Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has entered Alpha, and first players were able to take a look at it. We summarize the impressions for you.
What happened? In the evening of September 18, Cold War entered Alpha. This means that first players could take a look at the new CoD, even though not everything is running smoothly yet.
The new maps, mechanics, and multiplayer could be examined. The first verdict is mixed, even though it is still in its infancy.
Cold War is challenging – Matchmaking is critiqued
This was the biggest realization: Most discussions are about the difficulty level of Cold War. The Time-to-Kill is higher compared to Modern Warfare, meaning you need more shots to defeat someone. The famous “lucky shots” are therefore harder to achieve and that leads to frustration.
Players suspect a massive skill-based matchmaking in Cold War, which makes the rounds challenging and leaves many players frustrated. The current top thread in the Cold War subreddit discusses exactly this: “The Alpha has been out for just 10 hours and my lobbies feel like the finals of the CoD league.”
The much-discussed skill-based matchmaking is therefore also currently a topic of discussion in Cold War. You encounter opponents of equal strength and the noob lobbies that you know from other CoD parts seem not to be possible here.
This is what players are happy about: In addition to criticism of matchmaking, there are also some positive points that players highlight. In Cold War, you can again influence the map selection. As a screenshot shows, you can choose between 2 maps. The map with the most votes will then be played.
This system has already existed in older CoD parts, but Modern Warfare did not offer it anymore. This way, it can be prevented that particularly unpopular maps are hardly played.
Another positive point that is repeatedly mentioned is an Easter egg on the map “Miami”. There is a pool with a diving board. This diving board actually catapults players upward – so you can jump on the board energetically.
This also allows for spectacular kills, as a reddit user shows:
This is the general mood: If you look at the reddit opinions, there are many points of criticism. Generally, players summarize that Cold War currently feels like a regression compared to Modern Warfare.
There is criticism of the graphics, matchmaking, and sounds like footsteps. However, there are also counterarguments. The gameplay is strong, and those who do not place much value on graphics will have fun here.
This must be considered: Currently, Cold War is still in Alpha, so still very much in the beginning for players. A beta will follow, along with numerous adjustments in between.
This is also promised by lead designer Tony Flame, who works for developer Treyarch. He mentions that this is a very early Alpha and that many features and improvements will come.
On the other hand, it must also be considered that Cold War will be released in less than 2 months. There is not much time left to completely revamp the shooter. It remains to be seen whether further testing phases will convince players more.
If you are also playing the Cold War Alpha, check out the best weapons recommended by a pro.
