Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Review - Problematic But Exciting
Well, it has been a really long road to this review.
Yes, it is late, yes, you could argue that it is no longer relevant, but once you read my story, I am sure you will let me indulge myself on this one.
It started out one day, shortly after Call of Duty Black Ops 7 had been released. The review key came into my inbox. Obviously, that meant no review for release day, but that was fine. I thought to myself, it would be a great opportunity to give it a bit more of a run-through, wait for season 1 content, and really give it a once-over. So that was the plan. Spend a lot of time checking out the after-launch parts of the game and report in. I got to the point where I was happy in publishing my review, ready to talk all about what I discovered, and then something happened. Something that changed Australia forever. Bondi.
At that point, releasing a review for a game about war, shooting and killing felt wrong. It was not the right time, and it wasn’t an appropriate thing to do. So I shelved it, shuffled it to the background and let it simmer. But now I am back, my original review has been scrapped, and I am writing a new one. Why am I bothering? Because, for the first time since Black Ops 2, I can’t stop playing a COD game.
That’s not to say this is the perfect game, or even a great game. It isn’t. There are problems. Big ones. But there have been two particular changes to this game that have dragged me in and kept me in. These two changes have altered my outlook on the entire franchise and have kept me coming back for more since I received my code. It is exciting for me to be enjoying the franchise again, a franchise that has only been able to hold my interest for the length of the campaign for the last 10 or so years. So what are those two changes? Well, let me get into that for you.
The first is the new Endgame mode. Multiplayer COD has always been a challenge for those who are more casual in their approach to the game. It is chock full of players who have been kicking ass and taking names for years, so jumping into that environment offers a difficulty wall that often feels insurmountable. Extraction shooters are often the same; they offer players a PvPvE experience that is dominated by those who have a high skill level and time to commit to the game. Black Ops 7 has addressed both of these problems with its new Endgame mode, a purely PvE experience set on a giant map full of goals, enemies and missions, and it has been absorbing almost all of my time in the game.
This massive map offers challenges, missions and goals to complete that reward experience, which can be used to upgrade your character. Upgrades then allow you to tackle harder areas of the map and eventually challenge big world bosses and earn even greater rewards. The catch is, if you die on the map without extracting, you lose all of your progress and have to start over. If you manage to escape, you can keep all of your upgrades and collected weapons for the next time you jump in. It is an addictive and entertaining loop that really fosters a great sense of community, something that is somewhat unusual for COD. Often, I have found myself in a tough situation when another player, who happened to be just running by, came to my rescue. Players naturally help each other out, and it provides quite the wholesome experience, well, as much as a game about shooting a bunch of people can.
The biggest problem I foresee with the Endgame is just how long it will be supported and if new content is coming. I am still having a blast, but I can see a point where replaying the same missions and goals will get tiring, so I hope that it is something that will be addressed with the release of each season. That worry aside, this is the perfect mode for people like me, people who can’t commit to the multiplayer grind or simply lack the skills to ever make playing multiplayer enjoyable. It is social, well put together and a whole lot of fun by yourself or with a group of friends along for the ride. I hope that this mode becomes a staple of the franchise going forward because it really offers something more for those who tend to be a single-player type of gamer.
The second major change is to the progression system. Previously, to upgrade your profile and unlock new weapons and items, you had to play multiplayer and zombies modes. Now you earn progression and unlocks through every mode the game offers. Single-player, Endgame, Zombies and of course, Multiplayer all offer both player and season progression. This simple change means that there is that little thrill of unlocking new weapons, streaks and cosmetics for players that don’t usually get it. It has allowed me to Prestige my profile four times already, something I haven’t done since the original Modern Warfare 3, and I have to say it is a nice feeling. This is something else I hope the franchise keeps moving forward as it really does show that Treyarch wants to reward all their players equally, not just the folks who spend hundreds of hours in competitive multiplayer matches.
With those two changes, I have suddenly become a COD fan once again, but while I am enjoying myself immensely, there is no escaping some big problems with Black Ops 7 that really need to be fixed before the next game is released. The first is the campaign. I have always enjoyed the COD campaigns, especially those found in the Black Ops games. This time around, however, the campaign is extremely problematic, both in its narrative and its execution. The first thing that players will take issue with is the always online requirement. This has come about due to the cooperative nature of the campaign. Playing the story with a buddy is a great idea, but the way it has been implemented is sure to frustrate. Players are forced to wait for servers to play, there is no way to play offline, and you can’t pause or save mid-way through a mission. This sort of thing is pretty unforgiveable in my eyes and it really tainted my time in the story mode.
The second issue with the campaign is the story itself. I usually really enjoy the bat-shit crazy stories that the Black Ops branch of COD has offered. They are weird and wild in a way that really grabs my attention. Here, that has gone out the window, and the conspiracies and spies have been replaced by schlocky horror and sci/fi. Not only that, but the writing seems really rough in places, trying to shoehorn characters from Black Ops’ past into a story that somehow means something. As a result, the story is a jumbled, forgettable mess that will go down as one of the weakest tales told in the franchise.
As for the Zombies and multiplayer modes? There really isn’t too much to say here. The Zombies mode feels like, well, Zombies. By this point, everyone knows the drill, and if you like this type of gameplay, you will be well served. There are currently two missions available, and both offer a lot of fun for groups of mates looking to slay endless hordes of the undead. There is nothing really exciting or new here, but at the same time, there is nothing wrong with it either.
As for the multiplayer, the biggest addition is the 20 v 20 modes that give new players a bit more of a chance to find their feet when compared to the traditional 6 v 6 battles. That said, it is still a mode dominated by folks who really know their stuff, so if you are new, don’t expect to be getting many kills for quite some time. I quite enjoyed the maps on offer, and the return of Nuketown is always welcome. But once again, I don’t feel like there has been too much done to the multiplayer to change the way players look at it. If you like it, you will still like it; if you hate it, there is nothing here to change your mind.
When all is said and done, a little over two months after its release, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is a mixed beast at best. I love the change to progression, and the Endgame mode has me totally hooked, but the campaign was a massive disappointment, and the traditional multiplayer and zombie modes have shown little to no evolution over the last entry. So, how you feel about this game will almost certainly be dependent on what you value in your COD experience. If you are like me, looking for a community PvE experience, then I would say that yes, COD: Black Ops 7 is well worth checking out (especially if you have Gamepass), but if you are a more traditional player, it may be worth waiting for a decent sale or even skipping altogether. I have to applaud Treyarch for trying new things, but at the same time, they have dropped the ball in areas that a Black Ops game usually excels. Here’s hoping the right lessons are learned before their next release, because if they are, we could be in for the best COD yet.
Call of Duty Black Ops 7 was reviewed on PC with code kindly supplied by the publisher.
