Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War & Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - THE HEAT (THE ENERGY)

 

Available to everyone with applicable hardware this weekend, the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Beta builds on the snappy Alpha by allowing players to experience the doldrums of being lumbered with set weapon loadouts - never particularly helpful - and, when they finally unlock the Create A Class option, underpowered weaponry with occlusive iron sights. 

Still, I'm enjoying Treyarch (Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, High Moon Studios, Demonware, Beenox and Activision Shanghai)'s hot war simulator, mainly because the multiplayer levels aren't staggered into a series of irritating head-glitch locations. Action is, thankfully, a little more free-flowing than last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (currently attempting to steal its little brother's limelight by resurrecting a fan favourite shotgun from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2). I've barely scratched the surface but, if I were to lodge a complaint, it'd be that there's precious little detail or visual cues separating the character models assigned to my team and the enemy's. 

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - PUMP OR AUTO

Response to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's alpha seems to be mixed, with many disappointed that this year's title delivers less of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's audio-visual luxury. Absolutely Treyarch (and Activision Shanghai, Beenox, High Moon Studios and Raven Software)'s game is less interested in gun club fidelity but Cold War's overall sound design is much more readable. Foot steps in particular were superb in this Alpha, allowing players to make quick decisions based on reliable, actionable, audio feedback. That's something that Modern Warfare, particularly Call of Duty: Warzone, has never quite achieved.

My personal complaints are the latency issues that always seem to plague the Treyarch releases - opposition players and their weapons pointing in completely different directions to the way they're actually firing or the broken camera angles that mean what you're seeing and what your opponent are seeing never quite synchronise. The latter most often expressed in killcam watching that sees your character bounding into frame and taking hits, following a confrontation were you never even saw a pixel of your assassin. Balance wise, scorestreaks are heavily weighted towards the end of matches, when the dune snipers have finally amassed enough points to unleash Huey helicopters, meaning otherwise sedate games can become meat grinders in their dying seconds. Still the classic run-and-gun gameplay is obviously there and, thankfully, weighted towards players who seek confrontation rather than vertical power positions.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - BABYLON SOCIAL

A quick look at the Miami level in the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Alpha. This is the first game I really broke away from the pack and started going on decent streaks (well, the second - the PS4's Share feature is so fussy about how it's accessed, superseding inputs when you're, understandably, fretting about the eternity of vulnerability you're exposing yourself to just by calling it). So far, I'm really enjoying shotguns as secondary weapons - nothing beats cycling to a SPAS when you're much too close to a circling enemy.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - I DIED DEAD IN THE STREETS

JackFrags sounds a bit on the devastated side to report that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has moved away from the more (ahem) tactical movement and gameplay seen in Infinity Ward's last entry, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, returning to the roaming, arcade action seen in the previous Black Ops games. Frankly, I couldn't be happier. Although my first-person ability is way past its prime, I could never get into an interactive model that incentivised hiding and creeping over the rush of ambushing clueless players.

PS5 - Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

As a non-American it's difficult to process the intent behind Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's meticulous rendered CG Ronald Reagan. Since lead developer Treyarch have priors with uncritical portrayals of controversial right-wing figures - 2012's Call of Duty: Black Ops II featured Oliver North as the player character's CIA adjacent handler - I think we can assume Dutch's portrayal will be similarly fawning, reminiscent of the gravely statesman seen in early Michael Bay movies. Anyway (to focus a little more closely on Cold War as a gameplay proposition), looks like players get to zoom around airstrips in Chevy pickup trucks, releasing explosive, radio controlled cars. Like the killer in The Dead Pool.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII - ROLLOVER

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII's supply stream has me back on the treadmill again, checking in every day to play a couple of games, earn a win and get that reserve skip. That's the appeal really, you don't have to learn any new systems or even set aside a significant amount of your time, you can just drop in, rack up the kills then go and do something else. It's relief valve gaming.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII - TIGERSHARK

Looted Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII's latest supply stream weapon off a big spender - the Tigershark LMG - and went on a mini-tear. Considering how terrible the last couple of unlock guns turned out to be (the Switchblade sub-machine gun in particular was a massive disappointment, hitmarkers for days), at least this pig handles like something worth chasing. It's a good job really, it's pretty obvious Treyarch and pals have re-adjusted the grind bars to fill significantly slower since the latest patch, that coupled with a shorter event window points to yet another spend prompt in a game absolutely lousy with them.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII - FULLA LEAD

Hey! I don't just like to sneak around in Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII's Blackout mode, you know? I'm quite happy to stand very still in multiplayer too, blasting anyone unlucky enough to stumble into my general vicinity.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII - SCOTT KELLY

