Call of Duty is back yet again, and this time we’ve got the latest entry in the Black Ops series. Black Ops has always been the crazier, more out-there younger sibling of the Call of Duty franchise. Movement is usually much more arcade-y, guns are less and less realistic and the maps are more chaotic than controlled. All of this rings true in the latest game in the series. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a joy to play – here’s why.
The biggest change added to the game is the exciting new Omnimovement. This is the brand new movement system brought to Black Ops for the first time. It gives you full 360 control over every step, slide, tackle, and dive you take. If you’ve played Call of Duty before, and then played Black Ops 6, the difference is night and day. Omnimovement is an absolute game changer for the series. Every match feels like it’s directed by John Woo. People diving through doorways and turning mid air to shoot you in the face. Sliding along the floor and turning back to get the guy that was just shooting in your direction. Black Ops has always been known for its advanced movement, but nothing has ever felt as smooth as and as tactile as Omnimovement in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Diving backwards is now officially a proper strategy in small spaces because you take up the same space as you would while prone, but you’re able to get up faster when on your back. You’ve got full control over where you’re shooting while on your back and you can quickly roll over to your stomach to get someone behind you. Omnimovement has impacted how the game plays on a technical level, and it’s highly skill expressive. No other Call of Duty game has given this much self expression in how you move and operate on the battlefield until now. Omnimovement needs to be in every Call of Duty from here on out.
It’s great that the movement in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is as terrific as it is, because the gunplay is better than ever. Weapons feel so snappy and satisfying to use. Assault rifles are definitely the king of the meta here, as so many of them are not only extremely powerful, but are also extremely reliable from close to long range. I have been using the XM4 and AK-74 and have had a very easy time getting some high kill streaks as well as very high KDAs in my games. The XM4 is a weapon you get right away from level 1, and it’s really well rounded – almost too well rounded. I’ll admit, it’s a really broken weapon. It’s been in one of my go-to loadouts since I started playing the game. It’s got terrific range, average accuracy (which can be helped with additional unlockable parts) and high power. The AK-74 is also quite good but it has heavy recoil which is the one thing about it I would put below the XM4. It’s funny that they give you two ridiculously strong assault rifles before you hit level 15, but I guess that’s one way to keep players enjoying the game.
On the other hand, sidearms, launchers, and sniper rifles don’t seem to be very good in this game. Pistols have seldom been strong in any Call of Duty game, but they feel especially underwhelming in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. It’s unfortunate because I love running around and causing mayhem with an unassuming 9mm. Maybe it’s from all the Halo I used to play when I was younger, where pistols where actually quite strong, but I’ve always loved challenging myself by only using sidearms. Pistols do a tremendously small amount of damage in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. It even takes a few headshots to kill somebody and nearly 2x the amount of bodyshots depending on your distance. All of the pistols shoot light bullets at pretty standard rates of fire. There isn’t a desert eagle present, or a revolver, or any sort of sidearm that famously packs a punch. If it wasn’t for challenges, or camo grinding, I don’t think I would ever find myself using a pistol in this game, unless they add a more interesting one or buff them overall.
Launchers have always been terrible, so no surprise there. The HE-1 is essentially the standard RPG of the game, whereas the CIGMA 2B is the ultimate support weapon in the game. It’s a support weapon because it specializes in locking onto airborne killstreaks like helicopters and gunners, and knocking them out of the sky. Unfortunately, it won’t be useful for killing other players on the ground reliably. It takes a long time to reload, and it is impossible to aim without locking onto a vehicle target. Snipers also feel really strange and inconsistent. I feel like I should be guaranteed a kill if I land a headshot with a sniper, but that doesn’t ever seem to be the case. Aiming down your sights feels like it takes forever and shots never seem to go where you aim them. Quick-scoping also doesn’t seem to function the way it used to. Again, sniper rifles are designed for long range and are cumbersome to use close up. However, if you snipe somebody who is standing two feet in front of you, it should be a confirmed kill, but because the bullets often wind up in a total different spot from you aimed, quick-scoping is way less effective than it ever has been. I’m assuming this will be fixed in a later update, because people have already been quite vocal about not liking the way snipers feel.
Ultimately, while I’m not the biggest Call of Duty campaign guy, I thought Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was a huge step up from the disappointingly short MW3 campaign. It’s easily one of the best most satisfying single player experiences the series has ever had.