During our coverage of E3 2018 I got some hands-on time with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Playing the PC version of the game for a Team Deathmatch and a new mode that was similar to Hardpoint in that we had to take and hold various locales, we saw what Treyarch has in store.
The maps were highly-detailed and yet familiar as we battled amongst bunkers, beaches, and elevated areas in a fast-paced battle.
If you have ever played a Call of Duty game online, you know what to expect. Highly customizable characters with specialized skills which are common to the Black Ops series are back as is the fun action of the game. What is new is that the regenerative health system is gone and players must now use a health shot to restore health. This is great when you are under fire but does make you have too pick where and when you will use it.
Most of the characters available to play did have default load outs but we could adjust which perks we wanted to use. I did not see the timer counting down the wait to use a specialized class weapon as we had in Black Ops 3 but supposedly special abilities and gear will be a part of things.
While the game was fun to play, my small sample did not make it seem much different than what we have seen before and without a campaign, it played more like DLC than a brand new entry into the series at times. This is not to say it is a bad thing but it will put the pressure on the new gameplay modes to win over fans as I have some questions and concerns at this stage of things if an online only call of Duty is a diminished experience compared to what we have come to expect from the series. We will all find out this October but I am looking forward to playing more of the game and seeing what the full release offers.
The pics below were provided by Activision P.R.
