Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
After last week's reveal of the next Call of Duty, some fans of the series may be looking for something a little more... light-hearted. Fortunately, there's another Call of Duty experience out there right now and it's Black Ops 4. And the folks at Treyarch are ready to put on their sunglasses and soak up some sun with the Black Ops 4 summer community event called Days oF Summer.
Recall that one of the criticisms in our original Black Ops 4 review was a distinct lack of traditional Capture the Flag, a staple in the long-running series. That no longer applies, because Capture the Flag is back with the Days of Summer update. The rules should be familiar to anyone with any passing knowledge of CoD. The idea is that teams defend their own flag, while also working to infiltrate enemy territory, capture their flag, and return it to base.
To help add to Capture the Flag and the multiplayer experience as a whole, Treyarch has also brought back an old-school favorite from Black Ops II. Grind takes players to a Venice Beach skate park, as teams take cover behind half pipes and skate ramps. Think of it as what would have happened if a Tony Hawk map had accidentally warped into a Call of Duty game. Playing this or any other map will add into a running community challenge, where all players will unlock the Grav assault rifle if they can rack up a worldwide total of 15 million matches played across multiplayer, Zombies, or Blackout.
Speaking of Blackout, those players might have noticed that the Hydro Dam has been devastated over the past several weeks. Fortunately, the flood waters have receded, but there's still the issue of a luxury boat that is beached around Nuketown. That calls for a beach party, as Treyarch has decorated that area with assorted summer barbeque and party materials. The coolers and water balloons even double as usable equipment. Just be careful, because zombies have joined the party, too, decked out in floaties and everything.
Those looking for a different Blackout experience can jump into the new Ground War mode, which pits two massive platoons (separated into squads) against one another. If you'd rather get an aerial view of the action, Tuesday's Blackout update has added Attack Helicopters to this Ground War mode.
Lastly, there's new Zombies content on the way, with the Submarine and Shipwrecked areas on the Alcatraz map set to open to everyone. The submarine can be found along the northern side of the map, while the shipwreck can be spotted along the south side. The Tactical Rift will make going back and forth between these spots a little easier. This isn't ready for the game just yet, as it's currently slated for a June 11 release on PS4, with other platforms getting this later.
All of this is a small sample of what's coming in the Black Ops 4 Days of Summer event. Treyarch has the full details are available on the Activision website. Days of Summer has begun on all platforms, so go get the party started.