The Alpha for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has come to an end. Exclusive for all PlayStation 4 players, it was the first chance for players to get their hands on the highly anticipated return to the Black Ops sub-franchise.
For an Alpha, there was plenty of content to get stuck into. A total of five maps, a range of weapons, and full access to the re-modeled create a class system were just some of the things players got to experience over a weekend.
After some extensive playtime, here are our initial thoughts on Black Ops Cold War.
Weapon Balance
Overall, the balance of weaponry was very good apart from the over-tuned sniper rifles and the AK-74u sub-machine gun. With little to no recoil and supreme accuracy even at long-distance, this quickly became the most popular weapon to use.
Treyarch has already confirmed that snipers will be nerfed heading into the beta alongside the AK-74u.
Apart from the snipers and the AK-74u, there was always a wide variety of weaponry that had its uses, whether it was an RPD light machine gun, or even a semi-automatic Type 63. The majority of the arsenal all felt incredibly balanced, and combined with the longer time-to-kill, it felt like you always had a chance to succeed in a gunfight regardless of which weapon you had selected.
Maps
After a disappointing selection of maps were included on Modern Warfare, expectations were high for Treyarch to deliver some solid maps for both 6v6 and 12v12 play.
6v6
There were three maps to play for 6v6 matches - Satellite, Moscow, and Miami.
For me, Satellite was the best map out of the three. The vast open area of the sand dunes was ideal for long-distance engagements with snipers while the center of the map played host to chaotic close-quarters action. Hardpoint on this map was a lot of fun to play. The spawns were extremely fluid, making it difficult to trap the enemy into a specific area of the map, but they were predictable and you could easily determine where the enemy would be coming from.
Moscow was a return to a traditional three-lane map design, something that had been absent from Modern Warfare. The outer lanes provided excellent lines of sight for long-range duels with sniper rifles while the central area of the map was often the hotspot for a lot of activity taking place. It was an extremely balanced map, with no side offering a significant advantage over the other.
Miami was the largest of the three maps and often felt like there was a lot of unnecessary space, with players having to run a fair distance before encountering any action. Another issue of the map was the lighting. Certain areas of the map were extremely dark, making it difficult to see any players lurking in the shadows. Probably my least favorite of the three maps.
12v12
There were two 12v12 maps on offer during the Alpha weekend, with both offering players a chance to play Combined Arms - Domination, a big team battle similar to Modern Warfare's Ground War.
Armada was one of the most unique maps ever seen in the Call of Duty franchise. A cluster of ships complete with zip-lines to enable quick navigation between boats. The matches were always filled with action on the boats and on the surrounding waters, with smaller patrol boats armed with machine guns racing around to defend the central C flag under the larger ship. The layout encouraged all styles of play ranging from aggressive sub-machine slayers to patient snipers happily picking off anyone gambling on a quick trip on the zip-wire.
The second map was named Crossroads and featured heavily armored tanks which could unleash a high-damage shell with extreme precision. While a lot of players competed over access to the tanks, the layout of the map was the polar opposite of Armada. Full of vast, open spaces, Crossroads was a paradise for snipers which could take down enemies from incredible distance with ease. Perhaps a little less chaotic than Armada, Crossroads was still a lot of fun to play, especially with a group of people.
Players have got their first taste of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Find out the best weapons in the game with this handy guide!
