The Name of Obligation sequence has a historical past of fantastic maps. Activision’s esteemed FPS is principally teeming with them; Cargo, Terminal, Favela, Rust, Firing Vary – the checklist goes on. With each recreation, CoD provides extra maps, it doesn’t matter what banner they arrive below. For my cash, Trendy Warfare sometimes has the very best (however then, I normally desire that arm of the sequence to Black Ops). That’s all modified this yr, nonetheless, with the exceptional deployment of a improbable map in Black Ops 6.
I’m speaking about Purple Card. The second you enter the primary entrance of this well-conceived stadium, you’re in for one thing particular. You’re within the stands of a global soccer pitch, you possibly can race via the foyer and look at the memorabilia upstairs, discover the promenade and fan competition stands, or swing again into the foyer or parking storage.
However, higher but, the engineering wizards over at Treyarch, Raven, Beenox et al have managed to do one thing actually particular in Purple Card: it’s using the licensed monitor Epic, by Religion No Extra, that makes it actually stand out. Not solely is it a terrific monitor in and of itself (taken from the killer album, The Actual Factor), it’s a dynamic, tidal track that’s an ideal accompaniment to the back-and-forth nature of a superb CoD multiplayer recreation. I didn’t realise fairly how a lot IRL music may gain advantage an FPS like this till I performed Purple Card.
You see, relying on the place you might be within the map, you’ll be capable of hear the track enjoying from the audio system of the pitch itself. When you’re deep within the participant tunnels, it’s distant and echoing off the exhausting partitions. When you’re up within the stands, it’s blaring out – nearly aggressively – duelling for priority over gunfire and exploding semtex. When you’re within the foyer, it’s nothing greater than background noise, actually, underpinning the skirmish you’re desperately making an attempt to reside via.
I don’t even wish to take into consideration how a lot Activision shelled out for the licensing rights to Epic – and whether or not this will probably be a everlasting fixture within the map, since everyone knows how troublesome sustaining licensing rights in music could be. But it surely works.
I feel all of it works so nicely as a result of Purple Card can also be a extremely fascinating map, from a design standpoint. Many Name of Obligation maps can really feel a bit complicated at first, and given Purple Card is a multi-level affair, it’d be simple to develop into disoriented or misplaced. However when you get to know the musical cues, you possibly can truly rationalise your self throughout the setup of the extent – it’s a extremely sensible method of letting you glean data from audio – in addition to visible – cues. One thing that Name of Obligation has actually excelled at over the previous few years.
The Foyer and the Major Entrance offer you loads of area to get the drop on extra gung-ho foes, and the staircase and fully-functioning elevator within the north foyer provide the choice to play thoughts video games along with your enemies, too (loading up the elevator with streaks or gear and making a cell siege base out of it’s exhausting to arrange, however very satisfying in case you pull it off). I’d advocate utilizing the Engineer Perk on this map, too; there are many locations for wily operators to plant gear of their very own as you navigate the horiztonal and vertical intricacies of a map like this.
I should have performed a superb 20 or 30 matches in Purple Card over the weekend, and I’m not sick of Mike Patton’s crooning, growling, and rapping but. Nor am I pissed off with the structure of the map and the tips you possibly can play if you’re launched into it (regardless of the dodgy spawn factors). Excessive reward. Let’s see if I nonetheless really feel this manner a couple of seasons deep… who is aware of, perhaps Activision is planning on biking the songs you hear in Purple Card as the sport progresses… How cool would it not be to begin popping headshots to Jane’s Habit, or 9 Inch Nails, or one thing else suitably 90s?
By the way, it’s possible you’ll recognise Patton’s dulcet tones from elsewhere in gaming – this isn’t his first time flirting with interactive leisure. He was the voice of the eponymous Darkness in, you guessed it, The Darkness. He was the voice of Nathan Spencer within the controversial Bionic Commando reboot in 2009. And he lent his pipes to the Anger Core in Portal, too. I assume being frontman for no less than ten bands and influencing each singer price their salt in different music simply wasn’t protecting him busy sufficient, ey?
If you’d like extra Name of Obligation Black Ops 6 music discuss, you could find an interview with the sport’s composer, Jack Wall, on the hyperlink.
Name of Obligation BlackOps 6 is out now on PS5, Xbox Sequence X/S, and PC.