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Call of Duty Black Ops 4 - first impressions from the pros
The closed beta was available for those few lucky enough to grab access codes (and folks who pre-ordered the title - which launches on 12 October for PS4, Xbox One and PC). Here are some thoughts
The latest offering in the COD franchise has a few twists and turns on offer. For starters, there is no campaign mode and BO4 will also offer up a Battle Royale type mode in the hope of enticing PUBG and Fortnite fans to move over to the game.
Game Developer Treyarch is very clearly attempting to revitalise the Call of Duty franchise. After our first look at the game at E3 this year, many likened certain aspects of the footage to various other titles including Rainbow Six Siege and even Overwatch. Taking the best aspects of first person shooter favourites and combining them with beloved franchise might just give Call of Duty the boost it needs in the esports scene but also inject life into the game and return it to being one of the most energetic multiplayer offerings available. While we’ll need to wait till October to find out these South African pros weighed in on their initial thoughts on COD BO4 after playing the beta.
Dillon ‘Lithium’ Charalambous, team captain of Bravado Gaming is arguably one of South Africa’s most versatile Call of Duty players. He says that so far, BO4 has delivered on his expectations:
“Treyarch always delivers for the fans. I think we’re in for a good season of Call of Duty on a competitive level and a casual level. I really enjoyed the mechanics of the game. The movement and flow of the game is really quick and action packed, which makes it great to play but also fun to watch. The developer also did an awesome job with the colours in the game: they are really vibrant and create a good atmosphere to play in.
The beta has only been out for two days, so there are still issues that need to be sorted out regarding FPS drops, gun tweaks and armour that needs to be nerfed. However, Treyarch have already taken feedback from the community and are working on these issues already - which is great to see! I think this will be a great esports title. Treyarch have always delivered to the community and this game is no different. We are playing a boots on the ground Treyarch Call of Duty so we really cannot ask for more. 2019 is going to be a good year for the Call of Duty scene!”
Jason “Beyond” Louw echos Lithium’s Treyarch love. The Call of Duty shoutcaster and ex pro player says he was hyped for the developer’s offering as he believes Treyarch makes the best COD games in the developer rotation:
“This time Treyarch had an extra year to focus on the game. I knew we were going to see something magical. Many of the other COD games (here’s looking at you Infinite Warfare) really dimmed down the excitement and player base in the beloved series. In Vonderhaar we trust, so this game was definitely one I was expecting great things from. The main aspect of the game I enjoyed was the feel to it: the intense gun battles and fast paced nature of it. I enjoy adrenaline filled gameplay. The maps were colourful and detailed - Treyarch always delivers with their maps. The other minor detailed I loved was the crisp sound of everything: from the guns, the bass filled explosions and, funnily enough, even jumping into the water sounded satisfying. It’s the little things that really make one appreciate this game.
However, I do need to bring one thing up. Armoured is the worst addition to the game. If you haven’t played the beta: Armoured is a gear piece you can take out - it adds protection against bullet damage. Keep in mind that BO4 already added an extra 50 HP to the initial 100HP we are used to, so having armoured adds what feels like another 50HP. There is a reason Juggernaught from COD 4 was frowned upon and didn’t make the sequels. The 9 bang was a nightmare to see getting tossed at you. Whenever you see Ajax on the other team, prepare to be stunned so bad it feels like someone is holding on to the floor with a blanket over your face. On top of Ajax, he has a Riot Shield he can equip at times during a match. But, what makes it the most OP piece of gear is that he can fire his gun while behind the shield. Previous COD games forced you to put the shield away in order to fire your weapon. The specialist Crash has a specialist weapon that, when used on allies, boosts their max health, not sure by how much but it is indicated with a yellow health bar. Now, add that with the armour, times by the rage you will get and… I’ll let you find that answer for yourself.
Considering this game is so enjoyable to grind, I can see many players picking up their controllers to delve into the competitive side of the game. A few tweaks here and there to balance out the specialists and the guns will make this an interesting season to follow. The specialists in particular provide a more tactical approach to the game so I’m excited to see what it has in store for us when we are aware of the maps we will use and what is allowed or banned by COD World League.”
