Call of Duty is a franchise that needs no introduction. It is one of the most notable and widely played games with a ubiquitous and universal appeal. COD: Black Ops Cold War is a fantastic entry in the series and doesnāt leave anything behind in terms of quality and appeal. The game was intended to be released simultaneously on all major consoles and PC while also targeting the then newly released Next-Generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony as well. This 2020 iteration of the popular Call of Duty Franchise is amazing and quite effective at evoking sentiments of awe and delight from new and older fans alike. Some might opine that the franchise and grown stale and formulaic but this 17th installment proves them wrong in many eminent and spectacular ways. The game also made a point of incorporating some of the best features from Modern Warfare in its ensemble as well. The game is after all the brainchild of two of the most creative and fecund studios around; Raven Software and Treyarch.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War continues the tradition of maintaining an engrossing and story-rich environment. The setting this time around is in the initial days of the wretched war where your character has to track down an incredibly deadly and dangerous spy from Russia who can bring about the end of the United States if left unopposed. Players assume the role of āBellā who is the protagonist for this installment. The player character gets embroiled in an international conflict and has to answer to a task force comprised of members from various nations in a bid to stop the international spy. Fan favorite characters from previous Black Ops installments like Frank Woods, Alex Mason, and Jason Hudson also make a comeback in this game. Mason is even playable for several missions of the game as well. The Multiplayer mode of the game contains many new modes and components like unique map elements and dynamics.
Various designs and skins from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is also introduced in this game. The game also features a seasonal content system that is akin to the one players have seen in Modern Warfare. It contains a Battle Pass, free maps, and weapons as well which are updated with each successive season. There are tie-ins related to narrative with Modern Warfare in Cold War as well. Players come across them during multiplayer and campaign modes.
Originally, the game was developed by Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software. Then, there wasnāt any intention to make Cold War an installment in the Black Ops series. But, the two teams from both studios had to contradict opinions and stands about the game and these disagreements led to Treyarch being placed main head developer in 2019. Raven Software was relegated to the position of Sub-developer. The gameās marketing campaign was initiated in August 2020 and was done through various modes. This included online puzzles to be solved by fans, slide projectors for specific content creators, and crucial Cold War events being displayed on a dedicated website. Players were also allowed limited access to an online beta multiplayer mode in October 2020. The game received mostly positive reviews from critics and fans. Specific praise was targeted towards the gameās campaign, multiplayer and Zombie mode. However, there were complaints and criticism about the gameās technical performance and gimmicky approach. Call of Duty: Black Ops managed to become the best-selling game of the year within the region of the USA.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War comes with a detailed and highly engrossing campaign mode. The Campaign mode allows players to create a custom character per their preferences. For instance, players can choose skin color, gender, nationality, and more when it comes to their custom character within the game. This character is named āBellā irrespective of these cosmetic changes. The game has also got several endings that can be attained through certain decisions and choices that the player makes within the gameās campaign mode.
The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War contains a superb Multiplayer mode as well. This mode comes with various new and older game modes. Some maps allow conventional six-on-six combat while others accord players the option to engage in twelve-on-twelve combat. There is even a new mode called āFireteamā which evinces support for about 40 players with ease. Players of Modern Warfare can rejoice to know that Cold Warās multiplayer also contains the system known as Create-a-Class.
However, there are two prominent changes such as field upgrades being introduced as a component of the class load-outs, and all classes having a wildcard choice from a total of 4. For instance, the Gunfighter wildcard allows for up to eight weapon attachments, then the Perk Greed let you use six perks by selecting two perks from each type, Danger close allows for equipping of 2 grenade types, etc.
Cold War also has support for cross-platform playing and progression like Modern Warfare. The game and its multiplayer has been seamlessly integrated with Call of Duty: Warzone through an update. This allows for progression and other milestones to be incorporated with the multiplayer on a unified level across Modern Warfare, Cold War, and Modern Warfare.
Also, weapons, operator characters, and more from Cold War are included in Warzone so that they can be used in Modern Warfare as well. However, these weapons and operators canāt be used in multiplayer modes of the respective games as they remain separate.
Zombiesā mode was also introduced to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. It is a continuation of the āDark Aetherā storyline that was introduced in Black Ops 4. The story of this mode stays committed and relevant to the main campaign. There are no set or predefined characters in this mode. Rather, players assume command of operator characters from the Multiplayer mode as a member of āRequiemā, a top-secret CIA response team. Multiplayer progression is shared with Zombies mode. That is because players can utilize any weapon for starting a match in Zombies mode. Other perks can be used in a Zombies Match such as Gunsmith, field upgrades, and score streaks. There are older returning mechanics like Mystery Box, Pack-a-Punch, wallbuys, etc. that can be used in this mode as well. This is the first time that an āexfilā option has been included in any Zombies mode of the COD franchise. This means that the players will have to bear the brunt of a far more intense wave and heightened enemy spawn rate. They will have to survive this wave before they can escape. The map is filled with scattered intel that can be collected for getting a handle on the story and how it unfolds during its progression. Players can also upgrade their weapons, ammo, perks, mods ad more via a skill upgrade system that uses an in-game currency called Aetherium Crystals. The latter can be acquired by attaining round milestones. Onslaught, a new game mode was also introduced as exclusive content for users of PlayStation till the 1st of November 2021. Players have to cooperate in teams of 2 in this game to defend against waves of Zombies in areas that are cordoned off by the Dark Aether orb. The more zombies that players kill, the more powered up the orb will remain. The orb will move to new locations once adequate numbers of zombies have been eliminated. The players will then have to choose between dying outside of the orbās sphere of influence or scurrying to safety.Ā āOutbreakā was a mode that was introduced in the 2nd season of the game. It is a mode where players have to defend against hordes of zombies and attain objectives in a large open-world area. The latter contains locations that can originally be found in the greater multiplayer modes.
The equipment that players can use in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War can be listed as follows:
C4 is unlocked at level 12 and is an excellent explosive device that can prove to be immensely lethal to other opponents and combatants. It is the equipment piece of choice for those players who prefer a more aggressive stance within the game.
The Frag Grenade is a considerably lethal iteration of explosive equipment and can be used to eliminate a group of enemies with ease. However, it is advised that viable and sufficient caution be observed while using it. This equipment piece unlocks at level 4.
The Molotov Cocktail unlocks at level 30 within the game. It is an improvised weapon that can wreak havoc on enemy lines and is especially effective against Zombies in Zombies mode. It can be used to create an opening that any player or team covets immensely amid a furious battle.
Semtex can be unlocked by players when they reach level 39. It is a sticky explosive that adheres to surfaces and can be detonated tactically by players. It can be used to catch enemies unawares and does the job of eliminating them quite efficiently.
Other tactical equipment that is available for usage by players in this game includes the following:
Ā· Smoke Grenade (Level 17)
Ā· Stun Grenade (Level 14)
Ā· Stimshot (Level 6)
Ā· Decoy Grenade (Level 33)
