Large single player campaign + standard multiplayer + zombies (sometimes) + either a period or futuristic setting = basically every Call of Duty game in the last decade or so. Needless to say, the series has definitely leaned heavily into the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” saying and it has paid off very handsomely in the form of massive sales, albeit at the expense of steadily declining reviews.
But for the new Call of Duty title, Black Ops 4, that formula has been shaken up dramatically.
While the multiplayer remains the same, the zombies mode has been given a nice touch up and everything has been given a beautiful coat of 2018 polish. But by far the biggest change is the swapping of the usual single-player campaign for a Fortnite-esque battle royale mode called “Blackout”.
The result is something absolutely fantastic and way better than what Fortnite has to offer.
Whereas Fortnite‘s take on the 100-player battle royale mode is cartoony, slightly clumsy, and has that annoying “build” mechanic, Black Ops 4‘s is gritty, polished, and easier to learn than year 3 math.
The series’ well-polished first-person shooting mechanics translate brilliantly well to a battle-royale setting, almost like Call of Duty was made for that type of game mode. Each gun battle has you on edge because you know the difference between victory or losing is your skill level (or the lack of skill level if you’re me).
There was none of that annoying “build the Great Wall of China around me so I can heal or escape” stuff from Fortnite, just players going toe-to-toe with each other and that makes victories feel sweeter (and losses more painful).
Since the shooting mechanics are so well polished, each Blackout game only lasts anywhere between 30 seconds (if you’re the first casualty) to 10 minutes (if you’re the eventual winner), meaning games fly by at a quick pace and nothing ever becomes tedious.
But we needed a second opinion on Black Ops 4, so we decided to have a chat with rapper/comedian/writer/all around awesome chap Briggs about the game.
What do I do with my hands? #blackops @CallofDuty and #BlackOps4 #Blackout #Spon pic.twitter.com/I7Vy9apo8P
— Senator Briggs (@Briggs) September 13, 2018
After a few games of Blackout with our new BFF, he, like us, had nothing but good things to say about Black Ops 4. He was particularly impressed how “easy” it was for him to get up to speed on the new Blackout mode compared and the whole emphasis on team work if you’re in a group.
“It puts another dynamic in the game, you know, it puts a lot of other people on edge. If you’re not holding weight in the squad, you’ll just get thrown out as a human shield.”
But look, we’re just a couple of people (one of whom happens to be a guy who writes for Disenchantment) who think that Black Ops 4 rules and is just a better experience than Fortnite.
If you want a goofy and cartoony battle royale experience, go Fortnite. If you want gritty realism and drawn out battle royales filled with tension, go PUBG. And if you want something in between those aforementioned two games combined with super-polished first-person shooting mechanics, definitely go Black Ops 4.
And regardless of what you choose, we’re all here just to have some fun so let’s save any animosity for the game and take it out on each other in Blackout.