Activision Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Last updated: December 8, 2023
If you're a "Call of Duty" fan, you'll love the multiplayer options built into Activision's "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4." There are several multiplayer modes, including those designed to pit two 5v5 teams against each other on missions. You may find the lack of a single-player campaign disappointing, though, if you plan to play solo sometimes.
We looked at the top Video Games and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Video Game you should buy.
Product Details
Key Takeaway: Play with as many as 10 total people with this game's multiplayer option.
In our analysis of 169 expert reviews, the PS4 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
placed 2nd when we looked at the top 15 products in the category. For the full ranking,
see below.
From The Manufacturer
Black Ops is back! Featuring gritty, grounded Multiplayer combat, the biggest Zombies offering ever with three full undead adventures at launch, and Blackout, where the universe of Black Ops comes to life in a massive battle royale experience. Blackout features the largest map in Call of Duty history, signature Black Ops combat, and characters, locations and weapons from the Black Ops series, How to play whether you play on your own (solo), with a friend (duo), or your whole squad (quads), the game’s fundamentals are the same. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Multiplayer raises the bar, delivering the most thrilling experience yet with a focus on tactical, grounded gameplay and player choice. The game offers a new level of online action across a variety of new weaponry, maps and modes. For the first time, Multiplayer serves as the center of the game’s narrative as players explore each Specialist’s role and unique playstyles. With the return of the Pick 10 Create-a-Class system and a new Gear category, gameplay becomes more customizable than ever, giving players choice on how to equip their Specialist. Combined with the ability to unlock devastating Scorestreaks, players will have the opportunity to be powerful on their own or unstoppable as a team. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 delivers the biggest Day 1 Zombies offering ever with three full experiences at launch: IX, Voyage of Despair, and Blood of the Dead. With an exciting new adventure and a brand-new cast of characters, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Zombies will feature the deep gameplay and easter eggs that its rabid community of fans have come to expect. In Blackout, Black Ops comes to life in a massive battle royale experience that features Black Ops signature combat and land, sea, and air vehicles in the biggest map in Call of Duty history. Bringing together the worlds of Black Ops, play as your favorite characters and battle through iconic settings from the Black Ops universe in an all-out survival and elimination experience. PlayStation Players Play New Content First. The Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 community will receive a steady stream of post-launch content within a robust calendar of events, including a variety of free content across all modes. PlayStation players will get access to new content first, including new specialists, maps, Blackout updates and seasonal events. 2018 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS, and the shield logo are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are property of their respective owners.
Expert Reviews
What reviewers liked
It’s great that Black Ops 4’s full arsenal is viable instead of just one or two weapon classes that everyone has to adhere to.
Previous Call of Duty games have almost always been 6v6, except for the Ground War playlist which was 9v9, or Ranked modes. Now, in an effort to bridge the casual Call of Duty players with the competitive ones, Treyarch has reduced public games to 5v5 and increased esports from 4v4 to 5v5. This means that anybody getting involved with Call of Duty for the first time can essentially have the same experience in a public match that pro players find in eSports environments.
Multiplayer modes include returning favorites like Hardpoint and Domination, as well as the objective-based Control, which tasks teams with either attacking or defending two points in a similar manner to Overwatch.
It plays to its strengths and delivers enough multiplayer content to make it worth recommending. It’s a strong entry, with fluid shooting.
I love the feeling of dropping down to some of my favorite Black Ops locations, while feeling like I’m playing a better and more polished version of PUBG.
The whip-sharp precision and reactivity of Blackout’s shooting easily outclasses the slightly-clunky gunplay of PUBG, while the smaller map and the generous distribution of quality loot produce a much faster, more thrilling game that's more akin to Fortnite
Blackout mode has all the hallmarks of a full-fledged battle royale game
Black Ops 4‘s multiplayer also benefits from a genuinely great lineup of maps. Hacienda and Icebreaker are standouts, with Icebreaker especially impressive.
Multiplayer has received some of the biggest changes this year, weaving the familiar bombastic gunplay and some new features that aim to elicit a more tactical approach.
What reviewers didn't like
Black Ops 4’s multiplayer certainly has its issues, including a disappointing new mode Control, and some lacking map designs.
I’ve had a couple of crashes in the week since release but more frustrating are the consistent frame rate skips. Blackout is where they happen the most, but it’s also common in both multiplayer and Zombies. A complete system reboot helps for a while, but then the problem reappears without fail.
For the first time ever in the series, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 doesn’t include a traditional single-player campaign.
However, this year it has cut the single-player campaign in favour of fleshing out its three distinct multiplayer segments, each of which comfortably contains enough content to fill its own full-price release.
I did find the Theater could go a bit wonky and stop responding properly if the clip showed a player emoting, tagging, or even spraying heavy gunfire action. A few saved games caused my PlayStation 4 to blue-screen crash every time I tried to get a screenshot.
It’s worth noting that I’ve experienced some serious stability problems while playing the game on my home PC (part of my time playing was also at an Activision review event). Though it runs for hours without incident, I’ve had occasional crashes in virtually every mode, some in the middle of games. Also, Black Ops 4's invite and party systems need some work. My friends constantly have issues joining my party, and they get booted from it between games with no explanation.
Looting and inventory management clunky on console
Some longtime Call of Duty fans may notice no mention of the campaign, and that’s because Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 doesn’t have a single player campaign.
However, the size does mean buildings are spaced out quite far apart in some sections of the map, so it can take a while to find a weapon if you’re trying to avoid other players touching down in the same area.
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