Black Ops 7: Full Review

Following our extensive beta testing of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, the game has now officially launched.
We, Christoffer Alberti and Henric Brandt, were provided the opportunity by Activision to play the complete version. During the beta phase, we were limited to exploring only the Zombie mode and standard multiplayer, with the campaign remaining inaccessible.

Now, with the full release, we can delve into the entirety of the game’s offerings. This includes an expanded Zombie experience that promises intense combat, and a campaign mode that uniquely supports up to four players online. This cooperative approach to the campaign is a noteworthy feature.

The Near-Future Campaign

The campaign, designed for a four-player team, is set in the near future, specifically the year 2035. Players gain insight into The Guild, a powerful tech corporation that publicly professes to protect humanity, but has secretly developed a weapon that doesn’t directly kill. Instead, their gas induces hallucinations, confusion, and fear, incapacitating victims by undermining their perception of reality. This represents crowd control on a global scale, and it falls to you and your elite force to navigate a conflict that appears impossible to resolve through peaceful means.

Cooperative Campaign Play Only

The campaign offers an engaging experience, yet its exclusive reliance on a four-player cooperative mode with three other players can be somewhat restrictive. While this setup provides a viable solution for those without an established group of Call of Duty friends, it often highlights challenges with teamwork when playing with unfamiliar individuals. Players may encounter difficulties with coordination if teammates are uncommunicative or rush through objectives. The experience is significantly enhanced when playing with a pre-arranged group that prioritizes communication and collaborative strategy for progression.
Weapon and ability upgrades are also available, facilitating the neutralization of more resilient adversaries.

From a narrative standpoint, the opening sections felt somewhat disorienting. Additional background information could have provided greater clarity for the initial plot developments.

Enhanced Zombie Mode Beyond the Beta

We have also thoroughly tested the Zombie mode. As an enthusiast of zombie-themed games, I eagerly embraced the opportunity for extensive engagement. In the beta, access was unfortunately restricted to a small section of the map, leading to a somewhat confined and repetitive experience, despite the inherent enjoyment of dispatching zombies.

A Larger, More Dynamic Zombie Experience

With the game’s full release, the experience is considerably different. The initial map is substantially larger, requiring players to utilize vehicles to traverse between distinct areas and access more engaging sections. Consistent with the mode’s design, zombie resistance progressively increases, creating a challenging climb towards what can feel like an insurmountable horde. The solution, however, remains straightforward: strategically upgrading perks and weaponry allows players to efficiently manage the advancing waves.

Having also played the Zombie mode in Black Ops 6, this iteration feels like a clear improvement. Players should exercise caution regarding the formidable zombie bear that periodically appears, as encountering it amidst a large pursuing horde presents a significant tactical challenge.

With that overview, I will now hand over to Henric, who shared the testing experience with me.

Thank you, Christoffer. I will continue from here. My engagement with Call of Duty spans over two decades, originating with my experience of the first title on Xbox 360. The series has consistently delivered engaging gameplay, intense multiplayer combat, and typically compelling single-player campaigns. Unfortunately, in Call of Duty – Black Ops 7, the campaign mode detracts from the overall experience. This is partly due to a narrative that is rather convoluted and disjointed, featuring jumps in continuity and requiring significant prior knowledge of its characters, thus making it difficult for new players to immediately grasp the plot. While the gameplay mechanics are enjoyable, a significant point of contention is the inability to play the campaign solo, as it *only* supports co-operative play with three other players.

This design choice, in my opinion, introduces several issues. Firstly, it necessitates finding other players, potentially leading to wait times when a player simply wishes to commence playing. While this might be manageable during the game’s initial release, its long-term viability as player numbers potentially decline is questionable. Secondly, as Christoffer noted, playing with unfamiliar teammates often results in a lack of cooperation, with individuals rushing through levels, leaving others behind. This diminishes player agency, a frustrating aspect. When I replayed levels with Christoffer, with only the two of us present, I was able to observe elements and details I had missed during earlier attempts with random groups. Essentially, I experienced the level fully for the *first* time during its *second* playthrough. As someone who does not typically favor multiplayer, especially with strangers, being compelled to play the campaign cooperatively is quite disappointing and frustrating. The absence of a solo mode featuring AI companions is a perplexing omission.

Furthermore, if players leave or disconnect during a session, leaving a team with fewer than four members, the game does not replace them with bots. This results in characters who are audibly present in dialogue, yet visibly absent from the level, and who reappear in cutscenes, which creates a jarring discrepancy.

The game’s core gameplay mechanics, graphics, and fluidity are unequivocally strong. Even during the most intense engagements, the frame rate consistently maintained 120 fps (2160p) on the Playstation 5 Pro. I encountered no texture pop-in or other graphical anomalies. On the standard Playstation 5, 120fps is also achievable, albeit at a slightly lower resolution (1440p). The controls are precise, allowing for a seamless return to the familiar Call of Duty combat experience.

In summary, Christoffer and I deliberated extensively regarding our final rating. While certain aspects of the campaign’s narrative are weak, and the concept of a co-op-only campaign may seem appealing on paper, the inability to choose a solo experience is, as noted, a significant point of frustration for players.

Despite these criticisms, we ultimately decided to recommend Call of Duty – Black Ops 7. This recommendation is primarily based on its intense and engaging gameplay. When played with a group of three friends, the campaign experience becomes considerably more enjoyable and rewarding. The multiplayer modes, with Zombie mode being a standout, are, as always, robust and challenging, complemented by excellent fluidity and graphics. Furthermore, there remains the possibility that a dedicated solo mode could be introduced in a future update, given that the demand for such an option extends beyond our own observations.

Activision provided a review code for this assessment. The material provider had no editorial influence on the content of our review.