TheCall of Duty: Black Opsseries includes some of the most popular franchise titles, but it is also one of the most inconsistentCall of Dutysubseries. While Infinity Ward seems to release hit after hit withModern Warfare, Treyarch has seemingly struggled to pick a direction for theBlack Opsseries. After six widely different titles,Call of Duty: Black Opsis a bit of a mess, and it may be time to hit the reboot button.
Infinity Ward recently rebootedCall of Duty:Modern Warfare, and it led to two strong games. If it worked for that subseries, then it may also work for theBlack Opsseries. That series is in desperate need of a direction change, and the best way to do that is by starting over. That would let Treyarch start fresh, so it can actually deliver on the covert CIA Cold War adventure that popularized the series in the first place.
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Call of Duty: Black Ops Has Been All Over the Place
TheCall of Duty: Black Opsseries' timeline started back in 2008 withCall of Duty: World at War, but it would really hit its stride with the release ofBlack Opsin 2010.Black Opsbrought players to the Cold War for a brand-new type ofCall of Dutystoryfollowing the CIA operative Alex Mason. Players watched as Mason was ruthlessly interrogated and forced to relive his memories. As he got interrogated, players experienced an exciting high-stakes Cold War adventure. It was a fantastic story that is often considered one of the bestCall of Dutycampaigns to date.
Instead of sticking with the Cold War, Treyarch took the series in a completely different directionwithCall of Duty: Black Ops 2. The story switched between the 1980s and 2025 as players attempted to stop the vile Raul Menendez from starting a second Cold War. They took control of Alex Mason again in the 1980s and his son in 2025. While it still maintained some elements of its predecessor, the franchise had started becoming far more futuristic very quickly. Still, the story was viewed as a major highlight, with Menendez being a standout antagonist.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3was the biggest departure from the original title as it took players to 2065. The entire Mason family was replaced by a new group of supersoldiers that were trying to keep the world together. The game blended hero shooter mechanics withCall of Duty’s gameplay loop for a unique entry that has not really been replicated since. It may have been a lot of fun, but it lookednothing like aBlack Opsgame.
Treyarch did not even includea story mode inCall of Duty: Black Ops 4. It felt very lackluster compared to its predecessors, and it was quickly forgotten about in favor ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare. Treyarch then made the decision to go back to the basics with its next title, but it may have been too little too late. WhileCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waractually felt like aBlack Opstitle, it just further cemented the inconsistent nature of this subseries. What could have been a fantastic subseries of Cold War eraCall of Dutygames became something else entirely.
Activision has yet to revealthe future ofCall of Duty: Black Ops, but hopefully it involves a reboot. It has gone completely off the rails and does not feel like an interconnected series of games because of futuristic entries likeBlack Ops 3andBlack Ops 4. UnlikeModern Warfare, barely anything holds theBlack Opsgames together. If Treyarch wants to right the ship, then it needs to go back to the drawing board, hitting the reset button and focusing on a more cohesive story that will help build a much stronger franchise.
