Black Ops 6 finally gets a foothold in single-player gaming

call of Duty has set many standards for the military shooter genre over the past two decades. Call of Duty 4: Modern WarfareOnline multiplayer, for example, is often credited with introducing features that are now staples of the genre, like custom loadouts and killstreaks. But call of Duty it broke a lot of new ground in the single-player space as well.

While Medal of Honor, Battlefield 1942and other early military shooters laid a solid foundation for the genre, call of Duty sets a new standard for blockbuster, cinematic action campaigns. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 continues to raise this bar, making a number of innovations and improvements with its campaign, including finally nailing a classic single-player mechanic that the franchise has previously struggled with.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 finally offers satisfying bosses

Call of Duty didn't have the best boss fights

THE call of Duty the franchise has had some great antagonists over the years, since Modern warfarethe ultranationalist Makarov is terrifying Black operations 2It's Raúl Menendez. But while these antagonists often did a great job of incentivizing the player to hunt them down and put a stop to their nefarious plans, their final confrontation often left a little to be desired.

In most call of Duty campaigns, the big bad is defeated in a cutscene or defeated via a quick-time event, which can often feel like a glorified cutscene. The original incarnation of General Shepherd is taken out with a throwing knife, Makarov is pushed through a glass ceiling and left hanging, and Menendez is shot in the head, all via quick time events.

While QTEs were a decent way to add interactivity to a cutscene, they don't seem as rewarding in this modern era of gaming. Recent call of Duty the campaigns have tried to change with the times, introducing actual boss fights a few years ago. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2The Graves tank battle was one of the first real boss fights Cod story of the campaign, and while it was a good start, its challenge felt a little too artificial.

Call of Duty Zombies
has had a much longer history with boss fights, with Five's Pentagon Thief breaking ground on zombie bosses in 2010.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 sets a new standard for campaign boss fights

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6The campaign is full of challenging boss fights. In many missions, players will be faced with a powerful mini-boss enemy who has a health bar above their head. These riflemen, colossi, and gas mask-wearing mini-bosses all pose a much more significant challenge than the regular campaign enemies, and that sudden change in intensity can be exhilarating.

Black operations 6The campaign is also home to a handful of major boss fights, most of which occur during the “Emergency” mission. These bosses are essentially copied Black operations 6although the context surrounding their appearance in the campaign makes their respective battles adequately tense and engaging. Unlike those who preceded him, Black operations 6The boss fights feel like real scenes that successfully blend a successful presentation with challenging gameplay.