PS4 Review: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Can COD take on Fortnite and PUBG?

Black Ops 4 lacks a campaign, something that is baffling in the era of the modern day shooter. I’m fine with that as Blackout more than makes up for this, but personally I think it would have been better if they called the game literally anything else. That aside, lets move on.

Multiplayer contains the same typical modes and a few new ones, while combat is more refined and addictive than ever. Zombies this time contains 3 levels before the Season Pass content even hits and then there’s the game’s golden goose, Blackout…

Groups of 2, 4 or even solo players can descend into the map and take each other on Battle Royale style. I was skeptical that COD could pull off this feat, but they’ve more than perfected it with a huge map, between 88-100 players depending on if you’re playing in quads, duos or solo. There’s a huge variety of weapons, items and locations to get your teeth stuck into. I’ve never been that good at COD, but Blackout is definitely my favourite mode in a game for a long, long time.

The great thing is that two games are never, ever the same due to where the collapse of the maps put you, along with whatever comes your way. You can also adapt any number of strategies, use perks to reveal decent loot and so on. After coming 2nd a number of times, I finally got my first win and I wasn’t happy about reviewing the game until I did, but the one thing that annoyed me was that you only get 100 points for getting first as opposed to 50 for getting in the top 15. Considering the odds are so stacked against you, I really think it should be higher.

There are balancing issues and a new patch coming next week that will nerf the concussion and 9-bang grenades, which is a huge blessing as they are ridiculously overpowered. The game does let you drive helicopters, speed boats, ATVs and a few trucks, but there are some really nice sports cars and other vehicles that are you are unable to drive, which confuses me. I think either have all vehicles that can be driven or none at all.

Blackout does offer split-screen, but it’s a bit of a mess in terms of performance and the visuals take a big hit too. There’s also an issue with textures and items loading at the beginning of the match, which at times are pixelated and blurry messes that made my eyes bleed. I’m sure some of these issues will be patched, but considering the game doesn’t have a campaign, you’d think that the performance of Blackout would have been top priority.

The Verdict

Black Ops 4’s main multiplayer modes and Zombies are standard fare, but it’s Blackout that’s got everyone talking and for good reason. It’s highly addictive and you won’t be satisfied until you’ve got your first win, it also makes you adapt to the situation and play COD in a whole new way. With some balancing and performance patches, Blackout will be the ultimate Battle Royale and let’s hope we get some extra maps with the Season Pass…

Score: 9.0