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Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 review - A big, brutal gun game bundle packed with fun

Call of Duty returns to the PS5 and Xbox and developer Treyarch this year has thrown the kitchen sink at this package to deliver a ton of content despite a fairly average campaign mode

[Call of Duty: Black Ops 7]

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

The annual Call of Duty juggernaut returns for 2025 with a package full to the brim with gun-toting action.

And while maker Activision this year is offering a lot of content in one well-made first-person shooter, it doesnt quite live up to last years Black Ops effort.

Black Ops 7 takes us back to future warfare and feels more akin to the likes of 2014 instalment Advanced Warfare in its robots and tech focus than it does its most recent namesakes.

And there is a lot of pressure on the developer this year as rival Electronic Arts has put out a cracking Battlefield game going into the Christmas purchase period.

The good news is that CoD fans of old will recognise a brilliant multiplayer suite packed with fast, frantic online firefights thatll test the very best FPS players out there.

This is ultimately the most important thing in a Call of Duty title.

[Multiplayer remains a brilliant, fast gun battle]

Multiplayer remains a brilliant, fast gun battle

But theres a strong, thrilling zombies horde mode too and a top-down twin stick new Dead Ops Arcade mode for old-school gamers to enjoy.

Its all completed of course with a new campaign mode which this time has to be played in an online format alongside either gamer pals or random Joes.

The graphics in the campaign are superb, with lifelike cut scenes that really show off what the PS5 and Xbox Series X can do.

And the story revolves around our returning hero David Mason and his elite JSOC war unit as they investigate The Guild, a powerful global military group in the year 2035 as the world wobbles and fear is turned into a weapon itself.

That means some nightmare sequences that really play with you and your characters minds, warping reality around you and giving Control horror vibes at points.

From the coastal Mediterranean province of Avalon to the neon-lit rooftops of Tokyo and deep within David Masons fractured psyche every mission offers a unique tactical experience and something genuinely quite different for a CoD title.

That said, the story pelts along at such a pace it doesnt feel like it all makes total sense - but then we say this every year.

After completing the eleven core missions, you unlock Endgame a vastly replayable, escalating mode with multiple challenges set within the vast landscape of Avalon.

Its good to see the franchise evolve in this way with fresh ideas.

[David Mason returns as the hero in the campaign missions]

David Mason returns as the hero in the campaign missions

Separately, the multiplayer suite is fantastic, with 18 maps at launch - a huge number of levels to play on for an opening month in the series.

Be warned, some are regurgitated though, with Hijacked, Express, Raid and Nuketown all getting the remaster treatment from Black Ops 2.

To tackle the giant maps of rival Battlefield, developers Treyarch have also introduced larger scale 20 vs 20 Skirmish maps where youll fight across vast environments using Wingsuits, Grappling Hooks and vehicles.

Thats a good introduction for those yet to dip their toes into the giant free-to-play Warzone battle royal mode on consoles and PC.

Multiplayer feels faster this year, with improved omnimovement allowing the best players to flow smoothly around maps almost like professional ice skaters, jumping, diving and running their way through choke points and open gun battles in effortless, almost artistic ways which is brilliant fun.

The guns feel excellent in the joypad, with a real kick to them thanks to haptic feedback and incredibly responsive.

Its aggressive, very fast and great fun.

The popular zombies co-op mode is a deep game within the game.

It too has its own story, progression system and exploration zones as never-ending hordes of zombies bare down on you for the bloody kill.

[Zombies mode is deep and packed with chaos]

Zombies mode is deep and packed with chaos

Ashes of the Damned features six major locations, each with its own backstory and timeline, from the haunted Vandorn Farm to the desolate Zarya Cosmodrome.

Players explore freely, complete side quests, and uncover layered Easter Eggs while mastering the flow of combat, upgrades, and objectives on the journey to complete the maps Main Quest.

Its bloody, brutal and highly enjoyable.

And of course lets not forget the added bonus of another Dead Ops Arcade, which first appeared as a hidden easter egg of a game within 2010s original Black Ops.

More fully fledged now, you battle solo or in a squad of up to four across 80 levels and more than 20 arenas using twin stick gameplay with a top-down visual.

Overall, you get a lot of bang for your buck in this years Black Ops.

While the campaign is a bit meh, its got a couple of really neat ideas and an unusual theme for a Call of Duty title.

The multiplayer is fast, frantic and as good as ever and the real selling point of this title.

And the addition of meaty zombies and dead ops modes means theres plenty of gaming to be had in the overall package.

VERDICT 4.5/5

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