Summary
Officially unveiled a few weeks ago during the Xbox Showcase,Call of Duty: Black Ops 6looks like it could end up delivering the most completeCall of Dutyexperience in recent memory. Along with a multiplayer mode packed with 16 original maps, and the long-awaitedreturn of traditional round-based Zombies,Call of Duty: Black Ops 6is delivering another fully-fledged campaign, directly following on from the events ofCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warand technically tying in with the flashback sequences inCall of Duty: Black Ops 2.
A focal point of its Direct showcase,Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s campaign is aiming to be another “high-octane spy thriller” in a similar vein to its predecessor. Set at the height of the Gulf War, tensions between the US and the Soviet Union have died down following the fall of the Berlin Wall, but a growing distrust of government is starting to spread across America. Based on that brief premise, it seems as thoughCall of Duty: Black Ops 6could already deliver one of the most compelling campaigns in franchise history, and while there’s a lot it should carry forward from its predecessor, there’s one feature it needs to stay well away from.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Should Avoid Cold War’s Alternate Endings
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Alternate Ending Felt Redundant
In keeping with Treyarch’s other past entries,Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warintroduced a few new features to the franchise’s campaign mode. One of the best additions wasBlack Ops Cold War’s choice system, where players were frequently given one or two major choices per mission that would affect the gameplay or narrative. These choices ranged from dialogue options that saw players either kill or apprehend an arms dealer, to optional objectives that saw players either rescue or abandon a captured spy. For the most part, this choice system felt like a great addition, adding quite a bit of replayability toBlack Ops Cold War’s campaign, and adding some real weight to the narrative.
However, there was one choice inCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s campaignthat stood out for all the wrong reasons. Right at the end of the campaign, players are given the choice to either side with the team they’ve been working alongside the entire game or betray them and side with the game’s antagonist. Betraying Russel Adler’s team sees the player gun down iconic characters like Woods and Mason before launching some nukes across the world.
While this ending’s macabre nature is intriguing, it’s also rather jarring for any long-timeCall of Dutyfans. WithCold Wartaking place betweenBlack Ops 1and2, this ending obviously isn’t canon, withWoods and Masonstill very much alive in the latter, which does lessen the impact of this ending massively.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Should Invest Its Resources In Other Areas
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6technically precedesBlack Ops 2’s 2025 timeline, which would make an alternate ending likeCold War’s feel just as redundant. Instead of crafting a whole non-canon campaign mission for an alternate ending,Call of Duty: Black Ops 6should use those resources to craft some more intricate choices that are sprinkled throughout the campaign. These choices could offer just as much replayability as an alternate ending, allowing players to change certain narrative and gameplay aspects of the final mission without jeopardizing the series' canon.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
