Gaming

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 impressions: Everything is fun and fluid

The omnidirectional movement is so good

Published

September 6, 2024

Luigi Leonardo

After years and years of the Call of Duty franchise, it’s easy to pick up the competitive shooter from scratch. If you’ve followed the series over the years, accurately determining what’s new with every iteration can be a challenge. That said, the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 comes with one of the most surprising additions to the franchise: omnidirectional movement.

Right now, Black Ops 6 is holding a few weekends to give players early access to the game’s multiplayer mode. It’s an early version, so it won’t have everything we can expect come October. However, it still comes with a few surprises.

Omnidirectional movement is a godsend

Omnidirectional movement is a feature that you never realize you’re missing until it’s there. Basically, players can now sprint and slide towards any direction now. It makes for a more fluid movement across the board.

At first, I thought that the unlimited movement would look too janky in practice, especially since it also lets you slide backwards. It’s anything but. The system has the momentum and the body movement down. It feels like you’re gliding through the map. Because it’s still an early version of the game, it will be interesting to see how players master the system going forward. Expect to see amazing kills when the full game comes out.

Tighter, more fun maps

Besides the movement, Treyarch has also worked on better maps for multiplayer. Currently, the game only has a handful of maps available for testing. However, they all give a sense of where Treyarch is going with map design.

Instead of sprawling maps, each available one is tighter and smaller. There’s a more pronounced focus on verticality. Working towards higher vantage points is almost always worth it. And, more often than not, I’ve always found players gunning for a tower or are already stationed at the coveted high ground.

But it’s not unfair. There are other lanes to play for. If someone’s already nested at a sniping spot, it’s not too difficult to attack through other spots. Plus, because of the omnidirectional movement, I was just flying through the maps. In fact, I can get back to where I was killed in a few seconds. It’s a more fast-paced experience.

Should you preorder Call of Duty: Black Ops 6?

Since this is our first taste of the upcoming game, it’s a bit early to conclude that Black Ops 6 is worth preordering. However, based on the small preview I’ve seen, the game looks impressive and promising, buoyed by a new learning curve that even seasoned players will enjoy. It’s just plain fun.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launches on October 25. Preorders are available now. Early birds can also access the beta versions of the game ahead of time.

Related Topics:Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Gaming

Project Helix is Xbox’s next console, and it plays PC games

It might be as powerful as a modern PC.

Published

March 6, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Among all the platforms in today’s generation of consoles, the Xbox has to be biggest loser. Compared to the PlayStation 5 and the Switch 2, the Xbox Series X|S isn’t as memorable. To rectify its position in the rankings, Xbox is heavily teasing its next console codenamed Project Helix.

As was hinted before, Xbox is trying something different with its next-generation console. Rather than just a simple iteration over the current-generation console, the upcoming one will reportedly double as a PC. Today, the company itself has confirmed that this is the case for Project Helix.

Through a post on X, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said that the console will “lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games.”

Great start to the morning with Team Xbox, where we talked about our commitment to the return of Xbox including Project Helix, the code name for our next generation console.

Project Helix will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games. Looking forward to chatting about… pic.twitter.com/Xx5rpVnAZI

— Asha (@asha_shar) March 5, 2026

There are two things to unpack here. Firstly, Project Helix will aim to bridge the perilous divide between console players and PC players. Unlike the past, there will be a way to play both platforms on both devices… except for games exclusive to the PlayStation and the Switch, that is.

Secondly, a “lead in performance” seems to indicate that this isn’t just a mini-PC. Most recently, Valve announced the Steam Machine. Though it offers a convenient way to play Steam games in one device, it doesn’t have the best specs. Project Helix, if Sharma’s words are to be believed, might be as powerful as a modern PC.

Xbox won’t wait long before revealing more details about the console. Sharma, who only recently started her post as CEO, will be at next week’s Game Developers Conference to explain Project Helix more.

Gaming

Ubisoft confirms Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag remake

It’s officially called Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced.

Published

March 5, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

If you ask an Assassin’s Creed fan what their favorite game of the series is, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag will likely be one of the top contenders. Because of its reputation, gamers are constantly asking for a remake of the popular pirate simulator. Now, the dream is finally here. Ubisoft has confirmed that a remake, called Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced, is coming.

Released in 2013, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag saw the journey of Edward Kenway, a vagabond pirate haplessly thrust into life as part of the Assassin Brotherhood against his will. The critically acclaimed game was something that all gamers have been clamoring for since Sid Meier’s Pirates: a true pirate simulator. It was no surprise that the game got as popular as it did.

Today, through an official roadmap shared by the company, Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced is real, and it might launch later this year. The company also released the first concept art for the remake.

Currently, there’s no official word as to how Ubisoft is remaking the game. At the very least, we can expect significant graphical upgrades to put it up to par with the modern games. We wouldn’t be opposed to more stories and missions too.

Now, though the Black Flag remake is already a big deal, the same roadmap also emphasizes that Codename Hexe, the next mainline title, is still coming. Ubisoft hasn’t confirmed the actual timeline yet, but the game will depict “a pivotal moment in history.” With post-launch development for the ongoing Shadows winding down, efforts to launch Codename Hexe should be ramping up soon.

Gaming

PlayStation will stop releasing its games on PC

A new reports suggests that Sony is going back to console exclusives.

Published

March 5, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

PC-only gamers have been eating well for the past few years. The formerly exclusive PlayStation library opened its gates and released worthy ports for PC. Unfortunately, Sony is putting an end to this short-lived era of openness to PC gamers. According to a new report, the company is once again making first-party PlayStation games exclusive to the console.

During the pandemic, Sony started releasing its critically acclaimed first-party games on PC. The new wave saw gamers get the ability to play titles such as Horizon Zero Dawn, The Last of Us, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and God of War on another platform. Even now, players are still eagerly awaiting the PC launch of Death Stranding 2, due out later this year.

However, as reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Sony has just had a change of heart and will no longer release any more games on the PC, beyond those already confirmed for future launches.

This will mean that last year’s Ghost of Yotei and the upcoming Saros will remain PlayStation exclusives for the foreseeable future.

It’s a big change to Sony’s direction. However, it’s not without its precedents. For one, Microsoft has started to compete in the non-exclusive market. The company is already set to launch Fable and Forza Horizon 6 on other platforms, including PC and PlayStation, concurrently with the Xbox launch. To compare, PlayStation still waits a long time before launching exclusive games on PC.

Also, now that rumors have begun to speak of a fabled PlayStation 6, Sony might want to keep things close to its chest for now. After all, selling the console might be its top priority for now.