I’m gonna ramble a bit about Black Ops 6, okay? Bear with me. This whole Zombies thing wrapped up, and I kinda dig it, mostly. Reckoning, the new map, it’s got this vibe, you know? Fresh layout, some deep lore bits – especially with the announcers and whatnot. Grey’s reaction to what happens with Samantha? Solid acting there. Gotta admit, though, there’s stuff that’s kinda meh. Panos’ fate? Rushed. And the Gorgofex Wonder Weapon? Could’ve hit harder.
The endings are all over the place – depending on your path, SAM or Richtofen ends up on top. SAM’s story has you taking down a mech-clad Richtofen, but, you know, it leaves you a little cold. She gets her human form – but then, the AI powers too? Richtofen’s path seems brighter, if you’re into happy endings. But what’s really kicking up dust in the community is this teaser… Classic characters suddenly stepping out of the shadows. Terminus crew gets a party invite. Some people love it, some don’t. Me? Left me kinda indifferent for the first time ever. Not exactly holding my breath for Black Ops 7.
Now, ah, the Aether storyline. I guess I had a thing for its messiness back then. Teenage years, digging into theories and listening to those hidden radios. The community vibe was tight. In Black Ops 4, they wrapped it all up, but now? Trying to bring back old characters feels like a cheap move. I’m not pumped like some folks. Kinda disappointed, actually.
Back when Black Ops 4 wrapped up with the whole slideshow deal – sure, low budget, whatever – Tag Der Toten’s ending was still a punch to the gut. Richtofen, man, he knew the gig was up back in Black Ops 3. No way out for the squad, really. So Nikolai did the deed, and it ended there. I’m still carrying those campfire talks and the moment Sam had to off Nikolai in my gut. It was rushed, but it felt finished.
But now? Here we are, and it feels pointless. The nostalgia factor of dipping back to the old crew? Sort of a slap considering Nikolai’s big sacrifice. Feels like Treyarch’s gonna need to spill a lot of ink to make all this fit into the new game. There’s Panos’ benefactor, a canon ending for BO6, and how do they plan to handle Takeo’s voice without Tom Kane? Not looking forward to more backlash like with Samantha’s recast.
With BO7, it all seems like a “greatest hits” deal, dredging up the past. Black Ops 6 Zombies was flying good, and they dip back into old waters? Why not go all-in with the Chaos storyline? Or push on with the Terminus crew? They’re solid too – even if Carver could use more screen time. But nah, looks like we’re heading back to familiar turf. Makes you wonder, if we get attached to these remix versions of Richtofen, Dempsey, and the lot, how long before it’s rinse and repeat?
Treyarch tried with Dark Aether, charting a new course, but back they go to the comfort zone. At least some dicey locations sound interesting. Nuked NYC, anyone? Guess I’ll stick around for the zombie head-bashing, but the story? Might be checking out.
