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How Call Of Duty Improved For The First Time In Years With Black Ops 4

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 makes an array of changes to the yearly multiplayer formula, morphing ideas from other games to make them its own.

Call of Duty remains one of the most pervasive series in modern video games. And with three separate studios working on a three-year rotation, the franchise has often grown stale. But with Black Ops 4, developer Treyarch finally improved the tired formula.

In the video above, Mike Mahardy (@mmahardy) examines the ways Black Ops 4 has taken the best aspects of other games and made them its own. Everything from its hero-based multiplayer to its Blackout battle royale mode have a distinct "Call of Duty" flavor that make it a joy to continually play.

For more on Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, head over to GameSpot to read our full review, or check out our YouTube channel, where we have coverage of Black Ops 4's multiplayer, battle royale, and Zombies modes.

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zacbear

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20Hz tick rate,lol.

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sephirothsWing

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"For more on Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, head over to GameSpot" but I'm already on GameSpot ??

Not a massive Call of Duty but even I have to say that this is probably the most enjoyable one since BO2.

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kachal

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If they improved for the first time in years, how all those years you guys rated them 8s?

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Nelson85

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Is this a joke ?

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DARREN636

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blackout still has bugs

often can't loot killed players

altimeter comes and goes

footsteps often don't load up

bullet sponges

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xxdavidxcx87

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It's better but it does have issues, lack of cosmetic items compared to black ops 3, overpowered abilities including ones you have no chance to avoid and worst of all inconsistent ttk.

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BrettSiebenhaar

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Edited By BrettSiebenhaar

I have had no issues with this game. Loving it, and I normally hate COD!!!!

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ssdd_again

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People still care about COD? I haven't played since MW2 in 2009 and that won't change any time soon, you lost me at 'no single player campaign'.

I miss the days when the multiplayer was just some side-action or the icing on the cake. Now we get no cake and some fresh icing. . .and that's an improvement? How rubbish has COD been for the last few years?

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sealionact

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@ssdd_again: You're asking if people still care about COD when it's the number one sold game just about everywhere?

Guessing you don't like it. I'm no fan of COD since MW3, but blops 4 is way better than what we've seen since.

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ssdd_again

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Edited By ssdd_again

@sealionact: Not sure how you arrived at 'number one sold game everywhere' when Activision haven't released any figures.

I don't like the fact that people still rush out and buy COD just because it's COD and/or because they're worried about missing out on something. I tend to buy games that are deserving of my money and not just the same crap peddled out the door every year with a different skin (not saying you're in that category, just my feeling on it).

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Rushaoz

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@ssdd_again: You should really try out the game before passing judgement. Your stance was valid up until this game. If getting rid of single player means putting this game on track back to it's glory then I won't miss it. It truly is the best CoD since BO2. And I've hated every single one since then.

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sealionact

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@ssdd_again: Well, yup... Assumption on my part. I'd be surprised if any other game was selling better right now....Spiderman peaked, rdr2 isn't out yet, and like it or not COD is always a big seller....

I bought it for blackout because I like pubg....mistake. If you love pubg, you probably won't appreciate blackouts faster pace. I am really enjoying the mp side though. Heist is probably the best mp mode on cod ever. Imo.

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rotchild

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The only improvement I see is that they made a multiplayer galore and are charging (steep, probably... couldn't care less) these sociopaths (aka online gamers) what they live and thrive for (online gaming). If OR when they make a (probably no more than 10-hour) single player campaign (I really don't give a crap about COD games anymore), I hope they charge what these single-player campaigns are worth: no more than 20 dollars. I hope it becomes a trend (most probably won't, unfortunately).

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Lach0121

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@rotchild: Online gamers are sociopaths? Boy, that is some nonsense pulled straight out of your ass.

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rotchild

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@Lach0121: yeah, they're not... they're athletes (sarcasm)

If you had half a brain, you'd understand my euphemism. But since apparently you don't... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Lach0121

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@rotchild: LOL! Apparently you are just too full of yourself.

If you had half a brain, you wouldn't have posted that blob of nonsense above, but since apparently you did... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So I will move along, and kindly go tell you, and your BS euphemism to F$#! off.

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rotchild

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@Lach0121: ooooo... hot tempered keyboard warrior!! yeah, move along bitch...

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Lach0121

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Edited By Lach0121

@rotchild:

You sure are a little bitch, and yea, I am moving along.

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rotchild

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@Lach0121: yeah, move along... back to your mom's basement, to play your online games...

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KilikSCVI

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I don't like this game, I'm tired of scruffy gruff rugged generic main heroes in games, these guys won't last for that long cause the more handsome protagonists like Kilik from Soul caliber and Hayate from Dead or Alive are much more popular and look much better. Soul caliber 6 and Dead or Alive 6 are selling more than Black Ops 4, it's not only imo there are more gamers out there that would rather spend their time with Soul Calibur and Dead or Alive rather than COD games >__>

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Javelin10

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removing single player and calling it improved?

