The annual Call of Duty game is set to release 12th of October this year. This time it’s Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. I tried out the open PC beta just before Gamescom, so I could prepare myself of what to expect and what more they could announce. I already new that I wasn’t going to test their Battle Royale mode just yet as this is in the beginning of September.
Open Beta Gameplay
Treyarch removes the campaign from this title, and have full focus on the multiplayer and zombies. In their multiplayer description they say:
“Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4 Multiplayer raises the bar, delivering the most thrilling grounded combat experience yet with a focus on tactical gameplay and player choice. The game offers a new level of online action across a variety of new weaponry, maps and modes. For the first time Multiplayer serves as the center of the game’s narrative, as players uncover a deeper connection to the role of each Specialist and their unique playstyles. With the return of the Pick 10 Create-a-Class system – and when combined with the new Gear category – gameplay becomes more customizable than ever, giving players choice over how to power up their Specialists. Combined with the ability to unlock devastating Scorestreaks along the way, players will have the opportunity to be dangerous alone, or unstoppable as a team”
So the big question is; after two rounds of playthrough with diverse game modes and multiple attempts at the new specialists. Have they achieved to raise the bar and make this game more tactical? First of all, there isn’t something new regarding the gameplay we already know of. However, we got to try a new map that wasn’t included in the closed nor open beta, “Arsenal”.
You can see my playthrough against members of the developing team and other media outlets at Gamescom below. There you will see an online match in the mode “Hardpoint” on this new map. I play as the specialist “Ajax” (I also got the “Best Play” achievement!) which has a shield and a handgun as an “ultimate attack”. But you’re a Call of Duty fan, and you already know this.
What about the gunplay? Are the guns balanced? Are the maps fun? How does the new specialists work?
There is a lot of new content being added into Call of Duty, and in my opinion, in a very good way. Black Ops 4 for now feels like a completely new Call of Duty game, with a huge help of the tactical approach. If I wanted to compare Black Ops 4 to other titles, I would say it’s a mix of Overwatch and Rainbow Six: Siege. I had a lot of fun playing, there are of course some minor tweaks here and there that needs to be fixed. But I think that’s something that would be updated later on, as a mass pressure and more feedback from players improves the stability.
