Treyarch is back with Black Ops 6, and this time, they’re taking us back directly into the aftermath of the Black Ops Cold War events. No more jetpacks, no more wall-running, no more massive time jump – just good old-fashioned boots on the ground and a conspiracy that finds its way through a fragmented world.

After the massive letdown of Sledgehammer Games’ Modern Warfare 3, I was not keen on where the franchise was going with its campaign direction. However, Treyarch did not disappoint. The team went beyond and was surprisingly successful with its decision to improve upon the opportunities Modern Warfare III had. I’m happy and enjoyed every bit of the offering Black Ops 6 had.

Black Ops campaign throws us into the early 90s, hot on the heels of the Persian Gulf War. We’re not fighting the Soviets directly this time, but a shadowy organization known as the Pantheon. Now, I’ll admit, I was initially skeptical. Last year’s Modern Warfare III left me disappointed, with a campaign that felt more like just an extended Warzone experience than a cohesive narrative and straightforward, linear story that I loved the most about the franchise. But Black Ops 6 surprised me. The story kept me engaged and it’s never been this great. The characters, particularly the returning Russell Adler, felt more fleshed out, their motivations clearer.

The gameplay itself is classic Call of Duty that we all love. Tight gunplay, explosive set pieces, and a decent variety of mission objectives. I particularly enjoyed the open-world segments in Kuwait, offering a welcome change of pace from the usual corridor shooting, and it’s a tad better than Modern Warfare III’s Warzone-esque missions. Destroying S.A.Ms to pave the way for air support, saving soldiers from a crash site, and discovering supply drops gave the Kuwait mini-sandbox segment in Black Ops 6 more meaning, a clearer goal compared, unlike Modern Warfare III.

Multiplayer, as always, is the core of the Call of Duty experience, and with Raven Software’s help, Black Ops 6 delivers a solid, if somewhat familiar, package. The new maps are well-designed, catering to a variety of playstyles. The gunplay feels refined, and the time-to-kill is thankfully forgiving.

Zombies mode makes a return to its round-based roots, ditching the open-world approach of Modern Warfare III. While I haven’t spent as much time with it, the two new maps and revamped upgrade system show promise.

I played Black Ops 6 with a gaming rig that has an Intel Core i9-12900KF, 64 GB of DDR5 4800MHz, an ASUS ROG Strix 4090, and a 1TB WD_Black SSD. The performance has never felt so well-optimized. Running Black Ops 6 above 144 frames per second consistently in max graphical settings with upscaling methods off made the entire experience smooth like butter, giving me the chance to react faster than I usually do in Modern Warfare III.

Black Ops 6 is a welcome return to form for the series. A strong campaign, solid multiplayer, and a promising Zombies mode make this a worthy entry for both longtime fans and newcomers alike. While it may not revolutionize the franchise, it refines the core formula and delivers a satisfyingly familiar experience.