Cardcaptor Sakura Memory Key launches September 12th

This weekend I spent a good chunk of my time checking out the Beta for the upcoming title Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. I thought I knew what to expect going in, but I'm happy to report that the game honestly surprised me.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the latest entry in the long running Black Ops sub-series within Call of Duty. The series originally began back in 2008 with the release of Call of Duty World at War, and has since then continued to keep an identity of it's own. While many aspects of Call of Duty carry across the entire series, Black Ops always finds a way to make itself feel different and stand out from the rest.

With Black Ops 6, the game is set around the year 1991, and as such the maps, weapons, and everything else about the game is focused on that time period. No futuristic weapons, or mech suits, or anything sci-fi related can be seen from a mechanic point of view, but that's not to say that weapon cosmetics and character skins aren't sometimes "far out there."

As for the Beta, the only part of the game players were allowed access to was the multiplayer mode, which "lore wise" actually takes place after the game's main story. So while the story itself was not seen in this early access, the outcome of some of the events were teased by the maps themselves. This wasn't the surprise I was talking about however.

Returning to Classic Black Ops:

The first thing I quickly noticed about Black Ops 6 is the fact that this game is returning to "Classic" Black Ops. They already announced that Zombies would have the original wave mode, and that other classic Black Ops aspects would return, but I didn't realize how much this actually meant.

Just last week I was talking to a friend about how I missed when bodies remained on the field for a set period of time. I was a weird one and would sometimes use said bodies to hide and ambush my enemies, but the newer CoD games haven't allowed you to do this. Well speak of the devil because that's exactly one of the features that returned here! Just like in the originals, if someone dies their corpse remains behind, and that means those laying down can blend in with them. This makes it so you have to actually keep an eye out, and not just assume everyone laying on the ground is actually dead, and it means you as a player can use this to an advantage.

Other systems have returned like the classic version of the level up and unlock system. Attachments are also now more streamlined compared to previous entries where you can physically see where your attachments go, and the new UI makes it a bit more clear on exactly what attachments will change. As for the level up system itself, the game returns to the classic prestige, where doing so will rest your progress, but the Beta only allowed us to play up until level 20 (for now).

Putting aside these mechanics, the game just felt like classic Black Ops to it's very core, but the surprising change came from it's omni movement.

Faster and more Fluid:

It's hard to exactly explain how fast Black Ops 6 is, and how fluid it's new omni movement and adjusting weapon system really is. That's why I captured the quick 1 minute clip to show off. Keep in mind that this is the PlayStation 5 version of the game.

Movement in general is quick and snappy, and the ability to run in any direction greatly speeds up your movement speed. Combine with perks that allow you to aim quicker, there's really not much of a reason to take it slow and walk, as walking might get you killed faster than running. Being able to slide and jump or throw yourself over objects is also insanely useful (you can see one such player doing this in the above video), and can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

It all feels really nice to pull off, but the thing that shocked me the most was the gun adjustments. It's hard to see from gameplay, but when actually playing you'll realize exactly how the gun itself changes based on what you are doing. It will automatically lift up over objects or peak around corners to allow you to continue shooting and aiming. It feels like an aim assist without actually being an aim assist. 

Thanks to it, you don't have to worry about a random rock or something getting in your way, and instead can keep aiming and shooting at your target. It's completely natural feeling once you get used to it, but it completely threw me off when I first started the game up. It makes Black Ops Cold War stiff in comparison... And I love it.

Gameplay Modes and Maps:

The Beta had access to six maps and six gameplay modes. These maps and modes were completely chosen at random, but had the typical player vote system in place. Because of this, despite putting in so many hours, I mostly found myself playing Domination more than anything else. That being said, the maps and modes were as follows:

Maps:

• Rewind
• Derelict
• Scud
• Skyline
• Gale
• Pit

Game Modes:

• Domination
• Hardpoint
• Team Deathmatch
• Kill Order
• Face off Team Deathmach
• Face off Kill Confirmed

While some maps were bigger than others, I ended up really liking all of the new ones. Derelict was the first map I played on, and is an abandoned depot. It was a hectic more closed in experience, with non stop explosions and gunfire all around me each time I played here. It follows the classic "three lane" map design to a T, and had plenty of ways to go about securing the objectives. Meanwhile maps like Scud were large and open, with underground passages, and plenty of other areas to hide in to stay out of that "openness." (It's also where the above clip was captured.) I really, REALLY ended up liking this map, but my earlier experiences with it were a little rough.

Skyline is cool because it is set within a penthouse, complete with an outdoor pool, and other unique living areas. It has a secret underside that was fun to hide in whenever you were the designated target (so many new players had no idea how to get down there), and also was a great example of the three lane design. Rewind was also great, as it takes place within a small town area, complete with a movie rental store, and a "chicken fast food chain" across the street.

Honestly I just loved all of these maps, and I look forward to playing them in the full game. None of them felt cheap, and even those with camping spots had pretty easy ways to stop players from doing so. Every section of the map has multiple ways in, so you can't just block off one door.

As for the Game Modes, it's pure classic Call of Duty. Domination has you trying to capture and hold points, Hardpoint has a moving point, Team Deathmatch is all about getting kills, while Kill Order designates a target to kill and you must do so. Kill Confirmed on the other hand is about killing, but you have to pick up the dog tag of the person who died to get the point; it forces you to get up close and personal, and doing so can lead to your own death.

All of these modes were perfect for testing out the Beta, but it would've been tool to see some of the more unique modes as well.

See you in Week 2:

Overall my experience with Black Ops 6 Beta has been a lot of fun. It didn't take too long to get to level 20 for the first weekend. The daily goals helped give EXP boosts to get things done faster, but even without that it only took about 5 hours to hit that cap. During that time I had a lot of fun, but it also left me wanting more. Since the Beta is limited on guns, maps, and game modes, I eventually found myself simply wishing that the full game was out already.

The Beta didn't contain my favorite guns to use, but I still had a lot of fun with what was currently available; it also kept things a bit more balanced because everyone used the exact same thing. There was no "YOU BEAT ME BECAUSE YOUR GUN IS BETTER" arguments in voice chat with people cussing each other out, because everyone had the same weapons. Also a message flashed to let us know we were being recorded, so in general it wasn't very toxic. I did have a run in with a Mickey Mouse soundboard, and someone who repeated back all the audio they heard... But a simple mute took care of the problem. Otherwise it was a pretty chill Beta, and I enjoyed myself.

Again, what we could do in the Beta was pretty limited, but it did reassure me that I will be happy with my purchase of the full game. I'm also really looking forward to Week 2, where new content is being added in, and the level cap is being increased to 30. It's going to be great!