‘Lucky that we didn’t listen to the internet’ — Black Ops 7 isn’t perfect, but I’ll be sad to leave its incredible multiplayer behind for Modern Warfare 4

We’re hurtling towards the October release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and it seems like everyone has already forgotten about Black Ops 7.

Last year’s entry wasn’t perfect (I still stand by my verdict that it has one of the worst campaigns in the series), but if there’s one area where it seriously delivers, it’s the core multiplayer experience. It took the strong foundations established in its predecessor, Black Ops 6, and refined them expertly, augmenting the slick omni-movement system with a new wall jump and finally cutting the awkward tactical sprint to save us all from sore thumbs.

It was a compelling offering at launch, but over the last few months it’s become even better thanks to a steady stream of impressively expansive, high-quality updates. I can’t think of the last Call of Duty game I’ve stuck with this long after launch, and, having spent close to 400 hours playing now, I’m sad that it's coming to an end.

Quantity (and quality)

What’s made Black Ops 7’s post-launch offering so enjoyable? Volume, for starters. Seasons 1 and 2 came packed with a whopping nine core maps each, offering a good mix of new arrivals, remastered classics, and some favorites carried over from Black Ops 6.

Season 3 kept up the pace with another seven, adding to the massive 16 available at launch, meaning there’s no shortage of combat environments to master, even as things begin to slow down, with the current Season 4 bringing just five.

It’s not like “just five” is an insubstantial number either — it’s still more than double what most seasons of 2022’s Modern Warfare 2 would give you. They’re all well-made maps with a good mix of aesthetics, ranging from the brightly colored neon skyscrapers of a futuristic Tokyo in Yakei to the psychedelic corridors of an imagined hospital in Paranoia.

There’s just so much more variety than you had in previous games, which seriously helps stave off boredom after hundreds of hours of play.

You could argue that Black Ops 7 lacks a coherent visual direction and setting, and I would wholeheartedly agree, but, as disappointing as it is for someone who cares quite a lot about the series’ universe and lore, on a practical level the total abandonment of stodgy military theming opens the door to so many cool design possibilities.

You have maps filled with floating platforms to parkour off, buttons that open secret passageways to reward those who pay attention to their surroundings, or magic portals that teleport you to the other side of the map to help you get the jump on the enemy team.

I can’t remember the last time Call of Duty felt this experimental and free. It’s reinvigorating.

Broken, but in the best possible way

The developers took the same approach with the weapons, adding a boatload of them every season. They’re completely stupid and often massively unbalanced, but that’s what makes them so much fun.

You’ve got one-shot rifles galore, an SMG that loads with three magazines at once, a secondary that’s somehow a full-size rifle that fires homing bullets, and an energy weapon that shoots slow-moving, glowing balls that can take out entire groups of foes.

The unlockable weapon attachments are delightfully nuts as well. Earlier this month, I spent a weekend grinding through weekly challenges to unlock the latest attachment for the XR-3 Ion sniper rifle.

It’s a grip that transforms the unwieldy weapon into a literal minigun that shreds foes by rapidly firing high-power sniper bullets with a massive ammo pool, which I immediately deployed to rampage through the tiny Nuketown map in some public matches.

It joins a pantheon of unapologetically bonkers additions, like the high-tech magazine for the Carbon 57 SMG that literally 3D prints new bullets in between shots so you never have to reload or the customized barrel that converts the Maverick X9 assault rifle into a long-range harpoon gun.

At this point, I’m convinced the developers are trying to one-up themselves with something even crazier in every update — and make no mistake, I’m absolutely here for it.

Throw in a deluge of quality limited-time events with a strong line-up, free and paid rewards, some of the nicest-looking battle pass skins yet, countless progression systems to work towards, and it’s no wonder that I’m logging in every day for more.

As a frequent visitor to a handful of Call of Duty subreddits, I know that I’m not the only one having a great time either. “We are very lucky that we didn’t listen to the internet and bought Black Ops 7,” wrote one poster just last week, who praised the “huge” amount of content on offer. “We are so lucky that we experienced the best Call of Duty multiplayer and zombies since 2015,” they added.

“I’m also a little sad we only have 1 more Season left”, responded a commenter, with another calling Black Ops 7 the “Best COD of the 2020s”. Sure, the campaign underdelivered, but if we’re going off multiplayer alone, I’m inclined to agree.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is out for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC.