Some sweet but dated memories come to mind when I think of the last time I played Call of Duty multiplayer regularly. I think of great times I had in nail-biting games of Sabotage and sweaty one-on-ones with friends on classic maps like Shipment and Rust. I think of my teenage friends and I trying to get a laugh out of lobbies full of strangers with celebrity impressions and bits we’d practiced in school. I think of moments of soul-destroying defeat at 2 a.m. on weekends.
It’s been about 15 years since those days, and much has changed. My time is more limited, and my interests outside of gaming have expanded considerably. Being twice the age I was when Modern Warfare 2 (no not that one or that one) was released, I’m a bit wiser and my hair much grayer. My taste in games has also evolved. Gone is my tolerance for toxic player communities. Age has sanded away my desire to stay competitive in twitchy online action. And I can’t bring myself to care about golden guns, colored camouflage, and prestige levels.
And yet, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the 20th mainline entry in this long-running franchise, has pulled me back in ways I didn’t think possible. Granted, it’s never been easier to jump in. Its addition to Xbox Game Pass is probably the best thing the series has done since Warzone and going mobile. But pairing that ease of access with some genuinely interesting wrinkles to a formula that has remained mostly the same since 2007, has created the perfect blend of those old days I remember so fondly, and the casual, balls-to-the-wall fun I appreciate in my games today.
In my limited-time Black Ops 6 following its midnight launch, I played about two hours worth of matches. All of the matches I played were variants on deathmatch, keeping things as straightforward as it gets in order to wrap my head around the new slate of maps and re-familiarize myself with the mechanics. While there was some getting used to the speed of the game, I was having a great time very quickly. Few things feel as good to play as Call of Duty. It was the case in 2003, and remains the case all these years later.
While watching high level players sprinting and moving their reticle at the speed of light online can be as intimidating as it is nauseating, I found the Black Ops 6’s best new addition goes a long way in leveling the playing field. Mind you, this introductory period may only last a few weeks, if not days as players master the new omni-movement mechanics. But the ability to dive in any direction while firing means there are more options than ever to evade enemy fire. On the other hand, I’ve also caught my enemies slacking by having the audacity to behave like a reject from a John Woo action flick.
It’s an interesting dichotomy that I think successfully layers on new depth for a very old series. It doesn’t feel as janky as Advance Warfare’s exosuit did in 2014. Nor does it feel like it’s trying to ape what games like Titanfall do so well. This is something entirely different, and to me that’s a good thing. It will be fascinating to see how the community feels about omni-movement six months from now.
Omni-movement isn’t just about moving like an action-star. The auto-vault and auto-slide mechanics remove friction and clunk from navigating environments. While I’ve never had issues making jumps in the past, having only less reason to remove my finger from the right analog stick makes me feel more confident and capable. Matched with some really solid maps built for these new mechanics and Black Ops 6 sings in these early hours online.
As a Call of Duty oldhead returning all these years later, there were some moments that I found a little cringe, particularly with its extremely over the top presentation. The way lobby menus frames these cast of grizzled operators is pretty camp. The slow, borderline pornographic pans along the sides of rifles and pistols are so egregious it’s as if Treyarch (and the other eight studios who helped make the game) knows that this is all a little bit silly and overly self-serious. Call of Duty is the manifestation of America’s obsession with guns, and Black Ops 6 is leaning into it shamelessly.
But none of this dampened just how fun it is to hop into a match and trying to outthink the enemy. Guns are punchy, aiming is snappy, movement feels good, and playing alongside friends feels even better. Knowing that Black Ops 6’s other modes, both Zombies and its campaign mode bodes well for the rest of the package.
I’m willing to admit that the series may have reached these heights sometime over the last decade without me noticing. Recommendations from colleagues have inspired me check out campaigns for past titles like 2016’s Inifinite Warfare years after release. And 2020 lockdowns spurred a month-long obsession with the free-to-play Warzone among me and my friends.
But Black Ops 6 is different. It’s practically screaming for players old and new to check it out, thanks to its combination of back-to-basics gunplay and new movement mechanics. If there was any year for Call of Duty to join Game Pass and streaming platforms, this was it. I suspect there will be a spike in the Call of Duty player base this year based solely on how easily Black Ops 6 reminds its player why the series is so popular.
It’s been 15 years since I have stayed up way past my bedtime playing Call of Duty online. And boy does it feel great to be back at it.
