Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 E3 2018 Preview

While at the Activision booth for E3 2018 I was able to try out some of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 multiplayer. I waited patiently in a small seated area for press and was then sent out into battle. I did rather well across the two matches being highlighted on the higher screen the entire time. This was a space to show off to the floor and those waiting in line, I was rather proud. The maps I played on were Frequency and Contraband. Both varied not only in terms of size, but also the way the lanes were setup. Frequency is a tiny, tight map featuring direct combat on two main sides with a small focused center section.

Contraband is larger and more circular in keeping players moving around through tight corridors. They looked like typical maps from the series and I didn't find that the visuals were too wild in terms of improvement. Keep in mind that this was played on Playstation 4 Pro whereas I'm used to Call of Duty visuals on Xbox One X. Still, it was fine and played well giving that traditional boots on the ground style which is best. When I first saw this game I didn't have high expectations since I thought it was just jet boot based so I came out pleasantly surprised.

Another element that I really liked about this take on the series is the focus on cooperative play in multiplayer. Everyone selects a class type and then plays into that role. I was working as the medic and this granted me a special option on the occasion to heal my teammates with a bonus bit of health. It was selected by pulling out a small quick screen, it's a nice touch to promote team work. This is another aspect of play where you need to heal yourself during combat, that felt very foreign for the series. Every class type has its own ability and look, it's a very different change for a series that typically is every person for themselves.

It almost comes off as somewhat of a spin-off in the franchise to be honest with just how much different multiplayer acts. It still feels the same, but changes quite a bit in a good way. The custom classes return with a weighted system where you select items and have limits like in past games. You can select perks, weapons, attachments and everything else you recall from previous entries. The maps flowed well and generally I had a good time while dominating the play. The spawning seemed fine for the most as that's usually worrisome on smaller maps, but no problems there. Generally Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was better than I expected by doing something different with at least the multiplayer side of things.

Read our Call of Duty: WWII Review
Our Call of Duty Hub