Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Remember when it used to be sort of an "event" whenever a Call of Duty game came out every year? I can't help but feel like this franchise is becoming almost an obligation for consumers to get every year just so they can say they've gotten it. The development of this was known to have been a mess and it really shows, and the fact gnat it was developed during a global pandemic did it no favors. The zombies mode here is among the most bland and banal to date, I don't understand how the zombies mode seems to get worse with every installment. The campaign is pretty great though, and the story it tells is a fun ride that harkens back to the goodness of Black Ops and Black Ops 2, and throws in the cool surreal aspects of Black Ops 3. The voice actors being changed for no real reason is somewhat lame. The multiplayer is the same thing you've played before, nothing has changed.

Can this franchise please take a year off? If Assassins Creed can do it I don't see why Call of Duty can't. The series is becoming over saturated. Activision has devalued all of its other franchises to focus on this one and when one of these not only "disappoints" but outright flops, I cannot imagine the catastrophic result that'll have on the company. Then again, considering the workplace culture they have, maybe they need just this sort of reckoning to change.