Pro player Matthew “Worthy” Rebelo from Ladon Esports agrees with Beyond and thinks the HP level on the extra armour needs to be tuned down. However, he agrees that the game pace is the stand out for BO4:
“BO4 is very fast and me being a fast sub player meant I really enjoyed that. Lots of hard teamwork will pay off which makes it a great competitive title. While playing I used the Cordite, MX-9 and Spitfire. All of them are good but the Cordite was my favourite, the Firebreak was also fun to use. His reactor core ability was a great addition when multiple people were around me and his flamethrower was also quite enjoyable after getting used to it. I’m a fan of the new healing system too. This could really make COD an attractive esport to watch as it requires considerable strategy and skill. You simply cannot just get online and be the best. You will need to grind.”
South African COD shoutcaster Dalre ‘Dellas’ Vermaak says the beta had him hooked from the start:
“I played this beta more than IW and WWII combined, and that is saying something! The weapons and the colour scheme of the maps impressed me. The weapons are really balanced and I still cannot decide what my favourite map was. I do think the armour has to go though. With 150 health already being so much, adding armour is a little crazy. The use of grenades with the cool down system isn’t something I’m really fond of either. Looking at the modes in the BO4 beta, when playing Domination: it comes to half time and all your progression towards your score streaks are reset… I didn’t like that. I’m excited for the game to launch in October and to see how it fits into the esports landscape. Everyone always wants multiple guns to use that are balanced and I do think they did a good job in the beta to keep it that way. Modes will be an interesting one, just to see if they will add something new in the rotation other than HP and S&D. I think competitive players and fans will be excited that specialist is back and will be wondering if there will be a ban and protection system like in BO3 or if it will come down to a gentleman’s agreement again.”
Prominent South African Streamer “Super Dave” from Super2bit fame weighed in after streaming the beta. He also had a chance to play the game at E3 and said it feels very much like Black Ops 3, which is a good thing:
“I welcome the standardization in terms of the gameplay because I spent many hours trying to get better in BO3 and with BO4 I felt like all that game time and muscle memory rushed back to me making the top of the scoreboard something that was attainable. The last thing I wanted was some crazy new gameplay mechanic like giant mountable hamsters that you can ride in zero gravity because I don’t have the time to master new mechanics like that sadly. So I’m glad they keeping the Blops DNA pure with this one.
Healing and classes stood out for me. I played with every class and really liked some of the abilities. Some felt weaker than others such as the RC seeker drone that felt a bit broken but I enjoyed the grappling hook and shield abilities as those could quickly turn a gun fight in your favor if you use them properly especially when the odds are stacked against you. I love the healing mechanic, something I have come very used to doing after countless hours in PUBG and Islands of Nine. This also adds another level of strategy to the game because if you get smashed down to 10HP, a clever slide and a quick heal and you can launch a counter attack before your enemy has a chance to reload. Also I found myself dying less thanks to the healing mechanic so that’s always a good thing.”
“I liked self healing, it made for more exciting plays and choices you make in game,” says Joshua “Rocky” Bransgrove from Origin Esports. “I wasn’t a huge fan of body armour but the game allows you to counter it with AP rounds which is an extra attachment on your weapon. I think COD BO4 has a lot of potential to bring back the hype we haven’t seen over the years. I feel it will bring back old and new players to the scene growing the South African Call of Duty community. With that in mind the gameplay is fun and entertaining to watch and will definitely bring a lot of spectators back, where the past Call of Duties you may have seen this decrease.”
Final thoughts on the beta from the captain of Vinco Gaming’s COD team, Lee ‘Javaa’ Johnson: “When I first started playing the beta, it felt like an entirely new game. Everything was so fast paced that it was extremely difficult to adapt and keep up with the players who had already played for some hours prior, the game just felt like it wasn’t Call Of Duty, and I soon got a headache with the intense amount of awareness I needed in game.The movement system immediately reminded me of the Black Ops 3 days but the Health Regen system was completely unfamiliar, so it was only natural to start out with some doubts.
After a long while of playing and learning, everything felt like second nature. I was now able to focus on the better parts of the game. The vibrant colour schemes of the maps and game in general is a classic trait of any Treyarch Call of Duty. The guns are well balanced, which means that there is a large diversity in gunfight situation which makes the game that much more enjoyable.
However, I’m not a fan of the inconsistencies found in specific weapon classes, while some weapons found in the class have certain attachments such as stock, other weapons will not, which means that you will have to adapt accordingly to each gun instead of per weapon class, which could lead to extreme difficulty later on in the game when the meta changes.
I feel like if they get the maps right and have enjoyable game modes, this could be the best game in the franchise for esports. With the fast paced action and vibrant colours this game is immediately more attractive to view than other titles. Hopefully Activision are able to use their marketing skills to put more emphasis on the esport scene than before, this will create a drastic improvement in viewership and overall competition.”
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