Finally scored another Quads win on Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII's Blackout mode. I've checked with the two guys I usually play with and they have assured me that rather than pick up that clutch final kill, they were instead cowering in a nearby windmill waiting for everybody else to die off in the gas cloud. Given that I finish this game crawling around on my hands and knees pissing blood, it looks like it was our assigned rando, xenonillume, who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII - TACTICAL ESPIONAGE

When not avoiding having to write up my favourite films of 2018 list, I do like to slowly circle the out-of-bounds gas in Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII's Blackout mode. Whereas everyone I watch on YouTube likes to steamroll around, obliterating everyone they come across with pinpoint accuracy, I prefer to get my belly on the ground, waiting for people to turn their dampened, distant crunches into full-blown, impatient mistakes.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII - SNEAKING MISSION

The sound mix isn't quite perfect yet but it's amazing how many clues you can get to someone's location in Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII's Blackout mode if you just stop moving for a second and listen. So, you know, I'm not camping, I'm playing tactically.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII - PUSHING LUCK

I'm not sure if waiting for a vulnerable enemy to get to cover before opening fire on them, then immediately making myself vulnerable by hurling a concussion grenade (while charging forward and reloading), demonstrates the ice in my veins or the complete inability to correctly assess a safe path forward. Given that I cannibalised an Operator Outlaw sniper rifle to buff my herky-jerky DMR, I'm leaning towards the latter.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII - BASE

My second solo victory in Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII's Blackout mode involved lots of crouching and staring at doors that no-one wanted to open. Turns out that's a valid strategy. Since that video is incredibly boring, here's another two clips of me killing a good chunk of people while either hiding in tall grass or running around like a headless maniac.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII - SKULK

Skulking around and ignoring enemy loot as I commando crawl my way into first place on Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII's Solo Blackout mode. Stick around to the end to see how close the game was (thank you desiccated tree) and how bad a sportsman I am.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII - OUTGUNNING

It's that time of the year again! Posting at 20XX slows to a crawl thanks to all the Christmas season games coming out. Even with a generation best multiplayer suite, the jewel in Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII's crown is the Blackout survival mode. Like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite before it, this battle royale game type forces players to cope with rapidly shrinking safe zones and dozens of other contestants, each armed to the teeth and out for blood. Death can arrive swiftly, starting areas are swarming with panicked users desperately trying to locate any advantage - get your hands on an assault rifle and suddenly everyone around you is in deep shit. The above gameplay clip memorialises my team's first Blackout victory, arriving at the end of a long night spent failing miserably.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - OUT OF BOUNDS

Thanks to the lack of campaign I'd pretty much written off Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Although Call of Duty: Black Ops III's single-player was well below par for the series, the threat of an increased focus on the obtuse meta of Nazi Zombies and other, reheated survival gameplay wasn't really registering as fair compensation. Based on this clip though, Treyarch and Raven Software's new Blackout mode could be something special, combining polished, series standard shooting mechanics and frame-rate stability with en vogue battle royale gameplay.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - BROKEN ARROW

Follow enough screeching YouTubers and you can immerse yourself in Call of Duty content all year round. The fallow, non-DLC months are the most interesting, with content starved vloggers digging into code minutiae or Agony Aunt-style personal experience in a desperate attempt to keep those views piling in. Not TheSandyRavage though, if the last couple of years are anything to go by we'll get about a dozen gameplay massacres before he gets bored and slouches off to something different. As if to prove my point, here's Sandals accidentally getting the highest denoted kill-streak bonus on Call of Duty: Black Ops III.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - NUK3TOWN

Perennial pre-order bonus Nuketown is back! This time with an even fresher coat of textures! Not to mention a runny around bit on each flank just so you know the developers were sort-of, kind-of thinking about the new game's mechanics. Call of Duty: Black Ops III is out in about a week.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III - SLIDE

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is out in a couple of weeks so here's jackfrags sliding around on the PC version, winding everybody up by using a shotgun whilst also being extremely difficult to hit. As far as I'm concerned this is the ideal way to play a Call of Duty game. Beating the competition is one thing, but really what you want to do is make your opponents so angry that they send you incoherent, rambling hate mail.

E3 2015 - CHAPPIE

Did you think Destiny was far too colourful? Where you disappointed that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare didn't steal every single good idea Titanfall had? Have Treyarch got a game for you! In the interest of pure honesty, Call of Duty: Black Ops III actually struck me as reasonably appealing. Gun design once again favours pipes and barrels over PDW blocks, and Treyarch are right to plunder their stablemate Bungie for multiplayer special moves - remember, it's not unbalanced if everybody can do it. If Treyarch can match these best-in-field steals with the kind of map flow and spawn progression they had back in 2010, they might even rescue a franchise stuck in the doldrums.