Just like the sports games that release alongside it every year, theCall of Dutyfranchise has often been criticized for sticking too close to the same formula. To combat this,Call of Dutyhas tried to bring something new to the table every year. Though these new features have often been related toco-op modesand multiplayer mechanics, they’ve occasionally impacted the campaign as well, and that’s the case forCall of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6has implemented a swathe of new features across all three of its core modes. The new Omnimovement system, for instance, significantly changes the flow of multiplayer and Zombies and allows for some creative level design in the campaign. ButBlack Ops 6’s new features don’t stop there, and there’s one campaign-exclusive element that finally delivers on a promise thatCall of Dutyhas been trying to fulfill for years.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s ‘Hunting Season’ Finally Shows the Potential of an Open-World Mission
Call of Duty’s Past Open Missions Have Been a Mixed Bag
For a few years now, eachCall of Dutyentry has tried to include at least one open-ended mission in its campaign.2019’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfareintroduced more open-ended stealth missionsthat presented the player with a larger map and a set of non-linear objectives. 2022’sModern Warfare 2had a similar set of stealth missions, with levels like ‘Recon by Fire’ tasking the player with sneaking around a cliffside encampment at their own pace.
Last year’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3tried to up the ante with itsOpen Combat missions, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The concept behind these missions was strong, dropping players into a large space and tasking them with achieving various objectives any way they saw fit.
However, in reality, these missions felt disappointingly generic. The open areas lacked personality, there was a severe lack of narrative content incentivizing players to complete objectives, and players were very limited in the type of playstyle they could use, with most Open Combat missions heavily encouraging stealth.
‘Hunting Season’ Offers A Taste of Everything Fans Could Want From an Open-World Call of Duty
But after years of unfulfilled promise,Call of Duty: Black Ops 6finally delivers a true open-worldCall of Dutyexperience. The fourth mission inBlack Ops 6’s campaign, ‘Hunting Season’, sees players travel across the deserts of Iraq in search of three Scud missile launchers. In between these three missile launchers is an abundance of optional objectives. For the first time inCall of Dutyhistory, players are actually given total freedom in how and when they approach these objectives.
There’s a nice variety to these optional objectives as well, with some being simple loot drops and some being large enemy encampments, among a few others. Each of these optional objectives also has significant value, with each offering rewards like new weapons, gadgets, and currency that can be used on upgrades back in the Rook.
Players are also given far more freedom in how they complete these objectives than those found inModern Warfare 3’s Open Combat missions. Players can find silenced snipers and throwing knives for a stealthier approach, along with RC-XDs, rocket launchers, and evenChopper Gunner Scorestreaksfor a louder assault. It may not be perfect, butCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s ‘Hunting Season’ finally lays a strong foundation for future open-world missions.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
