A few days ago I saw a movie that made me very sorrowful. You may or may not have seen a clip of Black Ops 6’s upcoming kill animation, in which a player kills another using Unicorn fart laser beam. Yes, seriously.
It made me feel nostalgic for the good ancient days. Which, as every gamer knows, is the game we played between the ages of 12 and 15. For me, this meant an unhealthy dose Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and the four-year gaming period that followed. When cosmetic DLCs weren’t a thing and the only skins were obtained through gameplay.
It also got me thinking about how we got to this point. Black Ops 6thanks to its colorful cosmetics, it is extremely popular and enjoys the most successful launch month of all Call of Dutyalthough many in the community believe that the modern game is a breaking point. So he has Call of Duty he jumped on the shark Black Ops 6cosmetics, or does Treyarch just give players what they want?
The history of Call of Duty cosmetics
At the beginning of the series, cosmetics that could be purchased did not play a role. Players had to earn weapon skins on the battlefield, which was true until 2012 Black Ops 2. There, the series delved into skin-based microtransactions, from which it ultimately never returned. Thin. Whatever.
The matter went a step further in 2013 when Call of Duty: Ghosts introduced the Snoop Dogg multiplayer announcer pack. Similarly in 2016 Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare introduced the Ken Jeong multiplayer voice pack. I love Ken Jeong, but I don’t need him to tell me Tactical Nuke is coming. Although these are not literal cosmetics, I would call them cosmetic.
Over the years Call of Duty immersed himself in this world, but refrained from fully immersing himself in it in a gaming landscape increasingly dominated by crossover festivals like Fortnite. Step up, 2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Operator skins in this title increased from 0 to 100. Crossovers suddenly became the norm. In one lobby you’d be dominated by Lara Croft, and in the next you’d be gunned down by Lionel Messi, Nicki Minaj and Homelander. If there was a single moment Call of Duty “I jumped the shark” is probably it.
The approach continued Modern War 3 a year later, with everything from Frightening Down The walking dead eventually makes it into the game. This divided opinion. Call of Duty Multiplayer will never have a consistent aesthetic again, but it made a lot of money. Isn’t that what’s really significant?
This brings us to where we are today in the series, after-Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 beginning.
Black Ops 6 was a modern hope
When Black Ops 6 was released, the cosmetics did not carry over from the previous ones Call of Duty sports competitions. This gave Treyarch a tidy slate to work from and hopes were high in the first weeks. Operator skins have been embedded in reality, giving Black Ops 6 a rougher feel than the previous few titles.
Nearly two months later, that period seems like a distant memory. Operators in Black Ops 6 are wilder than ever before, thanks to the crazy creations of Treyarch’s own design. From the series’ first cel-shaded character to “Daddy Santa,” there’s something silly for everyone here.
If there was such a hope Black Ops 6 may be a more grounded experience, Treyarch has quickly tamed that down with many of its opening cosmetics. Crossovers will also begin with the announcement of a Black Ops 6 X Squid 2 game cooperation on the way.
Like Fortnite, Call of Duty it has become a vessel that other companies utilize to advertise their own products. Considering how much Call of Duty has to offer in itself, I think that’s a bit sorrowful. What about the farting unicorn laser cosmetic? Sure, why not? At this point, this would be just the tip of the iceberg for this type of thing.
Black Ops 6 still manages to do this well
We’re too far down the rabbit hole to move away from paid operators at this point, but Black Ops 6 he can still fix it. With some of the Operators released so far, such as Exterminator, Coyote, and Dune Wraith, you have amazing-looking options without completely diluting the game’s visual aesthetic.
You’ll never completely remove Black Ops 6’s glowing and colorful cosmetics, but more of them could go a long way towards making the game more consistent in the future.
Granted, this would require a complete change of direction, and Treyarch has shown no signs of making that change. I expect Black Ops 6 to continue to judge Fortnite audiences because ultimately it has worked so far.
While I long for simpler times, the reality is that there are many Call of Duty fans don’t do that and that’s okay. Black Ops 6 He has already jumped the shark and will likely do so many, many more times over the next year.
