The early popularity of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 can largely be attributed to how different the title feels compared to the franchise's recent focus on the rebooted Modern Warfare IP, with fans seemingly feeling that it was high time for a shake-up in the series' identity. While the recently released title has done well to introduce some brand-new mechanics and experiences to the CoD franchise, the game has also used the full breadth of Black Ops' past releases as inspiration for its overall feel.
The respect that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 pays to its predecessors is quite evident throughout its campaign, Zombies, and core multiplayer modes, but one past title in particular seems to stand out in terms of the positive comparisons that can be made between itself and Black Ops 6. The return to basics that Black Ops 6 has adhered to for its Zombies, as well as the eccentric movement of its multiplayer and its ambitious campaign, feels very reminiscent of the best aspects of 2015's Call of Duty: Black Ops 3.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Update Adding Ranked Play
Treyarch releases a new Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 update to introduce Ranked Play, which is available one day earlier than originally planned.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Has Emulated a Lot of What Made Black Ops 3 Successful
The 2015 launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 was quite an ambitious one for the popular sub-franchise. While 2012's Black Ops 2 had laid the groundwork of a semi-futuristic setting blended with more historic sequences, Black Ops 3 fully committed to a 2060s setting along with the kind of futuristic tech that this entails. Besides altering the kinds of equipment that players had at their disposal, this futuristic setting had a huge impact on the movement of Black Ops 3, and Black Ops 6 has aimed for a similar shake-up to what is such an important and commonly used game mechanic.
Whereas Black Ops 3 followed in Advanced Warfare's footsteps by bringing "jet pack" movement to Black Ops, the recent Black Ops 6 has injected its own variety into the sub-franchise through its new Omnimovement sprinting system. While both of these movement changes have produced their own criticisms from players, they have served as a way to make their respective games feel more unique with stronger identities, offering one key similarity between Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 3.
Even the campaigns of both titles are quite comparable, primarily in the developmental ambition and risks that are at the center of both BO3 and BO6's single-player narratives. While the isolated and at times confusing campaign of Black Ops 3 is largely considered to be the title's most controversial aspect, its fascinating mind-bending sequences are definitely replicated in the later stages of Black Ops 6's own narrative. Black Ops 3 was also the first BO title to feature a campaign Safe House hub, with Black Ops 6 building on the Safe House mechanic to great success.
Black Ops 6 Zombies Has Taken a Big Page Out of Black Ops 3's Book
The Zombies experience of Black Ops 3 was arguably the title's most successful aspect, with the game possessing a beloved range of Zombies maps as well as daring new game mechanics like the Gobblegum system. Black Ops 6 has famously taken Zombies back to round-based experiences and Zombies-specific playable characters, while even being the only other game to directly feature the Gobblegum mechanic after Black Ops 3.
Even the maps of Black Ops 6's Zombies seem to be taking inspiration from the best of Black Ops 3, with the upcoming Citadelle des Morts already drawing heavy comparisons with BO3's Der Eisendrache. While the wildly different settings of both games allow for each title to feel unique in its own right, many of the most positive and engaging aspects of Black Ops 6 are directly tied to the franchise's roots, with Black Ops 3 seemingly being like a big driving force of inspiration for Treyarch's latest CoD release.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 25, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- IW 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
- Cross Save
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
- Prequel(s)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: World at War
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical or Horizontal
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- File Size Xbox Series
- 216 GB (October 2024)
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
