Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

This game’s campaign worked perfectly and it was great to re-experience it, but any multiplayer modes left something to be desired.

The most complete CoD package in years, Black Ops 6 is further proof that Treyarch are the masters of this franchise.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is an incredible experience, especially to a first time campaign player, delivering real action in both its multiplayer and single-player offerings.

Overall, then, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a massive success for Xbox. This year's COD is packed with content across its three main modes, and Game Pass players will be able to enjoy this one for months - especially when additional seasonal content starts to release. Raven Software's campaign mode is a blast, multiplayer is the best it's been in years, and while Zombies isn't what it once was in our book, it's still a fun third mode to mess around with. If Call of Duty can continue to remain this high-quality each year, Microsoft has a winner on its hands, but for now let's just enjoy Black O...

Fluid Omni-movement feels great in Black Ops 6 multiplayer, but design that facilitates intense close-range fights can feel limiting.

There’s a good reason why Treyarch and Black Ops are so beloved by the Call of Duty community. The sub-franchise usually delivers the stronger campaigns, multiplayer and third modes in the series. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 does all of those things, especially when compared to the more recent Call of Dutys. The campaign, from Raven Software, may drop the ball at the end with its story, but it’s filled with fantastic characters and a wide variety of missions that help elevate it into must-play territory.

Even before Black Ops 6 was released, it was being hailed as a possible turning point for the franchise. After jumping into the new multiplayer, Zombies, and campaign, Treyarch has delivered exactly that by embracing the new, while still celebrating the old.

Nobody likes a quitter, and last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is proof of what can happen when you get your head down and work to right one’s wrongs. Heavily criticised as a glorified DLC, a year of unmatched support has seen the game rise from the ashes as one of the most robust, content-rich multiplayer offerings the series has ever seen.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 offers story thrills, wacky movement, and a whole lot of microtransactions.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a mostly enjoyable experience with a fun Campaign and Zombies maps, though multiplayer needs more work. It may not reinvent the wheel or rise to the series' greatest heights, but after last year, it's a massive improvement.

A belligerently enjoyable sequel with stellar multiplayer and a campaign that can't stack up to the greats.

For a series built on high-octane thrills and explosive gratification, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's withdrawal to the well-trodden formula echoes the wider industry's continued allergy to risk.