It isn’t an exaggeration to say my weekend was packed with crazy gunfights, pulse-pounding action and the usual fanciful frustrations during the Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War Alpha Test. Announced back at the PS5 Reveal Event, this preview of the next entry in this monolith franchise has been one gamers have been anticipating. With a Hell of a teaser trailer, the rave reviews of Modern Warfare, and the incredible successes of CoD Mobile and the free-to-play Warzone behind it, the franchise is seeing its best strides in years. Can Cold War continue the momentum? After spending the weekend until the last hours of the morning playing, I’d say yes.
A Solid Rotation
The Alpha showcased a good rotation of maps and modes, with two playlists to choose from. The 6v6 Playlist keeps it classic with fan favorites such as Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed. The 12v12 Playlist, called Combined Arms, acts as the ‘Ground War’ mode which adds vehicles to traverse its huge maps that house 5 Capture and Hold objectives. This new mode was a ton of fun even though it only showcased two maps. While a predictable coinflip more often than not, it never detracted from the fun due to the dynamic map design of these huge maps. Especially while playing on Armada, which shows off some fun and frantic naval combat that feels great in the Call of Duty world.
The 6v6 playlist occupied the majority of my time as it showcases some of the best classic Call of Duty multiplayer modes. Team Deathmatch, Hardpoint, Capture and hold along with Kill Confirmed all feel great in this new multiplayer. Guns feel responsive and impact feels meaty, while the slide offers some good utility to check the enemy aim or discreetly slip into cover. The three maps on rotation are well-designed and become familiar quickly. This all comes together to create a noticeable groove that sets in over longer play sessions which you can harness to improve by using the stat tracker at the end of each game.
The Looks That Kill
Customization was the name of the game in this Alpha test and the choices were vast. Each gun had a myriad of attachments to play with, along with a ton of custom loadout slots, which offered a ton of variety if you wanted to switch it all up. This proved to be a lot more fun and straightforward than in past titles but I wouldn’t expect such a huge offering during the launch of the live product. Nothing here was locked behind levels or paywalls so it was free range on characters, weapons and perks. Combined with the breathtaking aesthetic of the maps, this created an experience I can’t wait to get myself back into.
Before the start of each game you get a nice tour through the map you will be fighting on. Even on a base PS4 console, the visuals were impressive and a definite step up from Modern Warfare. This noticeable leap in visual quality is impressive to see and even more eager to check out what it looks like on the PS5 or Xbox Series X. The most impressive was easily Armada, as fighting in the deep blue sea and hopping from boat to boat was a very different feeling than the usual Call of Duty fare.
Locked And Ready
Call of Duty continues to impress with its latest titles. From an impressive presentation to the action-packed gameplay, this game will hook you like no other. Thanks in no small part to the customization options and very useful stat tracker in the after-action report, which proved useful when I began looking for ways to improve. The next hands-on experience is the Open Beta on October 8th and after an addictive weekend of explosive gunfights, I’m definitely ready for more.
