So, Call of Duty, the shooter franchise that dominated games for the last decade has released its latest entry, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, which features a mode, “Blackout,” that borrows heavily from Fortnite, the shooter franchise that may well dominate games for the next decade.
Epic’s colorful cultural phenomenon didn’t create the battle royale genre, but it is currently the most popular take on the game mode. So, it’s worth asking, how does “Blackout” stack up against Fortnite Battle Royale?
Fast and Furious
“Blackout” makes Fortnite look sluggish. From the drop, players will notice that Call of Duty is trimming the fat on the BR experience. With the left stick tilted all the way forward, players will find that they hurtle from the helicopter (this iteration’s version of the Battle Bus) toward the ground with blistering speed. The parachute also seems to deploy closer to the ground than in Fortnite, so even once you slow down, you’ll still hit the ground with surprising speed.
From there, the speed keeps up. Time-to-kill is quicker and once you start taking fire from an opponent, the lack of a shield meter and ostensibly smaller health bar means that by the time you notice you’re getting hit, it may be too late to do anything about it.
Pickaxes Are Out
There’s rarely a moment in Fortnite when there isn’t something you should be doing. Sometimes that means full-on sprinting to make it inside the circle. Sometimes it means trading up for better loot. But, most often it means stripping the buildings, trees and propane tanks around you bare as you race to fill up your inventory with building materials.
There’s no base building in “Blackout,” which means that there are more quiet moments; more silently waiting for your chance to strike. This means that a “Blackout” match is less busy than a round in Fortnite. But, the increased speed means that you’ll rarely be lying in wait too long before the next encounter.
Last Man Standing in First Person
While Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds offers a first-person perspective, Fortnite has always kept the camera up and behind the player’s shoulders. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, however, only offers a first-person perspective, which may take some getting used to for Fortnite fans.
One benefit is that aiming down sights and firing feels better than it does in Fortnite. However, the first-person perspective also means that it’s much more difficult to watch your back for players who may be sneaking up behind (and this is especially hard to do while prone).
Should Fortnite Fans Buy Call of Duty: Black Ops 4?
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is grittier and more realistic than Fortnite, with none of the zaniness or offbeat environmental storytelling that Epic’s game is known for. But, if you’re looking for a more grounded battle royale with stellar shooting, strong technical performance and zero building, Blackout may be the strongest iteration on the BR formula on the market.