Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Review

The new entry in the beloved Black Ops series offers this time a full single player campaign, a zombie mode and a pure multiplayer mode. Can the overall package convince? I clarify these question in my review.

The Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War campaign is developed by Raven Software (Singularity PS3). 

You play a character called "Bell" wich you can customize with perks. Yes, also in the campaign. During your 5 hours of playtime you will visit many different locations, drive vehicles, sneak and shoot.

A new feature let you choose from various dialog options that influence the story (more or less).Your secret base, which serves as a hub area and where you can choose the missons is beautifully designed. The hub area supports the overall mood and allows various conversations with the characters.

With a mission board you can choose the misson, track your evidence and even set optional mission assignments. A nice new feature.

Gameplay:

The gameplay is familiar "Call of Duty". Everything can be controlled smoothly and feels responsive. 

New is the addition of haptic feedback from the triggers (DualSense controller) on the PlayStation 5. This feedback immensely enriches the overall experience. Each weapon feels really different. For example heavy machine guns convey a strong feeling of recoil through the use of the triggers and sniper rifles can only be used with (little) effort. A really great implantation of the new "next gen feature". 

Of course you can deactivate this feature in the options at any time.

What you can safely say about any Call of Duty also applies here. The gameplay is just pure fun.

Performance:

The new Call of Duty looks stunning on the PlayStation 5. With various options you can increase the FPS up to 120, which is just incredibly fluid. You can also turn ray tracing on and off. The game then runs at 60FPS, surfaces are mirrored realistically and shadows are also displayed much better. I noticed here that the game doesn't always run consistently at 60FPS. That didn't particularly bother me, but it should be mentioned.

So if you really want the smoothest possible gameplay experience, you should turn off ray tracing or even prefer the 120FPS mode. For the 120FPS mode, however, a 120hz TV / Monitor is required. Furthermore, you have to select the so-called performance mode in the console settings of the PS5. The ray tracing option should then be grayed out in the game itself.

Multiplayer:

A big part of Call of Duty is always the multiplayer. But for this time - no specialists. You play matches, collect experience points, adjust scorestreaks and your weapons.

The focus is clearly on 6vs6 matches. But there are also modes with up to 40 players. I really liked the smaller maps. They are memorable and easy to play/learn. This year's variant of Nuketown has now also been added to the 10 maps with a free update.

It should be also mentioned that the possibilities like putting weapons on edges, looking around corners and opening doors have been completely deleted in this years multiplayer. Your scorestreak points also remain on your points account after you die.

I personally like this. You can concentrate on the essentials. Furthermore, people who play well but often die are also rewarded by receiving the points. I could imagine that there are fewer campers out there, sneaking in the corner for the last points of their scorestreaks. But only in theory. There are always campers in Call of Duty.

The so-called performance-based matchmaking is higly debated. After several matches playing well, the lobby will be rolled and you will be drawn together with "better" players. A curse for some, a blessing for others. Personally, I didn't find this negative. I like to compete against better or worthy opponents in order to improve my own skills. 

I didn't have any performance problems in the multiplayer. Matches were found quickly and with deactivated ray tracing the frame rate was also smooth as butter. I also recommend adjusting the heights in the sound options in order to better locate the steps of the opponents. I didn't notice any advantage of the new 3d audio feature that comes with the PlayStation 5.

I would also turn of the haptic feedback of the DualSense controller for the multiplayer beacause of the disadvantaged in various firefights.

I think the multiplayer part is very good. The gameplay feels fun and responsive as usual. Useing scorestreaks never gets old and I really liked the clear structure of the maps. Maybe some more maps would be a nice addition. 

Zombie Mode:

There is also the popular zombie mode. Especially with friends this mode against different waves of zombie types is a tremendous amount of fun. I really like the arcade feel of this mode. Collecting points to earn better equipment and items. There are also many hidden secrets and the splatter factor is also great. 

It should also be noted that one of the 2 available modes is exclusive for PlayStation players for at least one year (Onslaught mode).

Verdict:

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is once again an action-packed festival for all shooter enthusiasts. The campaign is short but fun. I especially liked the quiet moments and the optional mission objectives. The multiplayer seems to be cut back in the right areas and is also very convincing.

8.5 / 10

Code provided by PlayStation