Campaign: From Black Ops Legacy to Black Hole Oblivion
Call of Duty’s annual rhythm has always been a double-edged bayonet: fresh maps one year, recycled regrets the next. Black Ops 7, Treyarch and Raven Software’s October 10, 2025, entry ($69.99 Standard, $89.99 Vault Edition with Zombies Operator and BlackCell Battle Pass), arrives amid franchise fatigue, post-Modern Warfare 3‘s multiplayer mutiny and Black Ops 6‘s solid but safe sales (15M units). With a $300M budget and Battlefield Studios’ shadow looming, it promises a “late Black Ops 2 sequel,” but delivers a campaign that’s “one of the worst” in series history, a Frankenstein’s folly of multiplayer maps masquerading as story, a “soulless co-op” that’s “Frankenstein’s monster” of rarities, killstreaks, and zone bosses.
You play Gunnery Sergeant Dylan “Dagger” Murphy (Jay Walker, gravel-gargling grit), Marine Raider in a fractured NATO vs. Pax Armata proxy war (2027-28). From Georgia’s ghosted garrisons to Gibraltar’s gibbets, Cairo’s casbahs to Brooklyn’s boroughs, Tajikistan tanks, it’s a globe-trotting grudge with squadmates: CIA handler Melissa Mills (Erica Luttrell, scheming sultriness), sniper Gecko Espina (Ashley Reyes, pixel-picking precision), medic Cliff Lopez (Jack Murillo, profane patching). Missions mimic multiplayer: scavenge Avalon map for loot tiers (common crates to legendary loadouts), zone bosses demand weak-point whacks like Destiny’s public events, a “constant internet” curse that curses pausing (restart on death), a “no single-player” snub that’s “soulless” for solo souls.
Gunplay gleams, omni-mobility’s wall-jumps and high-leaps “polished,” recoil “hefty but honed”, but the “story mode” story stumbles: “disconnected ideas” tying Black Ops 2 nostalgia (Reyes nods to David Mason) to Black Ops 1 callbacks, a “jumble” lacking “epic cinematic moments,” soundtrack “non-existent,” plot “predictable” sans spectacle. Extraction endgame “Final Objective” fuses DMZ with Zombies-lite: AI foes “harmless,” missions “repetitive,” XP grind for camos “stale,” a “relaxed” rift that’s rifted from relevance. It’s “5 hours leisurely” that’s leisurely lethal to legacy, a “failed” foray that’s “worrying direction” for annual apathy.
Multiplayer: SBMM’s Swan Song, Chaos Reigns
Multiplayer, the franchise’s forever flame, flickers fitfully but familiarly: 15+ maps (Express, Raid remakes shine, new Avalon sprawls), four classes (Assault run-guns regen-fast, Engineer SMG-repairs rocket-ravages, Support LMG-ammo heals, Recon sniper-headshots no-revive), modes mustering Conquest captures, Breakthrough breaches, Rush rushes, TDM tags, Squad DM squabbles, Domination dashes, King of the Hill hills, Escalation’s escalating escalations (points contract, funnel frenzy).
Gunplay’s “best in years”: omni-mobility’s wall-leaps “game-changing,” KCS (Kinesthetic Combat) leans/hitches/drags “smooth,” weapons wield “extensive” mods (50+ guns, attachment limits limitless-lite), destructibility “intentional” (doors demolished, floors fractured, no-total-town-torches). SBMM’s axed: “varied matches” vary wildly, “dominate” dawns or “challenging” chills, “arcade spirit” recaptured, “one of best recent years.” Launch content “avalanche”: camos, challenges, “excellent” though “repetitive.”
Portal’s Godot overhaul godsends: script maps/modes, “Dust II” duels, Star Destroyer stampedes, community browser browses user utopias, “huge” for huge-hearted hordes. RedSec Royale rumbles October 28 free-to-play: traditional BR, Gauntlet knockouts, Portal support, “refined” return.
Quirks? “Repetitive” repetition repels post-20 hours, netcode niggles lag lobbies, “overly influential” gadgets gadget-gatekeep. Yet “addictive fun” addicts, “frantic” frenzy frantic but fun.
Zombies: Treyarch’s Triumphant Return
Zombies, Treyarch’s eternal empire, eclipses all: “definitive next-gen,” “wonderful variety,” maps “full secrets,” arsenal “amazing camouflages add-ons.” Scenarios span story-like sprawls (objectives as “story mode”) to survival rounds on small maps, classic mode’s pistol starts and limited specials “absolute delight.” Enemies “varied,” secrets “full,” a “shine” that’s “salvage franchise.”
Maps mutate magnificently: classic remakes (Der Riese re-risen?), new nightmares (Avalon anomalies?), Easter eggs etching epics. Wonder Weapons wow: Ray Gun returns refined, new “NXC Nano-Launcher” nano-nukes hordes. Perks persist: Jugger-Nog juggernauts juggernaut juggernauts, Speed Cola speeds, a “arsenal improved” arsenal. Upgrades unlock via XP, camos cascade challenges, a “grind” that’s “rewarding” for reward reapers.
Quirks? “Leftover Black Ops 6 DLC” leavings leave lingering, “repetitive formula” repels repetition repellers. Yet “kings Zombies” king, “hit mark” hitting homeruns.
Peaks, Pitfalls, and Post-Launch Promise
Peaks: Zombies “definitive,” multiplayer “arcade spirit recaptured,” gunplay “best years,” content “avalanche,” Portal “overhaul complete.” Campaign “introduces endgame,” omni-mobility “polished.”
Pitfalls: Campaign “worst history,” “soulless co-op,” “constant internet no pause” curses solo, extraction “stale quickly.” Multiplayer “repetitive,” “recycled Black Ops 6.” Launch outages “embarrassing,” Javelin kludge “conflicts Vanguard.”
Post-launch: Seasons 1-4 tease maps (Avalon Avalon?), operators, Battle Pass free tiers, RedSec Royale “refined.” 7M sales week one, 500k beta peaks signal staying power.
Final Thoughts
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 salvages the series with Zombies supremacy and multiplayer mayhem minus SBMM, a content colossus that’s “wealth unlockables hours.” Campaign craters catastrophically, a “Frankenstein” flop that’s “worrying direction,” but Treyarch’s undead dynasty and arcade anarchy addict accordingly.
Campaign “failed,” extraction “stale,” repetition repels. Yet peaks powder pitfalls, “fun multiplayer” funs franchise forward. For Zombies zealots, multiplayer mutants, essential, weakest recent, strongest salvage.
We prepared this review with a digital copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 for the PS5 version provided by Activision.
