Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Campaign REVIEW! Stunning Graphics, Epic Story, & Hilarious WTF Moments!

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Campaign Review: A Killer Story, Even With a Few Hiccups!

Black Ops 6: A CoD Campaign That Almost Nails It

After last year's disastrous Modern Warfare 3 campaign, Black Ops 6 is a breath of fresh air—proving that sometimes it pays to take more time. This new title proves a return to quality single-player gaming in Call of Duty. This is a game worth waiting for, especially after several attempts which either rehashed the previous storylines or failed to achieve its predecessors' storytelling strength.

Black Ops 6 delivers a rollercoaster ride. There are some totally bizarre moments; some clumsy design choices – yet its generally compelling plot is more enjoyable than many other games from this recent generation! Its compelling story keeps you guessing from start to finish. Its strong cast and varied missions mean you're never bored, but even with those successes – there are many hiccups as discussed further below. And don't forget that seriously insane file size, requiring up to 82.5GB on Xbox! (expect more – easily exceeding 100GB). The game installs well, it even needs several restarts to load correctly, showcasing some unexpected installation hurdles!  That being said, get ready to have a ton of fun because it will certainly all pay off as we’ll find out.

Graphics, Gameplay, and Glitches: What to Expect in Black Ops 6

Black Ops 6 is a visual treat! It runs smoothly (at 60fps on Series X). Those amazing light effects really help convey that cinematic feel! Those cinematic sequences? Especially impressive, unlike those clunky, jarring cuts between those various mission introductions. It has those amazingly awesome Black Ops Cold War aesthetics,  those high contrast colors and super symmetric designs; using very sophisticated imagery that makes you appreciate those deeper thematic aspects that might otherwise escape some viewers!

Gameplay is standard modern Call Of Duty. It's the IW 9.0 engine used for MW2, MW3, and Warzone 2.0. Those small changes are there, too, although that omnidirectional movement isn’t used too often, or even emphasized as a key feature.  Deaths look gruesome and more impactful; yet sometimes absurd; those ragdoll physics add moments of unintentional comedy— especially using the insanely powerful shotguns!

Glitches are minor: graphics occasionally load slowly, enemies sometimes teleport weirdly and those lighting problems might remain a problem throughout; although it remained quite unusual and mostly limited to minor graphical errors that may be resolved in later patches.

The Rook: Your Base of Operations!

Beyond action, there’s that base of operations— the Rook,  an abandoned Soviet installation in Bulgaria.   It's awesome!   You've got upgrades using cash earned, allowing some weapon customization which helps keep your weaponry prepared, as well as unlocking abilities, improving stats. There are secrets too; offering puzzle-solving moments.

That main mission board displays nine missions – however the total numbers increase easily over 22 as those main storylines are frequently broken down, and more specifically localized! It really does mean a lot of action spread globally – but mostly around Iraq and Kuwait, the U.S., and Avalon (a fictional Mediterranean setting)!

Missions, Gadgets, and Enemy Types: Blending Stealth and Gunfights!

The 10-11 hour campaign (it feels much longer!) is amazing. Expect diverse gameplay styles – tactical shooting, stealth missions, open exploration zones, air assaults—all tied together seamlessly and beautifully within a varied story-based storyline that would typically not appeal to the vast majority of fans! A variety of gameplay styles really does become a major benefit of this entire title; even with the additional small shortcomings highlighted in previous parts of this article. You're given options that many players truly loved and are also rarely seen elsewhere, despite those game elements clearly providing immense entertainment to these audiences.

There are puzzles:  lockpicking, codebreaking, sabotage... it makes you feel like an actual spy and those are usually not used very well, not nearly at this level. This article emphasizes just how well the gameplay is done and highlights those positive features.

The Equipment Wheel, while a messy start, soon becomes invaluable– those homing knives, adrenaline stims, and RC car bombs add those amazing gameplay thrills; however it can only reach its maximum impact only later on. Even the high difficulty that some might consider "bullet-sponge enemies" add challenge. The overall experience far exceeded even what was delivered in Vanguard's attempts which generally frustrated audiences rather than entertain; it showed that even simple aspects were done very, very well; which creates a satisfying gameplay experience which only high quality shooting games could realistically attempt.

