A step up from the previous game, but still needs refining

Aug 6, 2018 02:13 GMT  ·  By

Activision's yearly Call of Duty game will make its debut on October 12 , but those who pre-ordered Black Ops 4 are getting a first taste of what's to come thanks to the Multiplayer Beta that's now live exclusively for PS4 players.

If you'd rather play on PC (or Xbox One), you'll be able to do so starting August 10, at 10am/PT, and until August 13, at 10 am/PT. Keep in mind though that the open beta for the PC will start on August 11 at 10am/PT, one day later than the closed beta.

Anyway, I got the chance to try out the PS4 version during the private beta and while I haven't been impressed by the new Call of Duty game, I reckon that it plays and feels very different than the previous iteration.

The first thing that comes to mind is that it's more tactical and less chaotic than Black Ops 3. And yes, the wall running move was completely removed. However, you can now prone and slide, which makes much more sense than being able to run on walls.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
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There's a plethora of classes that players can now choose from, while some make a return (i.e. Battery, Ruin), each with its own special abilities that can be used on the battlefield. The one thing they have in common is the healing medkit that has a cooldown. I find it a nice addition as a gameplay feature since it could potentially prolong the survivability of players on the battlefield.

Six maps are available for the first Black Ops 4 closed beta – Frequency, Contraband, Seaside, Payload, Hacienda, Gridlock, and four multiplayer modes – Control, Chaos Team Deathmatch, Capture Moshpit, and Search & Destroy. However, depending on the day and time, new game mode variants will be available to players.

Aside from the Hacienda map that I found awkwardly confusing due to the jungle-like environment, all the other maps seem well-thought and slightly larger than what we've been used to in the past. Each map has strategic points from where you can double your number of kills, but you'll have to identify them and make sure you can defend them since the enemy team will probably attack these points first.

As I've mentioned earlier, you get to choose from 10 specialists: Ruin, Seraph, Firebreak, Battery, Recon, Torque, Crash, Ajax, Nomad, and Prophet. Each class comes with special issue weaponry and equipment that complement one another, which is why Black Ops 4 matches are more tactical than ever, especially if you bring your friends into the team and use the communication tools at your disposal.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
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I've been blown away by the chaos and confusion the first games I played, but once people learn to use the abilities of their specialists and the maps, that chaos tones down to the point that you can actually have fun killing opponents with your K9-Unit or flamethrower.

Graphics-wise, there are not complaints, but I'm expecting to see much better visual on the PC version. There's one thing that I find a bit awkward, the UI/UX. The main menu seems to have borrowed some elements from Destiny, in the form of a large thumbstick cursor and rectangular sub-menus. Not to mention that some UI elements are almost impossible to read on a big TV if you stay like 10 feet away.

Otherwise, I consider Black Ops 4 a step up, a major improvement over the previous game, especially gameplay-wise. I didn't pay attention to how good some weapons are in comparison with others, but I'm hoping that Treyarch will balance everything before launching the game. On top of that, Black Ops 4 does seem to have a class for everyone, so there's no excuse not to try it out if you're into multiplayer games.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 screenshots (10 Images)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
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