Black Ops 7 Beta – 3 up, 3 down
There is just over a month left until the full release. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7coming up on November 14th, so what better way to celebrate than by taking part in the beta, right? As a longtime COD player, I've seen how the franchise has evolved in each era. I've seen the good, the bad and the very bad. Let's move on to the beta version of Treyarch's latest chapter. Black Opera 7I wanted to step into familiar but interesting territory. From crisp gunplay and nimble movement to some questionable map design choices, there's a lot to talk about in this beta. It wasn't all killstreaks and clean shots – some moments were strong and others completely missed the mark. So what exactly did Black Ops 7 do right and where did it all go wrong? Let's find out together.
Worst
Matchmaking
I'll just come out and say it: matchmaking takes some serious work. Skill-based matchmaking makes me feel like a damn yo-yo, and open matchmaking makes me feel like I'm either god-level good or I'm going to get my ass kicked. There were very few matches where I felt good about it without wondering if I was playing against bots. But most of them honestly believed that multiplayer would be the worst kind of game this year. Black Ops 6 at times suffered from the yo-yo effect of skill-based matchmaking, where after playing a couple of good games you're thrown into battle with some seriously sweaty people. But after some time the situation leveled out and became more consistent. I hope this can be fixed before Black Ops 7 is fully released.
Complete absence of the feeling of “new cash on delivery”
Black Ops 7 looks like a futuristic version of Black Ops 6. Even though it's a direct sequel to Black Ops 2, it ultimately feels like a remix of Black Ops 3 and 4. It's like it's still trying to find its own identity. It's reminiscent of the old Black Ops games, but at the same time feels like an expansion of Black Ops 6. Perhaps this is because Treyarch is releasing two COD games back to back, without Activision's usual break in between. It just doesn't scream new Call of Duty. Don't get me wrong, I've really enjoyed my time with the Black Ops franchise and I'm not entirely opposed to getting a more refined but expanded version of last year's version, BUT if I'm willing to pay full price for a new game, it's nice to not have that recurring feeling when playing Call of Duty year after year. I think this should be kept to a minimum by the sheer number of new and reworked maps, new weapons, different score streaks, perks, etc. It's just hard not to mention it at all.
Maps need some adjustments
Despite Black Ops 7's fantastic pacing, the maps are a bit camping. The maps are bright and colorful, but there are a lot of automatic doors. They allow campers to sit and wait for someone to run past. The 3-lane open maps have excellent visibility for snipers who want to sit back on their spawn points. Add to this the fact that players can jump onto platforms and crash into certain obstacles in the middle of the map. As a result, it can be a little frustrating to play Domination (or similar game modes) in The Forge, Complex, and Exposure. Open sight lines mixed with those automatic doors leave little to the imagination as to what will happen to all the runners just trying to leave their spawn spots. I hope that if all maps have these automatic doors, they will be adjusted before the release of Black Ops 7, and some will be removed altogether.
Click through to see the best of the Black Ops 7 beta…
