Preview: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has a lot riding on it. It’s going to be the first Call of Duty on next-gen. It’s coming out a year earlier than it was supposed to. Treyarch had to develop it amidst a pandemic. And, it has to follow up Modern Warfare which has had incredibly high player engagement.

From playing the beta, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War sets a mostly good impression. It feels good, the improvements on Modern Warfare’s innovations are great, and it feels very accessible. Some might think this kind of accessibility means the game becomes easy but Black Ops Cold War finds a very delicate balance. It allows new/casual players to dip their toes in while hardcore players get their CoD fix.

Some of the biggest changes come in the form of things like scorestreaks. Scorestreaks in previous CoDs would reset upon death. If you die in Black Ops Cold War, you can still get things like choppers, UAVs, and more. This allows everyone the chance to get those fun explosive rewards without having to get 5 – 10 kills without dying. Of course, things like chopper gunners will be hard to get without going on a few large streaks, though.

If you manage to go on a streak, the points for each kill will be multiplied based on how big your streak is. Those who aren’t great can still use a varied amount of scorestreaks but those who are rather skilled can make full use of their arsenal, giving everyone a fair chance.

Black Ops Cold War feels like all of its weapons are also incredibly easy to get a grasp on. In previous CoDs, I would never even touch sniper rifles. In Cold War, I found myself changing my guns depending on the maps. If I was on Satellite, a map with an open space for sniping, I’d use a sniper rifle. If I was on Moscow, a map with tighter corridors and rooms, I’d use an SMG/shotgun combo. On Miami, a map that has some streets with cars to take cover behind, I’d use an AR or SMG.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War not only ensures each gun is fun to use but also relatively easy to adapt to. Some take a bit more time to master but nonetheless, every match felt diverse.

Speaking of maps, Black Ops Cold War has some really solid maps. While some are flawed (like Cartel and Crossroads), others (like Armada and Miami) are incredibly fun. It feels like Treyarch has really found their footing with the tried-and-true three-lane structure. Each map feels like it has an organic flow to it.

Some of the past Call of Duty maps are very obvious with that three-lane structure. Some maps have three literal trenches that guide you through the map with very little depth. Black Ops Cold War allows you to freely move through its maps in these lanes without feeling like your fish swimming down a tight stream.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there was Modern Warfare which largely eliminated the three-lane structure. That was an awful idea and resulted in a lot of open spaces with huge lines of sight. Maps like Piccadilly, Granza Raid, and more were just infuriating to play for those exact reasons. Black Ops Cold War is far more smart with its design and allows for open spaces, lanes, and strategic positioning or flanking.

There are some maps that do apply the Modern Warfare formula but it works here. The reason is that these maps are reserved for the Combined Arms playlist which involves larger player counts. The maps are bigger but since there are more players, it feels like each corner of the map has something going on.

Crossroads, a snow-based map, is a bit more problematic. It finds itself with a lot of the flaws the Modern Warfare maps do. Huge lines of sight, snipers left, right, and center, and to make it a bit worse, there are some tanks and turrets firing at you from long distance. Armada, a map based on warships on the ocean, works on the other hand.

You can travel between multiple warships via zipline, you can go underwater and use it as cover, and there are many levels to each ship. It’s very layered as opposed to Crossroads which has a few hills but you will struggle to not get shot in the back from a mile away.

The Verdict

As a beta, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War impressed me. It’s fun, fluid, and incredibly varied from game to game. Each map presents new challenges and promotes new ways to play, every player has a chance to succeed, and much more. While I don’t think this is a revolutionary Call of Duty, I think it is one of the most engaging and fun to play.