Activision's recent ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 have drawn criticism not only for their high price point but also for their subpar graphical performance.
Technical experts at Digital Foundry have examined the port of the original 2010 Black Ops, expressing significant disappointment with the work Activision provided. A primary concern is that the port runs at 1080p resolution, failing to leverage 4K capabilities despite the game originally launching on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, systems from a generation prior. The lack of anti-aliasing further detracts from the visual presentation.
Digital Foundry also noted that the frame rate is capped at 60Hz, even on the PlayStation 5. "A 1080p60 presentation would be potentially acceptable for the PS4 version - and there is one! - but for a brand new PS5 conversion, it's disappointingly poor and well below what the hardware is capable of," the analysis states. The experts found it particularly perplexing that visual issues present in the original game, such as poor shadow quality, were not improved upon in the new port, despite the significantly increased graphical power available on modern hardware.
While the PlayStation versions are considered an improvement over their Xbox counterparts, the situation on Microsoft's consoles is even more dire. The Xbox Series X and S, and Xbox One versions, accessible via backward compatibility, reportedly stick to the original Xbox 360 resolution of 608p with no enhancements. "For a native PS5 title and a somewhat high-profile port, this is a deeply odd state of affairs," Digital Foundry commented.
The pricing of these ports has also been a point of contention. Each game costs $40, with a separate season pass available for $29.99. This brings the total cost for both games and their complete DLC to $140, a steep price for titles over a decade old. PlayStation Plus subscribers can find a significant discount, however, with both games priced at $20 each and their season passes at $9 each. This offer, which reduces the total cost for the complete experience to $58, is available until August 6.