Emergence: A Controversial Horror Interlude

The midpoint mission, “Emergence”, in Kentucky really changes tone drastically – moving into full horror territory, using Control and Atomic Heart’s vibes– a sharp change from what preceded!   And as hinted above–This could be skipped if you’re unsure.

That whole horror segment, while very good technically– doesn't really fit. It might serve exposition about a crucial hallucinogen (Cradle) it doesn’t really integrate. This hallucinatory segment just stops without warning; then its effects completely glossed over after. That bizarre dissonance made it feel awkwardly tacked-on – as if this had nothing really to do with anything! Its purpose: marketing other Black Ops Zombies game modes.

A Satisfying Finale

That underwhelming Emergence mission was offset by that superb finale – “Separation Anxiety” and “Checkmate”—blending those themes with incredible success, those ideas from Emergence are repurposed to great and powerful effects!  It also contains incredible performances–Dawn Olivieri’s Jane Harrow gives one of the best performances of any Call of Duty game so far!  Her powerful story and excellent role stays deeply connected to a series of intensely absurd events within the overall game design that was completely well-handled and deeply engaging.

Conclusion: Black Ops 6's Campaign: Mostly Triumphant!

After the painful MW3 campaign, Black Ops 6 was much needed. The Emergence misstep notwithstanding; that great long-awaited single player storytelling returns triumphantly!   The Black Ops universe is compelling. It also cleverly sets things up, adding huge potential for sequels, even drawing from historical inspiration! Good stories take time – this production time clearly paid off! This shows that time doesn't matter.  It's only that storytelling matters most.

Understanding the Call of Duty Universe

Before getting started, a quick explanation of the Call of Duty universe is needed. For many years, most call of duty titles focused on World War II; offering that Saving Private Ryan-styled experience that helped cement Call of Duty’s popularity; creating another avenue for game releases. However, in 2007, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare changed everything and started an entirely new sub-series!

This new sub-series creates its own world with distinct characters – Modern Warfare’s high-action plots are easily recognized, easily emphasizing those bigger than life individuals frequently featured in its various trailers, characters and settings that were designed and presented in a highly theatrical way.  It is very much designed as an "arcade shooter"; although black ops emerged in 2010, becoming far more grounded in realistic storytelling–but that was more spy-centric with an emphasis on more elaborate plotting.

These were initially independent from one another, but later developed into one universe.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Place in Time

The black ops timeline is a bit bananas: It spans 100 years and involves lots of branching choices in other games – Black Ops 2 and Black Ops Cold War. Choices regarding key characters completely altering these plots!

Black Ops 6 is a sequel to Black Ops Cold War; a follow up after Black Ops 2. It picks up in the early 1990s. The story follows the framed Russell Adler— that character's escape serves as a trigger for various other characters and storylines, and this also involves the other characters from Black Ops 2: the critically important and well-known Frank Woods! That pivotal alert from Adler’s unexpected return from obscurity shows how tightly wound and connected everything actually is!

Zombies, Multiplayer, and More

Black Ops 6 isn’t just a single-player game! The beloved Zombies mode is back with two new round-based maps–a far more extensive offering compared to many others! Expect elaborate puzzles; various weapons, new GobbleGums, even mech suits. There will be an additional map by year’s end!

Multiplayer features 16 maps including a remake; new movement mechanics allowing full omnidirectional freedom making those gunfights fast-paced; and its integration into Warzone will revamp that battle royale dramatically, showing its evolving potential!

One significant aspect for long-time players: There’s no content carryover from previous titles and it’s worth mentioning the complete absence of that carry-forward system previously seen in Modern Warfare 3

Double XP Tokens and How to Unlock Pack-a-Punch in Terminus

Double XP tokens are hard to find – mostly requiring external promotion activities! To use: Go to your Multiplayer/Zombies lobby and select your token.  The timer is real-time –   use when playing seriously to make the best of it!

Zombies mode’s Terminus map needs the Pack-a-Punch machine; activated by those Aetherium Maturation Pods (AMPs): Find the three AMPs,  spend 500 Essence on each, and protect from purple-eyed zombies; Then use the Inclined Lift in the BIO Lab; Pack-a-Punch appears!