By Joseph Luster

If the near-future takes on the Call of Duty series are your thing, you likely already have this. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 sees Activision and developers Treyarch and Raven Software returning to the high-tech well for a tale set a decade in the future and, naturally, the competitive shooting action that keeps folks playing well after credits have rolled.

For those keeping track of said story, the seventh (how is that possible?) entry in this sub-series finds David Mason leading an elite JSOC team on a cover mission into Avalon, a massive Mediterranean city. The plot they discover within those walls has implications for both the future of the world and the haunted pasts of the team members themselves, setting the stage for a suitably gripping campaign.

That campaign can be played both solo or cooperatively with others, the latter of which is usually the best way to go with these. The series has long been known for its intense and memorable set pieces, and that won’t be changing anytime soon thanks to some breathtaking environments with plenty of variety, taking players from the Mediterranean coast to Japan and beyond.

How much you get out of Black Ops 7 will come down to how much time you’re willing to invest in its competitive play. The latest entry boasts a starting set of 16 six-v.-six maps and a pair of 20-v.-20 maps, with more to come in post-launch content. Treyarch’s fan-favorite Zombies mode also makes a return, as the crew finds themselves trapped in the heart of the Dark Aether and tasked with the toughest objective of all: Survival.

It all comes together swiftly thanks to the “Omnimovement” system that was introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. This mechanic overhauls the way players move, giving them more control overall and letting them slide, dive and sprint in one direction while aiming in another. Evolving things further is a wall jump and roll that replaces the previous tactical sprint maneuver. It’s a welcome addition that makes for more cinematic action and adds yet another layer of potential mastery, especially in online multiplayer.

As with any Call of Duty game, we’ll have to see how well this one holds up in the long run. Support will no doubt be in place, and its growth will be a big test for current owner Microsoft’s overall stewardship. Between this and the new Battlefield, the remainder of the year is going to be a busy one for action-focused wargamers.

Genre: Shooter
Platform: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Publisher: Activision

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