We as media, often switch in and out of pointed content around the Call of Duty series. Is it major changes in multiplayer? A new studio running front and centre? New writers? A reinvigored engines. The 30fps vs 60fps debate. Even zombies. But in our review of Cold War we feel we've rightly settled on a focus on the game's campaign, because surprisingly, this is perhaps the best in the franchise yet, and it wasn't even lead by either of the A or B teams...

Here's an unredacted slice of intel:

We might need to acknowledge that without Treyarch’s World at War/Black Ops world, we wouldn’t have this, and Raven is the first to tell you it came in as a fan first wanting to “write a love letter to Black Ops”; while diving deep into the franchise’s lore, while equally expanding upon it. And they do this by embracing everything that came before it -- Mason, Woods and Hudson are all in tow. Their stories and clandestine ways deepen evermore and rifts and side-missions balloon through their interactions and how you handle the game’s narrative. I say “handle” because in Cold War we get delivery of a Campaign with multiple moving parts. More often than not you’re either playing as Mason (no longer voiced by Sam Worthington), or as “Bell” (in my case Stephen “Bell” Farrelly).

The latter is Raven’s way of bringing you into the fold, so to speak. As Bell you get to choose attributes about yourself in a psychological evaluation. You get to choose two assessments of yourself and these come with permanent perks. Choosing Calm Under Pressure will net you a 90% reduction in flinching when you’re hit in the field. Lone Wolf gives you three times the running distance than normal, and so on. It just adds an element to attachment where the game’s narrative is concerned, but also feeds into how that narrative and its many missions are structured. There’s a main path, but for the majority of the game, you’re operating out of a Safehouse, and within you can partake in conversation with other team members, uncover new bits of information and, most importantly, consult the Evidence Board.

Click here for our full Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War review.