Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has released to strong critical reviews, but ‘overwhelming dislike’ amongst its general audience base, with players majorly divided.
It appears the game has drawn the ire of returning fans for an array of new inclusions, with plenty of criticism handed to the game’s co-op campaign mode and its always-online requirements, as well as the use of Generative AI calling cards.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 – review roundup
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7‘s use of generative AI sparks outcry
Perhaps the loudest voices are those flagging the obvious, egregious use of Generative AI, and how it erodes the visual design of Call of Duty. As commenters on Reddit have pointed out in a heated discussion, developers at Treyarch and Raven Software are a talented bunch, with plenty of real artists who could’ve contributed stylish, memorable key art to the game’s calling cards.
Instead, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is filled with generic cartoon and anime-style artwork without a consistent style, that instead seems to draw from inspirations like Studio Ghibli (and it feels likely the GenAI used was trained on these copyrightedworks).
As pointed out by one commentator, ‘Black Ops III warned about the dangers of AI. You know they [messed] up when Black Ops III becomes relevant.’
Since outrage over use of this technology went viral, Activision has confirmed to various outlets (including PC Gamer) that the game does indeed use GenAI: ‘Like so many around the world, we use a variety of digital tools, including AI tools, to empower and support our teams to create the best gaming experiences possible for our players … Our creative process continues to be led by the talented individuals in our studios.’
The statement has done little to address concerns, and debate continues about the GenAI images used for the game’s calling cards, and how their lack of coherence degrades Call of Duty‘s style.
Further criticism for always-online campaign requirements
Elsewhere, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is also facing criticism for its always-online campaign requirements, as well as its lack of compatibility with solo play. While you can tackle the campaign solo, various limitations make this a tough ask – you can’t pause the game, there are minimal checkpoints, and you can’t adjust difficulty.
As noted by IGN, you also need to repeat some tasks in missions, as they’re clearly designed to be played with three other players handling the rest of the load. Per the website’s review – and various audience scores on Metacritic – this makes the campaign fairly tedious.
What’s worth noting in the rest of the audience criticism is that many reviews vaguely gesture at other issues, without specifically noting the cause for overall negativity. There are references to a poor story and its lack of saves, with the campaign drawing the most significant ire – but there are also plenty of reviews that reference a general dislike for the game, and how the Call of Duty franchise has evolved.
Critical reviews of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 are significantly more positive
Conversely, many critical reviews are more positive, with early scores noting strong co-op elements, ambitious changes to the franchise formula, and a robust array of new and returning modes.
‘Each new experience in the game feels fresh, and you genuinely never know what the next moment will have to offer you,’ Cole Martin of TechRadar Gaming wrote. ‘I’m awestruck by the variety, depth, and careful craftsmanship that have gone into Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and I’m optimistic that this is going to be a good year.’
Writing for The Guardian, critic Keith Stuart was also positive about the game, particularly its campaign mode and ‘maximalist’ style: ‘This is slick, thrilling entertainment … Value matters right now, and in this as in almost everything else, Call of Duty does not hold back. It is a maximalist paean to the ultimate, troubling truth of video game design – shooting stuff on a TV screen is a hell of a lot of fun.’
Given these impressions, and a currently-high Metacritic review score of 83, compared with an audience Metascore of just 1.8, it’s fair to say reception has been divided so far. There’s obvious, justified criticism facing the game, but equally, critics appeared impressed by the variety and robustness of everything on offer.
As with all games, it’s best to make your own judgements, but understanding the current discourse may guide you one direction or another.
