Now that the Microsoft-Activision deal has gone through, it is impossible to help but notice an epochal change for the Redmond giant. Having a goose that lays golden eggs like Call of Duty in your portfolio can only require attention, especially when you need to present the future iteration of the brand to the public. And it is precisely for this reason that the American company has decided to do things big, dedicating itself to the new Black Ops 6 an entire event that aired in the moments immediately following the conclusion of the Xbox Showcase (here is the summary of the excellent Xbox Games Showcase). Let’s discover all the news announced during the event.
Returning in style
At least for the moment, much of the information that has been revealed by the developers concerns the single player campaign. We know that the narrative component of Call of Duty Black Ops 6 will be set in 1991 and will put us in the shoes of soldiers who will have to deal with a group of terrorists who have succeeded in the impossible: infiltrating the government of the United States of America.
According to the development team, the game will, as always, be based on historical events that actually happened, which will obviously be distorted to make everything more spectacular, also thanks to the presence of the characters we have known over the years. Yes, because Black Ops 6 it will be a sequel to Black Ops Cold War (here is our review of Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War), but it seems to have a strong connection with the flashbacks set in the 80s of Black Ops 2.
It would seem that the reason why the teasers that recently appeared in Call of Duty Warzone report Russel Adler as a fugitive is due to the actions of villains from within the US government: apparently, our people have been put with their backs against the wall by terrorists, who have thus forced them to live as wanted people. In this regard, in Black Ops 6 we will have at our disposal the Safehousea real central hub where we can spend time between one mission and another.
It is a secret KGB site where our special wanted men will be able to organize themselves, start game activities and even interact with NPCs, so as to get to know them better. From here we will also be able to manage the equipment, which will include quite a few new toys such as explosive knives, perfect for sending groups of enemies to the other world.
Based on what we saw, it seems that the recent rumors about larger maps in which to act freely were real. The official description of the game refers to a single player campaign ‘not bound by the classic rules of engagement’, which could be a way to describe the new approach to assignments.
The insiders talked about a mission in particular, which he will propose the largest map ever seen in a Call of Duty campaign, so we can expect more situations of this type, with the hope that playfully there will be big differences compared to what we saw in Modern Warfare 3 with the Open Combat Missions. What is certain is that the missions they will have more ways to be completed and the replayability will therefore be higher than usual. Judging by the scenes shown after the Xbox Showcase, there will also be no shortage of variety in situations, because we will not only visit the United States, but also the Russian tundra, the desert of the Middle East and southern Europe: in short, we will take a virtual tour of the planet to hunt for terrorists in the post-Cold War era. The assignment that inevitably caught our attention is the one set in a European casino, in which we will have to carry out a great heist.
In addition to Adler, the title will also allow us to meet the legendary again Frank Woods (who will guide us via radio, given that an injury has forced him into a wheelchair), but there will certainly be no shortage of new faces who will probably play a central role in the events told in the title. We are talking above all about the soldier Troy Marshallpresent in numerous gameplay sequences shown throughout the show.
In all likelihood, we will play several missions of the campaign as Marshall, but we cannot also rule out some spectacular sequences in which we will take on the role of icons of the series, perhaps in the form of flashbacks. We don’t necessarily have to think of these figures as allies: the development team itself has reiterated several times that Black Ops 6 is a story of espionage and twists and turns will be the order of the day. In short, you will have to constantly watch your back and not trust anyone.
Omnimovement arrives
To accompany the frenzy of the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 campaign we also find a completely new movement system called Omnimovement. The impression we had is that he is the true protagonist of this new iteration of the Activision series, since he promises the possibility of accessing a range of actions never seen in COD and potentially revolutionary. It’s true, even in past chapters we had the possibility of diving or sliding, but here the system through which these actions can be performed has been completely revised and everything now appears more fluid.
In Black Ops 6 we can shoot in any direction and have greater control over aiming when performing dives and slides (which can also be performed in all directions), so as to be able to eliminate the target in a choreographic manner.
Another new feature concerns the possibility of aiming freely when the character is lying on the ground: so forget that annoying feeling of being “stuck” in this particular position. There was also talk of a intelligent movement assistant, which should allow you to move around the map by pressing fewer buttons than usual. Black Ops 6 also boasts a feature present in many FPS for PC, namely the corner sliding: let’s talk about the possibility of leaning out of corners to prevent the entire character model from being exposed to enemy shots, so as to have a greater chance of survival during a firefight. Even in this case, it seems that everything happens in a fluid and automatic manner, with the weapon animations that follow the player’s movements in a believable way. It is clear right from the start that we are faced with an important innovation, much more relevant than the mantling seen in Modern Warfare 2. However, we will need to touch Omnimovement first-hand to understand its real potential and go beyond the spectacular kills shown by the developers during the showcase.
It is also very interesting revisiting the hit boxes scattered along the entire body of the operators, which should facilitate the registration of hits more precisely with two types of advantages: more realistic animations and a more accurate determination of the damage inflicted. In addition to the Omnimovement, however, the aspect that struck us most is the HUD customization. Benefiting from a feature present in the mobile version of the title, we will be able to modify the positioning of the various elements of the interface, so as to feel at ease during the online massacres.
Multiplayer and Zombies
Speaking of multiplayer slaughter, Activision has confirmed that Call of Duty Black Ops 6 will arrive on the market with 16 maps dedicated to online modes: 12 of these will be available for the classic 6 vs 6 modes and the remaining will also adapt to 2 vs 2 battles (as well as 6 vs 6), much loved by players of the series. If this is already information that will delight fans, know that they are about to return there too Theater Mode hey old Prestige levels, which will guarantee a constant progression system for those who want to try their hand at multiplayer battles. In total there will be 10 Prestige levels, each with its own set of unique rewards that die-hard fans will be eager to unlock and show off in the lobbies.
While waiting to find out more about the online dimension in an event to be held later, the third component of the package was also discussed, which is particularly awaited by a portion of the community. Obviously we are talking about Zombies, which aims to regain the hard core of fans after a series of chapters that were not always very successful. The co-op mode of Black Ops 6 will mark a return to the origins, as it completely abandons the open world and embraces the round structure. And that’s not all, since at launch we will be able to hunt for brain eaters in two different scenarios: Liberty Falls And Terminus.
There is little to say: this Call of Duty Black Ops 6 seems to have all it takes to raise the morale of fans after a year in which there has certainly been no shortage of controversy. While waiting to get our hands on the Beta in a few months, we remind you that the game will arrive on the shelves next October 25, 2024 and, in a completely unexpected way, it will not include any type of early access to the single player campaign.
