The Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 beta suggests the series is taking a quietly confident step forward after a jarring year for the franchise following the missteps of Modern Warfare 3.
Across my three or four hours, it has been a smooth and fun experience that firmly echoes the best game in the CoD franchise for the last few years – Black Ops: Cold War.
The presentation is completely in line with that title, as is the ‘wildcard’ perk system, which offers definitive choices that offer different pros and cons to vary gameplay.
A Run Forward… in Every Direction
Yet the big step forward, and yes I do mean forward, is the omni-directional movement that has been introduced: ostensibly, run and dive in any direction, plus greater movement options when lying down.
The beta, in a kind but smart move, features a brief tutorial on the benefits and how it works. What was initially intimidating was quickly cleared up by the brief but thorough training course.
It is a quiet improvement and not one that is difficult to get to grips with; effectively it just makes the gameplay smoother. You might not go ‘that play there, that was all because of omni-directional movement’, but it’ll quietly speed you up around the map and make the experience flow better. You will not realise you are taking advantage of it most of the time.
If this doesn’t become the standard going forward, I’ll be a bit disappointed as it quietly opens up a lot of options. I can see melee combat, in particular, having a higher but more potent ceiling, which is very exciting.
Out of Hand: Equipping Melee Weapons
That also might be the area with the most jarring change, though. Melee weapons now occupy a third slot, so you get three weapons now. Yet changing to them is a bit odd: you have to hold down the right analogue stick to switch to them, rather than them appearing via the standard button to change weapons.
It’s odd but not as frustrating as it might sound, as you can quickly get used to it and ultimately it means you’ve got another spot for a different weapon.
The last change is a system whereby perks are divided up into green, blue and red – and if you equip three of one colour, you get another special bonus perk dependent on this.
It’s a small bonus but offers an incentive to use a more narrow range of perks. It’s quietly clever, and encourages variety and changing up your approach.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Beta is Quietly Impressive
Elsewhere, I’ve been impressed: the maps all seem good and fun, without any one in particular feeling like an instant favourite. That said, Babylon feels like the next ‘Shipment’-type map and it’s good for that specific job.
Loading hasn’t been a problem, barring the slightly awkward wait as you go through the existing menu to get to the beta.
The word for it is smooth. I haven’t found any flaws so far; instead, I’ve been met with a confident title that plays well and is fun.
While I’m writing this, I just want to go back and play it a bit more, which for a beta is the sign of a job very well done. I had a pretty good idea that I was going to buy this title when it releases, although I must stress that I have not pre-ordered so didn’t get early access. Regardless, this beta has made me more confident of that decision and excited for when I do.
In terms of weapons, there isn’t anything new, but I’d rather the developers hold back at this stage, as they have enough to show off already.
Call of Duty’s Sarcastic – But True – Joke
Now, it’s time for me to destroy my own article completely.
I said I had a pretty good idea that I was going to buy this title before playing the beta for a good reason; I skipped Modern Warfare 3 (MW3).
It’s a sarcastic joke but one that rings true: want to make a Call of Duty game good? Just skip a title. It doesn’t matter how good a game is; yearly releases invite fatigue.
I didn’t play Modern Warfare 2 that much despite buying it. I’d hit a bit of a brick wall and needed a break. It didn’t help hearing the suggestions that MW3 was intended as DLC for MW2, so I gave that title a miss.
The free weekends made me realise that break has done me good. I’m excited to play 10-minute rounds of Call of Duty again. So, this beta would have had to be awful for me to not like it, which is a pretty big factor when I’m trying to evaluate something.
The Best CoD Title in Years?
Still, an awful lot will come down to the content that is available at launch and what the first couple of months of support will look like.
The support for MW2 was pretty poor, but if Black Ops 6 can emulate Cold War’s focus on silly modes complementing a raft of serious and solid options, this should be the best CoD title in years.
For more, read my wishlist Black Ops 6 and how I hope it’ll turn out.
