gobblegums, you can choose what else you want to be in your loadout. After leveling up players can change their field upgrade from Energy Mine to one of the other four. Players can also choose to load in with a real weapon rather than a pistol or a knife. 

Each map has its own distinct feel and rhythm with Terminus offering players a larger area to explore. Although Terminus has a bunch of cool features it does have areas where the game will lag due to everything that is going on.

Another negative change that Black Ops 6 has implemented is the increasing cost of perks. With points being more difficult to earn players must manage their resources more sparingly choosing between upgrading their gun, armor, or buying perks; armor no longer can be upgraded through salvage. 

Going into Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, I was feeling a bit skeptical about how Activision and Treyarch would handle the newest game. Many within the Call of Duty community felt like Zombies and Campaign have been mishandled since Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War and felt regurgitated rather than a fun and unique experience.

The campaign is a fresh new experience that ties the events from previous Black Ops titles together in a creative and fun way. Multiplayer shows promise with its changes to movement and weapon variety; it could use some more open or bigger maps but as it is, can still be a fun experience.

Zombies is in a win/loss scenario. While the core gameplay of zombies has improved, the armor system and perk cost hold it back; the zombies’ mode could use some fine-tuning either in the points system or revert some aspects to how it was in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.  

If you are a die-hard Call of Duty fan, then Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is worth picking up this holiday season due to the game’s improvements; if you have Xbox GamePass Ultimate, then you should pick it up and at least try it out. If you are on the fence, then it may be better to wait until it goes on sale.

Although I could stand Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 & 3, both games got old fast and I ended up putting them down within a week or two. With Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, yes the multiplayer can get stale when you are getting stomped but the Zombies experience and campaign give players something else to enjoy when in those frustrating situations.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was reviewed on an Xbox Series X with a code provided by Activision. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is now available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, & Xbox Series X|S.