The recent PlayStation releases of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 for PS5 and PS4 have drawn criticism for offering what some describe as "the bare minimum" in terms of enhancements. Both titles are priced at $40 each, with their respective downloadable content packs sold separately for an additional $30 apiece. This pricing structure is particularly notable given the age of the games and the common practice of including DLC with remastered collections.
Technical improvements on the PlayStation versions are reportedly sparse. According to analysis, the games have been updated to run at 1080p resolution on both PS5 and PS4. However, there is no option for 4K output on the PS5, nor is there support for higher refresh rates such as 120Hz. Furthermore, enhancements to visual elements like shadow and lighting quality are absent, and the ports lack the quality-of-life features typically found in contemporary Call of Duty titles. This stands in contrast to the Xbox Series X|S, where backwards compatibility already provides a resolution boost for these original titles, and PC players have been able to utilize mods for similar improvements for years.
Digital Foundry noted that "for a native PS5 title and a somewhat high-profile port, this is a deeply odd state of affairs." The analysis further pointed out that even visual issues present in the original releases, such as lower shadow quality from the era, have been preserved despite the increased graphical capabilities of current hardware.
Activision is offering a discount for PlayStation Plus subscribers, reducing the price to $20 per game and $10 per map pack. Even with this discount, the cost of a complete edition, totaling $60 per game, is considered expensive by some, especially when the improvements over the original versions are minimal.
In separate Call of Duty news, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 was recently revealed and is scheduled for release on October 23 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and the Nintendo Switch 2. Unlike some other recent Activision titles, Modern Warfare 4 will not be available on Game Pass at launch.