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CultureReport: Activision Blizzard Calls Policy To Make Hiring More Diverse ‘Unworkable’
Earlier this month, Activision Blizzard was asked to institute some version of the Rooney Rule, a policy requiring employers to interview diverse candidates when hiring, according to a new report by Motherboard. Lawyers for the massive publisher behind Call of Duty and World of Warcraft responded that such a policy would be “an unworkable encroachment…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureCall of Duty’s Warzone Has Seen Better Days
Call of Duty’s battle royale Warzone is just under a year old. When it launched in March of 2020, I praised the 150-player online game for smooth gameplay, simplified mechanics, and fast-paced action. But all of the features that once made Warzone one of the best battle royales to drop into now feel hindered by…
By S.E. Doster -
OpinionImpressionsTest Your Zombie Survival Skills With Cold War’s New Cranked Mode
Killing zombies is the best part about Black Ops Cold War’s mid-season update for Season One. New maps and modes were added on January 14, including a new large-scale Fireteam map, a standard 6v6 multiplayer mode called “Dropkick,” and a Cranked mode for Zombies. Overall, I feel a little underwhelmed by this content drop. The…
By S.E. Doster -
CultureOdds and EndsCall Of Duty‘s 1980s Shopping Mall Map Gets The Little Details Right
Maybe it’s the 2020 pandemic blues, but I can’t get enough of Black Ops Cold War’s retro shopping mall map. “The Pines” is a standard 6v6 multiplayer map that was added earlier this month with the launch of Cold War’s Season One. It’s a New Jersey-based mall filled with retail flashbacks. I’ve gotten so distracted…
By S.E. Doster -
CultureOdds and EndsYou Can (Carefully) Pet The Zombie Dogs In Black Ops Cold War
I love when games give me the option to pet dogs, and surprisingly, you can pet the Plaguehounds in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Zombies mode. But unless you use a specific weapon effect, you’d never even know you had the option to pet them. Die Maschine’s Plaguehounds are special round-based enemies that…
By S.E. Doster -
OpinionImpressionsCall of Duty Season One Brings Much-Needed Maps To Cold War, But Warzone‘s ‘New’ Map Doesn’t Quite Work
Call of Duty’s Season One arrived earlier this week, bringing an ambitious number of new maps and modes to Black Ops Cold War and Warzone, as well as integrating the new level progression system into last year’s Modern Warfare. New maps were sorely needed and are appreciated, but the large rollout came with some problems On…
By S.E. Doster -
CultureCall Of Duty: Warzone Players Are Hunting Glitchers Who Spawn Unlimited Juggernauts
The massive armored suit upgrades known as juggernauts are proliferating in Call of Duty: Warzone thanks to a new glitch, leading some skilled players to go out of their way to hunt down opponents who are using them. The glitch to spawn duplicate juggernauts is straightforward to attempt but can be difficult to pull off.…
By Ethan Gach -
Culture
Black Ops Cold War’s Season One content and Warzone integration has been delayed until December 16, Activision announced in a blog post. The upcoming free content will provide new maps and modes, including the fan favorite “Raid” map from Black Ops 2, but fans will have to wait a week longer than expected.
By S.E. Doster -
Iconic Nuketown Easter Egg Goes ‘80s Synthwave In Black Ops Cold War
As is Call of Duty tradition, the Nuketown mannequin Easter egg returns in Black Ops Cold War. The map originated in the original Black Ops as a nuclear test site mocked up as a 1950s American suburb with cars and mannequins styled to fit the era. Nuketown’s been reimagined for every Black Ops title since,…
By S.E. Doster -
OpinionIn Case You Missed It, Reagan Was A Scumbag
America’s 40th president was a lot of things: a right-wing talk radio host, a Hollywood actor, a Red Scare monger, a charismatic liar. A great leader wasn’t one of them but for some reason Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War seems keen to revive that long-standing conservative fantasy. I can only guess how many…
By Ethan Gach -
ReviewsVideo GamesCall Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War: The Kotaku Review
Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launched on November 13 across multiple platforms, marking the first Call of Duty title to support cross-gen crossplay. Even during a pandemic and a shortened development cycle, we get all the Black Ops goodness we could expect from a Treyarch Call of Duty. There’s a paranoid-filled campaign with…
By S.E. Doster -
CultureYour PS5 May Be Playing The PS4 Version Of Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Download bugs and weird defaults are making it a pain for some people to get the PS5 to install and play the next-gen version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. As first reported by Eurogamer over the weekend, PS5 players with the Cross-Gen bundle or Ultimate Editions of the latest Call of Duty…
By Ethan Gach -
OpinionImpressionsMy Hands Don’t Like PS5 Call Of Duty’s Adaptive Trigger Feature
Black Ops: Cold War has arrived. There are several platforms to play Call of Duty on this year, but only the PlayStation 5 can literally give the game a next-gen feel with its controller. But is this novel sense of realism the best option for a multiplayer shooter? My hands aren’t convinced. All the next-gen…
By S.E. Doster -
CultureNew Prestige And Ranking System Coming To Call of Duty
There will be more ways than ever to level up in Call of Duty when Black Ops: Cold War arrives. For the first time in Call of Duty history, player progression will be synchronized across various titles. This shared progression system will begin when Black Ops: Cold War launches on November 13, and advances further…
By S.E. Doster -
CultureCall Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Is 40GB Bigger On Next-Gen Consoles
Call of Duty games are routinely some of the biggest you can download on console, and this year’s Black Ops: Cold War is continuing that trend, especially on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Today, Activision revealed how much space you’ll need on each console’s hard drive to pre-load the game: PlayStation 4: 95GB PlayStation 5:…
By Ethan Gach -
OpinionWhat Call of Duty’s Warzone Needs For Cold War
Warzone will be coming to Black Ops: Cold War in December. While the battle royale is exciting to play and also spectate for major tournaments, improvements like better anti-cheat, improved challenges, and map changes could really enhance the Warzone experience for the upcoming year. Basically, stop all the hackers and take some notes from Blackout,…
By S.E. Doster -
Call of Duty’s Halloween Event ‘The Haunting Of Verdansk’ Is Good
The Haunting of Verdansk is the best Call of Duty seasonal event in a long time, especially if you enjoy the spooky stuff. Today’s update for both Modern Warfare and Warzone brings classic horror-movie villains and terrifying twists to both games. From now until November 3, people can play a nighttime version of Warzone’s map,…
By S.E. Doster -
OpinionImpressionsBlack Ops: Cold War’s Crossplay Beta Showcases One Of The Game’s Best New Modes
Black Ops: Cold War’s new 40-player “Fireteam” mode is addictive chaos that requires teamwork and good comms. Thursday was the start of the early access crossplay beta that let players across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC get hands-on with the multiplayer for the upcoming Call of Duty, if they digitally pre-ordered the game. The…
By S.E. Doster