Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Reviews
I've never played a game more thoroughly unpleasant than Black Ops Cold War, but since this is the video game industry, the only thing I'm meant to be talking about is how much fun it is to press those buttons. So, let's finish the review and do that (since I know this conclusion is all most people are going to read anyway). Yes, it is fun to press buttons. You can even press buttons in multiplayer, and after however many Call of Duty titles now, the half dozen development teams that worked on this thing know how to make multiplayer button pressing fun. There are standard multiplayer modes, and classics like Zombies are back because people like those modes. It's all very accessible since this series is as mainstream as they come and Activision would hate for people to find it overwhelming. In short, if you want to play Black Ops Cold War as a completely passive sponge, then you'll have a lot of fun pressing those buttons. This score, below, is for you. For anyone else who is even mildly interested in thinking about the games they play, I can't put into words clearly enough how unacceptable I find this game to be.
For the most part, the short-ish campaign can be rushed over a long weekend. Fortunately for the Black Ops Cold War, there are enough choices that might entice most players to go over the campaign at least one more time. For gameplay enthusiasts, there is always fun to be had messing around with perk combinations and higher difficulty settings. All-in-all, it’s a highly polished experience that plays it a little too closely on the safe side.
Cold War is a brilliant – if short – campaign, and it boldly ushers Call of Duty into the new age of consoles with typically gorgeous presentation and a fun, twisty tale that joyfully exploits the entrenched paranoia of its novel setting.
As ineloquent as this may sound, Black Ops Cold War is a weird game. It plays like a tug of war between the advancement attempts that Infinity Ward put forward in last year’s Modern Warfare and Treyarch’s own mechanical contributions to the series over the years. What results is a product that tries to have its cake and eat it too, except that Black Ops Cold War seems to want to eat multiple, different cakes. It’s a strange entry in the series that lacks polish and quality. Still, I have to admit that I am having a lot of fun with it, in the way I would with a flaws-and-all action flick.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War delivers on many fronts, but most importantly it is a lot of fun. It is a fantastic game to pick up for a brand new PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. The game has something for everyone and it does not matter what the players might prefer. Whether they just like the single-player campaign, multiplayer, or Zombies – Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has them covered. Every game mode had a lot of love put into it, particularly the stellar campaign and the refreshed take on Zombies.
We didn't need a new Call of Duty game in 2020. Modern Warfare and Warzone could have sustained the franchise for another year until the next-gen systems are more widely available, but that was never going to happen. Fortunately, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War isn't the rushed placeholder that many feared it would be, and it might just turn out to be one of the more enjoyable Black Ops games when all is said and done.
Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War is the best COD game in recent years.
2020’s iteration of the long-winded franchise is once again a mixed bag, which sadly has become the norm with the series. A campaign that, while widely entertaining and for the most part interesting, is cut far too short to have any real substantial worth, a multiplayer mode that tries to do some new things but ultimately feels far too same-y with the old frustrations rearing their ugly head, and finally, a fantastic Zombies mode that entertains when playing alone or with friends adds up to a package that feels disjointed. The sooner that Activision decides to allow consumers to purchase elements of the game as separate entities the better, as the Zombies mode alone is worth a spin, just not at the full asking price.
Call Of Duty: Cold War – Outbreak Season 4 is surely an upgrade to last season. Mostly down to the new Easter Egg and the new map.
With any Call of Duty, there are pros and cons. Black Ops Cold War has a lot of subtle changes that I really enjoyed in Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies. However, it might now be enough to satisfy rabid fans of the franchise. If you are disappointed, just remember that future updates will hopefully change things that you don't agree with. As for me, I found a lot to like in Black Ops Cold War, even though these changes may not be groundbreaking. And even if you don't enjoy the changes, I must say that playing on next-gen consoles is an incredible experience. Fast frame rates, load times, and graphics are massive pluses for this franchise. I can't wait to see what they can pull off with the next iteration on next-gen consoles.
I had fun with Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, especially with the campaign. Zombies remain great and is now easier to swallow, but multiplayer - being the main selling point for a Call of Duty game - is the weakest link in the package. With a strong entry last year, and numerous online games now available that are viable alternatives, Treyarch’s approach in multiplayer this year didn’t sell a good enough case to invest more time on it in the coming months. Time will tell how the first season will go, but the initial burst of content out the gate could fall flat, making some look elsewhere to satisfy that FPS multiplayer itch.
The project of rebirth of the Call of Duty brand continues with Activision that has found the right way to get the brand back on track and after the excellent work of Infinity Ward and Raven Software with Modern Warfare, the ball has passed into the hands of Treyarch who has been able to continue what has been seen previously by bringing back the events narrated in the original chapter of Black Ops by reviving iconic characters and the historic Cold War. The multiplayer manages to give good feedback by taking up the feeling of the Black Ops series also using the amazing feature of the adaptive triggers that are able to give unique sensations when played on PS5.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Black Ops Cold War is a game living under Modern Warfare's shadow, with its identity not really going beyond being a clone of last year's release and a lack of content keeping the experience thin. The zombies mode shines in this game, and there is huge potential there if the developers treat it right, but the same cannot be said for the rest of the game.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a game that wears many hats, but doesn’t fit any of them quite right
It's remarkable how much of a mess Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War ended up being. Paying AAA price for a well done story campaign and average multiplayer is just not worth it.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
While it's not the most exposive and crazy campaing yet, is certainly the most cerebral and interesting one since Infinite Warfare, with well paced missions, opcional side missions, and a lot of contextual secrets to unlock.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
While suffering from technical issues, the campaign treads new ground as the rest of the game does little to evolve the franchise.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War offers a triptych of experiences for all tastes, without at last focusing exclusively on multiplayer players. It even dares to bring new elements to the table, offering various branches in the plot based on the player's choices.
Review in Greek | Read full review
The campaign starts as any Call of Duty game does, well and truly in the thick of it. You’re hunting Perseus, a Soviet spy whose goal is to subvert global power from the United States and shift the balance towards the Soviet Union. This run of missions sees you travel to East Berlin, Vietnam, Turkey and Soviet KGB Headquarters itself.
Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War is one of those deliveries that are marked in red because again Activision is able to offer an attractive and high quality product to its loyal audience, with news in the campaign and the zombies mode destined to offer us hours and hours of action and fun
Review in Spanish | Read full review