Might as well start off a thread for the full game but right now this is related to the current beta that's running for the Blackout mode, Call of Duty's contribution to the growing list of PUBG cash ins.
Blackout
Treyarch should probably both be praised and slyly nudged for what they've done with this. The mode uses a single map which reuses elements from past maps and new areas to give you an open landscape to survive and combat other players until the lone survivor prevails. The reused elements are... mostly redundant. I've recognised one or two places so far but mostly the map is pretty dull looking. Now, why is it so dull looking? Well, because they've ripped of PUBG's original map to a massive extent, at a glance they look mostly the same.
But here in lies the genius. Black Ops IIII is one of the major releases that will properly first in at incorporating a BR mode and at the moment PUBG is one of its key rivals, especially as the game doesn't feature a Fortnite style variation to its gameplay. By hosting a very similar map it means the game offers a very similar experience which would usually mean there's no reason to pay attention to CoD's addition however there is one difference and it's a big one...
Execution - The game runs damned smooth. Not flawlessly so like the MP mode but leagues ahead of PUBG and controls the same as the rest of the game. With the exception of PUBG having a third person view available you effectively instantly have the same experience but in a much, much better made form which means PUBG is now actually pretty redundant as an experience, especially if more Blackout maps emerge.
Though the design of Blackout is indistinguishable from PUBG's matches it does have one difference as a result of the execution - exposure. One of the appealing aspects of PUBG is that it's an Early Access originated growing title so you're also buying into the likely misplaced sense of hope for what the potential of the final product may become. Blackout recreates the experience with CoD controls but the ambition ends there meaning it soon exposes how shallow a mode BR actually is. After a couple of matches it starts to get a little dull and repetitive as a large part of the experience is standard MP gameplay but with players spaced farther apart. It now has a 'it is what it is' air about it and only future games are likely to advance the design further beyond more maps being added.
The key here though is that Blackout forms only one part of the Black Ops IIII package and it is admittedly a very successful recreation of the PUBG on every level, other than maps I can't see many reasons to play PUBG if this grows. I can fully imagine it'd be all to easy for PUBG to transition away from that games technical shortfalls to this more polished and very similar experience also so it's an easy win for the devs. On it's own it would fall short but it's a distinct enough mode addition to keep an eye on once Treyarch announce more on whether Blackout will evolve significantly or not. More hopeful from it than I was from the BF5 beta.
Blackout
Treyarch should probably both be praised and slyly nudged for what they've done with this. The mode uses a single map which reuses elements from past maps and new areas to give you an open landscape to survive and combat other players until the lone survivor prevails. The reused elements are... mostly redundant. I've recognised one or two places so far but mostly the map is pretty dull looking. Now, why is it so dull looking? Well, because they've ripped of PUBG's original map to a massive extent, at a glance they look mostly the same.
But here in lies the genius. Black Ops IIII is one of the major releases that will properly first in at incorporating a BR mode and at the moment PUBG is one of its key rivals, especially as the game doesn't feature a Fortnite style variation to its gameplay. By hosting a very similar map it means the game offers a very similar experience which would usually mean there's no reason to pay attention to CoD's addition however there is one difference and it's a big one...
Execution - The game runs damned smooth. Not flawlessly so like the MP mode but leagues ahead of PUBG and controls the same as the rest of the game. With the exception of PUBG having a third person view available you effectively instantly have the same experience but in a much, much better made form which means PUBG is now actually pretty redundant as an experience, especially if more Blackout maps emerge.
Though the design of Blackout is indistinguishable from PUBG's matches it does have one difference as a result of the execution - exposure. One of the appealing aspects of PUBG is that it's an Early Access originated growing title so you're also buying into the likely misplaced sense of hope for what the potential of the final product may become. Blackout recreates the experience with CoD controls but the ambition ends there meaning it soon exposes how shallow a mode BR actually is. After a couple of matches it starts to get a little dull and repetitive as a large part of the experience is standard MP gameplay but with players spaced farther apart. It now has a 'it is what it is' air about it and only future games are likely to advance the design further beyond more maps being added.
The key here though is that Blackout forms only one part of the Black Ops IIII package and it is admittedly a very successful recreation of the PUBG on every level, other than maps I can't see many reasons to play PUBG if this grows. I can fully imagine it'd be all to easy for PUBG to transition away from that games technical shortfalls to this more polished and very similar experience also so it's an easy win for the devs. On it's own it would fall short but it's a distinct enough mode addition to keep an eye on once Treyarch announce more on whether Blackout will evolve significantly or not. More hopeful from it than I was from the BF5 beta.
Comment