Multiplayer? Check. Zombies? Check. Campaign? Nah…
Like clockwork, it’s time for Treyarch to reveal their newest addition to the Black Ops series with the fourth instalment releasing in October. The official launch was a whirlwind of new mechanics, modes and the not-so-shocking dropping of the solo campaign.
Many internet-dwellers have expressed their disgust with Call of Duty opting to drop the campaign, but the developers have incorporated individual storylines into the revived League Play mode, and some mind-bending narratives into the fan-favourite Zombies mode. The focus with Black Ops 4 is on making it ‘the most replayable game ever’, which is why Treyarch will now try and tap into the battle royale fanbase — the new game mode taking the gaming world by storm.
Getting On The Map
This new game mode is called Blackout, and will feature characters from the whole CoD Black Ops series, with specialists and specialist weapons all thrown into a last man standing battle to the death. This will take place in a map “a thousand times bigger than Nuketown” in which players will get the chance to duke it out all while having access to land, air and sea vehicles — a first for Black Ops multiplayer.
There is a lot of controversy around Treyarch buying into the latest fad, but a solid first person shooter experience combined with a massive online battle to the death should prove to be quite entertaining. To put it mildly. We can’t wait to see how they do.
Welcome to Blackout. #BlackOps4 pic.twitter.com/90FE9NjXMq
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) May 17, 2018
The most anticipated mode of the series is the Multiplayer, in which Treyarch has teamed up with the guys at Blizzard (think Warcraft, Starcraft and Overwatch), to create a team-based combat experience in true Black Ops style. It will be completely boots-on-the-ground, so no jetpacks and wall-running will be present to ruin your perfectly sound on-the-ground streak. It will also feature more specialised combat abilities for each specialist, which will basically create a class-system of sorts – this probably from their Blizzard friends, who are well-known for their 5v5 team-based combat.
Support Group
The abilities unique to specialists will affect the whole team when activated, which is ideal for support characters. Support? Yeah, support is a thing now as players will now have the ability (and the need) to heal manually, with regenerative health falling away. This will add a new layer to the combat system, as needing time to exit combat and heal up will affect strategy and game flow. You guys wanted “boots on the ground” and “no more futuristic warfare”. So you’ve got it – be grateful.
Healing is now as central to your gameplay loop as reloading after a firefight, bringing a new tactical decision point to Black Ops.
Watch the full #BlackOps4 Community Reveal Event: https://t.co/Uk1asi39W8 pic.twitter.com/27Eb7S5Xjw
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) May 17, 2018
Remember that screech? Yeah, the one filtering through the map from that last zombie you need to find to proceed to the next wave? Yeah – that screech is still part of Black Ops Zombies, which will be joining the lineup in October. Treyarch previewed three Zombies-experiences, which vary from a map set in the barbarian age — where players were armed with massive shields, war-hammers and axes — to one situated on the Titanic of all places. The third will feature a revival of the much-loved ‘Mob of the Dead’ map called ‘Blood of the Dead’.
Black Ops 4 is already available for pre-order on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and on Raru. The official launch date is set for 12 October 2018, but knowing Call of Duty, it may get pushed back. Those who pre-order will get access to the Private Beta that will be available prior to launch. No dates have been set for the beta release yet. But we’ll keep you in the loop – we need to see what Treyarch has done to compete in the battle royale realm.