Classic Call of Duty games return without DLC bundles or major upgrades
Summary
– Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 are now available on PS4 and PS5
– Each game costs $40, with temporary PS Plus discounts lowering them to $20
– DLC is sold separately, and fans are criticizing the bare-bones ports
Call of Duty fans on PlayStation can finally play Black Ops and Black Ops 2 on modern hardware, but the return is already getting backlash.
Activision quietly released both Xbox 360-era shooters on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The move gives PlayStation players access to two classic Call of Duty titles that Xbox users have been able to play for years through backward compatibility.
The problem is the pricing. Call of Duty: Black Ops costs $40, while Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 also costs $40.
Both games are currently discounted to $20 each through August 6 for PS Plus users. That helps for now, but the full price will return once the sale ends.
The DLC situation is causing even more frustration. Each game’s season pass is currently discounted to $10, but it will rise to $30 after the promotion ends.
That means buying both games and both season passes can cost more than $60 during the sale. Once the discounts expire, the total jumps to around $140.
Fans are not happy about having to buy the DLC separately again. Many players feel the map packs should have been bundled with the ports, especially since these are older games from 2010 and 2012.
The ports do include Zombies and the other original modes. However, they do not offer much beyond making the games playable on PS4 and PS5.
There are no major visual upgrades, no new maps, no behind-the-scenes extras, and no modern features like a field-of-view slider or 120 FPS support. The games rely mostly on light upscaling for newer screens.
That has made the release feel more like a basic resale than a proper comeback. Fans were hoping Activision would use the opportunity to deliver improved versions with DLC included and better support for modern players.
Some have pointed out that the pricing matches the Xbox versions, which also lack major upgrades. Still, the PlayStation release feels like a missed chance to rebuild goodwill around two beloved Call of Duty games.
Black Ops and Black Ops 2 are finally back for PlayStation owners. The problem is that Activision brought them back in the most expensive and bare-bones way possible.
