With autumn shortly upon the world, gamers know this can only mean one thing; a new Call of Duty game is coming out soon. Announced relatively late in the cycle, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War recently received its reveal trailer, using just two and a half minutes to promise the intense action fans crave.
This sneak peak, along with a few interviews, has given players plenty of reasons to be excited. However, a few things have people worried. Until further information is divulged or the product is released, most will remain cautiously optimistic.
10 EXCITED: The Return Of The Black Ops Cast
While four games prior to this have used the Black Ops name, only the first two games really felt connected. Black Ops III took place in the far future and had little to do with the Cold War plot lines, and Black Ops IV eschewed a campaign entirely.
With Black Ops Cold War, many familiar faces are returning, most notably Jason Hudson and Frank Woods. Not only is it great to see these guys return, but also the story they've been a part of that fans have since grown invested in.
9 WORRIED: It's Been Only Two Years After Black Ops IV
This generation, studios have been given three years between games. Ghosts, Infinite Warfare, and Modern Warfare by Infinity Ward were all three years apart. Meanwhile, Black Ops IV was released in 2018, giving Cold War a mere two year gap after the previous title.
This should have been Sledgehammer's year, since Call of Duty: WWII was made in 2017. Rumors have swirled about trouble within Sledgehammer causing the change in studios, but these are difficult to confirm or deny as of this writing.
8 EXCITED: The Return Of Black Ops Single-Player
As popular as the multiplayer mode in Call of Duty is, many players tune into the series mostly for the bombastic campaigns, causing disappointment for many when Black Ops IV completely lacked one.
It stung in particular because Black Ops II and III had standout single-player stories which tried something new with the formula. Thankfully, fans can be assured knowing the new title will come packed in with a fully-fleshed out story mode.
7 WORRIED: Oversimplifying The Cold War
The decades long conflict between the United States of America and the Soviet Union is ripe ground for fiction, and games like Metal Gear Solid 3 have already taken advantage of the setting for their stories. It makes sense that Call of Duty would take a stab at Cold War fiction, but the execution of this narrative is what have fans and observers worried.
The Call of Duty franchise is not exactly known for treating stories with nuance or sensitivity, so one justifiably worries it will oversimplify the Cold War -- a long, drawn out conflict that was influenced by a myriad of complex factors, whose effects can still be felt today. Of course, the series always has a chance to surprise players. Fingers crossed Cold War ends up in the latter.
6 EXCITED: Multiple Endings & Side Quests
The developers have already confirmed the single-player contains optional side quests which will affect the story and the ending. This sounds similar to the mission structure of Black Ops II, which included bonus missions that influenced the ending.
Additionally, certain moments in missions would also enact more subtle changes, sometimes unknown to players who only beat it once. This returning aspect hints that the campaign will take some big swings.
5 WORRIED: What Game Modes Multiplayer Will Have?
It goes without saying that Modern Warfare upped the ante with its multiplayer offerings. In addition to the plethora of maps, several new game modes switched up what one expects from the series and went on to be the most celebrated aspects of competitive play. Gunfight, in particular, comes to mind.
With little information regarding the multiplayer of Black Ops Cold War, it is possible the new suite will not carry over all of these modes, which will disappoint many fans.
4 EXCITED: It's A New Setting
Despite seventeen years worth of games, there are not a lot of places and time periods the Call of Duty franchise has not been in. In fact, most Call of Duty games take place in the same time periods, especially World War II. It has been a while since the series took place in the '80s and dealt with the Cold War, though.
The trailers highlight gameplay taking place in Vietnam and Berlin. However, closer inspection also reveals some action taking place in the United States, close to the Mexican border. This all but guarantees a new place for players to visit and new historical events to reenact.
3 WORRIED: Players Need To Have Two Games Installed To Play Warzone
All signs point to Warzone continuing life after Black Ops Cold War's release. While it is promising to see the free-to-play mode receive support after the new title, does this mean people who want to play both have to keep both games installed on their hard drives?
The battle royale requires a full install of Modern Warfare even if the player didn't buy it, and this is already well over one hundred gigabytes. The new entry probably won't be much lighter in hard drive space, either.
2 EXCITED: It's A Sequel, Not A Reboot
Modern Warfare found intense success by rebooting the brand, leading many to believer a new Black Ops game would do the same. Instead, Black Ops Cold War is a direct sequel to 2010's Black Ops, setting the action shortly afterwards rather than going to a distant future like the prior Black Ops installments did.
Considering how much people love the original characters and the historical setting, this idea is more exciting than pressing the reset button on the plot.
1 WORRIED: It's Using A Different Engine
2019's Modern Warfare ran on a new engine, which wowed players with its intense lighting effects and realistic aesthetic. The animation also took a notable upgrade in this entry. However, Black Ops Cold War will not use the same engine, instead building upon what Treyarch already did with the prior Black Ops games.
This does not mean the new engine cannot also impress in unforeseen ways. After all, the new trailer looks gorgeous! It's hard to suppress these concerns, though.