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Rushaoz

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@javelin10: Remove 6-10 hour single player that hasn't been good since BO2, add Battle Royal mode which can potentially net you hundreds of hours of gameplay instead.

I call that a win and I call your argument baseless. If this game had single player you'd still be bitching about it somehow. Hop off the hate wagon.

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Javelin10

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Edited By Javelin10

@Rushaoz: Okay then, I get you. getting less of the 9 hour campaign is an improvement for you, the campaign is that bad for you. im NOT HATING if you go back to what I said, for me at best its a CHANGE. not an IMPROVEMENT. Discussing each others merits is not hating, im trying to respect your position but I guess if I disagree, im bitching. Also, baseless? really? after all the games that that removed SP? Howbout the 1st battlefront? did it removed the campaign? after that did they bring it back? why? was it because it was baseless? You know what else is baseless? Conjencture. Geeze.

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Rushaoz

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@javelin10: I call your argument baseless because CoD's campaigns have been garbage for a long time now. The entire franchise game us two maybe three great campaigns. But even at it's best, CoD campaign was no Half life 2. People have been complaining about the campaign for years. Glad it was replaced with something that has much more replay value.

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Javelin10

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Edited By Javelin10

@Rushaoz: My arguement was never about whether Cod campaign was bad hence should be replaced with another mode. My point was CoD is giving less and this article calling it improved. I was perfectly fine to have a campaign with no dillusions of an award winning narrative, because I do play them. Has anyone compared them to HL2? of course not, you knew exactly what you bought, and 60 bucks for campaign and MP is something I equate with Value. and btw feel free to fact check if I ever talked bad about Cod because as you said, regardless of weather it had campaign id be talking down about the game because far as I know, I never posted any of your bandwagon allegations about hating on CoD. what prompts me to comment is to call out an article who brushes aside SP, disregards the base who plays them, and just calls it improved. Its not about not getting a bad campaign, its about not getting ANY at all and then magically, its improvement. Now that, is baseless.

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sealionact

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@javelin10: Definitely. SP was hardly played by people, and for me at least it's the first game I've enjoyed since MW3.

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Javelin10

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@sealionact: good for you man. but no SP is a deal breaker. not improved at all

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cramseyLA25

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@javelin10: Not needed

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Bryjoered07

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@javelin10: singleplayer is so needless in COD wow what world are you living in? I wish battlefield would get rid of there's as well (the old battlefields didn't have single player).

You are foolish to think developing a single player doesn't take away valuable development time for the multiplayer.

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Javelin10

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@Bryjoered07: 60 bucks for pure multiplayer and removing single player for precious multiplayer dev time plus subscription to play MP? it might not be the most played but i live in place where when something I use is subtracted to what i usually buy full price, we dont call it an improvement. at most, its a change, at worst, its marketing spin selling the idea of pay more for less

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cejay0813

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Balance issues aside I’m enjoying this better than Blops 3

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JIMDOG4442002

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And yet no one is talking about the slow net frequency that the servers for this horrible game runs on, hmmm.

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Rushaoz

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@JIMDOG4442002: TTK is so high it masks the horrible tickrate. That's on reason I haven't hopped on Blackout. It's not as noticeable in regular MP.

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JIMDOG4442002

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@Rushaoz: Really lol? Its the other way around for me. People are saying its on both I dont know.

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fredyellowone

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Improved?

No.

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SuperKlyph

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@fredyellowone: Great in-depth analysis.

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deactivated-5bee09b4aa01f

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PS5 November 2019 next year is gonna be Awesome, look at the past comparison the proof is in the pudding.

https://www.cinemablend.com/games/Next-Gen-Call-Duty-Development-Infinity-Ward-42964.html

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2018/10/call_of_duty_2019_a_next-gen_game_according_to_job_listing_-_could_ps5_launch_in_2019_after_all

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planetcanada

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Just wanted to ask the community does anyone else think the aiming seems slower and more clunky? I play on Xbox one X and I have a 49” 4K SAMSUNG 8000 series tv but it just seems to me like the aiming is different even in comparison to WW2. I played quite a bit of WW2 and it just felt like the old twitch fast aim I’m used to from all other CoD’s Now this one just seems different to me like it takes me more time to quickly and accurately pin point someone’s head for instance. Am I alone here? Lol just genuinely curious!!

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Rushaoz

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@planetcanada: Probably alone on that one man. This game is fluid as shit. I'm on PC. No CoD game to this point has felt so good.

If I were to take a guess it sounds like input lag. That Samsung 8000 series has terrible input lag. I believe it's over 40ms. You should see if your TV model has a review in rtings.com they will tell you exactly what the input lag for you model is. For comparisons sake, my 1440p 144Hz gsync monitor has an input lag of 4.4 ms.

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