Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has wowed fans and critics alike with its strong campaign offering and enjoyable multiplayer mode. It has quickly skyrocketed to the top of the charts and has seen COD return as a true leader in the triple-A space. Its player count has far exceeded that of MW3 and MW2, making it one of the most played Call of Duty games, which naturally makes it a success on almost every level.

It quickly took the top spot as the best FPS game on Game thanks to it launching there on day one, which has made it more accessible than previous COD games. By all s, there really shouldn't be anything to complain about, and yet, for all its strengths, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 feels like a missed opportunity. Rather than taking the series in a different direction and giving fans something new to be excited about, Black Ops 6 played it safe, offering a back-to-basics experience that will eventually get old.

Black Ops 6 Is Good But A Step In The Wrong Direction

It's A Back-To-Basics Game When It Should Have Felt New

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is absolutely a returning fan-favorite maps. It is what many believed the series needed, as there has been a regression in quality over the years.

However, it is no longer enough to put out a good Call of Duty game, especially when the series is over two decades old. There is a sense of familiarity whenever booting up the latest COD, so much so that players are mistakingly believing maps are remakes. It doesn't help that it's all been congealed into one launcher, making it feel as if the most recent games have been merged into one giant COD product. Black Ops 6, in many ways, had the perfect opportunity to rectify the previous games' mistakes by taking the series in a fresh new direction.

It could have seen the lull in sales as an opportunity for growth, not a sense of nostalgic regression. Instead, it delivered an overly familiar sixth entry into a series that started back in 2010. Any other franchise would see this as its death knell, as is all too often the case with film franchises. However, while they're losing money and audience retention, COD is having its best year. That says a lot about how people are willing to consume yearly releases and the amount of effort they expect from a franchise as big as Call of Duty.

It also speaks to the lack of innovation in this triple-A series, as its developers simply need to push out something that appeals to as wide an audience as possible while removing features that once mattered. Perhaps that is enough for now, but eventually, the well of time periods will run dry, the gunplay will feel stale, and the visuals will stagnate, forever bordering on the uncanny. Black Ops 6 could have pivoted the series in a different direction, but alas, it did not. However, COD still has plenty of opportunities to expand its IP into uncharted territories.

COD Needs More Experimental Games

It Should Branch Out Into Different Genres

Call of Duty needs spin-off games that tackle different genres from its typical military FPS fare. It has already attempted to blend an assortment of different gameplay styles within its campaigns, such as the rather terrific stealth sections that have become somewhat of a staple in recent years. It's not hard to imagine a fully-fledged stealth game under the Call of Duty banner that offers satisfying first-person stealth gameplay that no one else seems particularly interested in making anymore.

Call of Duty has come close to having more innovative and experimental experiences with the likes of the unfortunately never-released Call of Duty: Roman Wars.

Alternatively, it could go down the survival horror route and expand its zombie mode into more than just a simple add-on. Crafting has slowly been introduced into the more recent Call of Duty games and MW3 dabbled with an open-world zombies mode. While neither aspect ever felt sufficiently fleshed out, a spin-off title that is fully dedicated to the survival horror aspect that so many COD fans have grown to love over the years could offer a genuinely compelling experience that rivals even the biggest names in the genre.

Of course, Call of Duty has come close to having more innovative and experimental experiences with the likes of the unfortunately never-released Call of Duty: Roman Wars. It was a third-person action-adventure game set in Ancient Rome that looks more akin to Ryse: Son of Rome than anything Call of Duty-related. Players used bows and swords and rode on elephants rather than shooting nondescript terrorists with ARs and driving tanks.

It could be argued that it was just another time jump that more or less preserved the spirit of COD, much like how Far Cry Primal was basically Far Cry with cavemen. However, at the time, there was no third-person in COD, so it would have been revolutionary to have seen the franchise pivot to an entirely new perspective, not to mention that the time period was so drastically different from what fans were used to. It's clear then that there are some unique ideas coming out of Activision Blizzard; they're just never fully realized.

It's Time Call Of Duty Became Something New

It Can't Keep Just Being The Same Thing Every Year

It is important to stress that Call of Duty is not bad, nor has it ever really been terrible. Outside some slightly more lackluster launches, the Call of Duty franchise has relatively consistently put out enjoyable FPS games that balance strong campaigns with enticing online multiplayer. In many ways, the franchise has evolved significantly, with it placing a far greater emphasis on the multiplayer component now than ever before. It has its own battle royale mode that is incredibly popular and has expanded its other plethora of modes in impressive ways, too.

It is merely that caring about COD is harder when every release feels homogeneous and those aforementioned innovations begin to stagnate. The fact that everyone has been referring to Black Ops 6 as a return to form and a back-to-basics experience goes to show just how slow the series is markedly improving. It simply cannot remain the case that Call of Duty continues to be the same experience year after year with little sign of growth or experimentation. Otherwise, while it is enjoying a strong year now, it will inevitably end up like those aforementioned film franchises.

While Black Ops 6 may have missed the boat when it came to innovation, Activision Blizzard still has plenty of opportunity to expand its IP. It's not like COD needs to become a party game or have a kart racer - although that would be a lot of fun. Rather, it needs to show some willingness to grow beyond the restraints of its current model. Ultimately, Black Ops 6 made Activision the most money and thus trumped any other ideas, but hopefully, at some point, fans will get Call of Duty: Cooking Mama edition and everyone will rejoice.

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