Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

 Xbox One
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
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  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Dec 18, 2018
    60
    Tired and lacking ideas, this is the most disappointing CoD in years that follows, not leads. [Christmas 2018, p.72]
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  1. FANDOM
    Oct 16, 2018
    Essentially, Black Ops 4 a Frankenstein Monster of a FPS experience. That’s fine. It’s also a little bit sad. Time will tell if the package peels further back to reveal more of its own soul. [Provisional score = 70]

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best Xbox One Game of 2018
11
#11 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2018
14
#14 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2018

User Reviews

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User Score
4.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 438 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 127 out of 438
  2. Mixed: 68 out of 438
  3. Negative: 243 out of 438
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Oct 23, 2018
    8
    The game looks and sounds awesome and the added little details dotted around not only make the gameplay more fun but it also makes it moreThe game looks and sounds awesome and the added little details dotted around not only make the gameplay more fun but it also makes it more immersive as well. There’s plenty of different multiplayer modes and customisation for you to try out and this will no doubt keep fans satisfied for quite a while.
    Shooting feels very tight and responsive and using each gun feels different and satisfying the whole way through. Blackout surprised me a great deal because I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did, but I must admit it felt fresh and unique in some ways. There are a decent variety of maps at your disposal and playing on them felt rewarding and fun for the most part. I was a little disappointed that there was no single player campaign and I think this will be off-putting for quite a few people.
    There isn’t really anything new when it comes to the gameplay mechanics so it basically plays like all the previous Call of Duty game’s. Overall the Call of Duty franchise is an absolute juggernaut that has prided itself on its vast and at times unique multiplayer experience. This time around though they’ve definitely made the multiplayer experience even bigger than normal and for me Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 offers you the best multiplayer experience in the series so far. There’s a ton for you to do in the game and being able to chop and change various details not only keeps certain modes fun but it also keeps them fresh as well. Of course the gameplay wouldn’t be as fresh if they didn’t have a few intricate maps, and thankfully I’m pleased to say that they’ve done a brilliant job with the maps that are present in the game. They’ve also done a brilliant job with the shooting elements in the game as well and trying out each gun was very fun and satisfying. In terms of issues my biggest one with the game is that it offers no single player campaign and unfortunately I can see that putting a few people off. That being said it still doesn’t stop me from recommending Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 to you because it offers a lot of varied content and it offers you a battle royale mode that feels fresh and it will no doubt keep you satisfied for months to come.    … Full Review »
  2. McGillotine
    Oct 12, 2018
    4
    Extremely lackluster, Black Ops 4 promised to be more than your average multiplayer experience however aside from a battle royale modeExtremely lackluster, Black Ops 4 promised to be more than your average multiplayer experience however aside from a battle royale mode casually thrown in to appeal to PUBG and Fornite audiences there isn't all that much extra on offer to justify Black Ops 4's price tag.

    Specialist HQ:
    Specialist HQ replaces story mode in Black ops 4 and is inspired heavily by Rainbow Six Siege's Situations mode. The mode encompasses 10 missions one for each specialist and serves as a tutorial mission. After each mission the player is awarded a star and a piece of cut-scene that when put together serves as the games "story". i use the term "story" very loosely as the cut-scenes lack context, make no sense and only confuse even the most intelligent of players. The only positive from this mode is the narration by SGT Frank Woods, voiced By James C. Burns, who maintains his trademark humor

    Zombies
    Zombies is back and as complicated as ever. I feel like i'm the only person sometimes who misses classic zombies. The thrill of running around, chugging perk sodas and mowing down zombies with pack-a-punched weapons. In a sense Black Ops 4 still does contain these elements, however, with class systems and an over-reliance on Easter eggs over survival, zombies continues its downward spiral into mediocrity with great maps being devalued by unneeded mechanics.

    Blackout
    The main draw of Black ops 4 is its unoriginal battle royale mode. Implemented solely to cash in on what is the current fad in gaming. Blackout is exactly what you would expect from a battle royale game. Dropped into battle with nothing more than your clothes, you collect gear and kill every other player until you or your team are left victorious. For those who are attracted to battle royale modes, you will likely have a great deal of fun. However if you hate battle royale of don't care much for it like me, you'll find that BO4 does little to change your outlook. The map itself is okay and aside from some baron areas and the noticeable decline in graphics, the game mode does run pretty well. I find myself placing in the top 5 on a frequent basis however while the mode is for the most part is smooth, i find myself having little fun with the mode itself.

    Multiplayer
    Black Ops 2 will be forever in my heart as the time the franchise peaked with its multiplayer. Every other game in the franchise has tried to "innovate" in some way or another and failed to reach the same heights as BO2. Whether it be Ghost's significantly decreasing the time to kill or Advanced Warfare adding jump packs or BO3 adding wall running and classes there has been a need to innovate the series regardless of whether or not its the right direction or not. Black ops 4 strips most of these "innovations" keeping only classes, a shorter time to kill, and the health bar system from WW2. Classes are for the most part unbalanced and limit player class customization, though restricting the players throw-ables and specialist abilities to 1 option per class. This means that while some characters will be able to hold a cluster sticky bomb others will only be able to hold a flashbang. The shorter time to kill is also a pain in the ass and throws skill out the window in exchange for who has the itchiest trigger finger. The health system is also completely redundant. As the player has to manually recharge their health by pressing button on their controller, this takes the player out of the action for half a second as their health goes back up. While this system would make more sense if health recharges were limited, a complete lack of limitation of how many times you can heal yourself in a single life makes the entire mechanic ridiculous as you have to remember after each encounter to press a button to recharge your health. The maps featured in Black ops 4 are also pretty average for a COD game and feature the typical three lanes of death: one path on the right, one of the left and one in the middle. Games end up playing extremely similar to one another and are pretty lackluster.

    As a fully priced game there is little to justify the heavy price tag. There is a distinct lack of content, that blackout and zombies fails to account for and the entire experience feels half done. Sure there are three zombies maps in the base game, but BO1 achieved that feat aswell and that had a campaign!. Now, I won't bring up Campaign anymore, because Treyach has been vocal in this not being one of the games features and its only fair to critique what is in the actual game. But in the being said the game is a bare bones experiences, if you like killing things to no end, you'll like Black Ops 4, however if you like a bit of depth to your game and some story, you probably won't like Black Ops 4    … Full Review »
  3. thierry83
    Oct 12, 2018
    2
    I wand my 60 euro back bad game. Not word the money boring and still the same and noting compare to pug.Also the same 50 euro pass for theI wand my 60 euro back bad game. Not word the money boring and still the same and noting compare to pug.Also the same 50 euro pass for the same crappy maps. Even free the same thing from CoD… Full Review »
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