Black Ops Cold War age rating reveals more about Campaign & Zombies

The official ESRB rating for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has been revealed, and, while the ‘M’ for Mature grade was expected, the description for the game’s summary provided more information on the upcoming Campaign and Zombies modes.

The meat and bones for every Call of Duty title has historically been the deep-combat system of multiplayer mode, and more recently a battle royale component. However, the single-player campaign and Zombies are also parts of the game a lot of players look forward to as well.

According to the ESRB description for Cold War, the title will take players to “locations in Europe and Asia while engaging in combat/infiltration missions.” This would be par for the course in a story on America’s covert operatives during this time of political unrest.

The story mode is described as having “realistic gunfire, blood-splatter effects, and cries of pain,” something that plenty of trailers have clued us in on so far.

But there are gameplay bits that were noted that gives us more insight on what to expect from the campaign with the “ability to stab or pistol-whip enemies close-up, or use them as human shields.”

Call of Duty is known for intense sequences of combat, especially in cut-scenes that move the story along with tragic or impactful beats that result in casualties of war.

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It’s unknown if ESRB was talking about the zombies or campaign mode when they detailed how some weapons make characters “explode into bloody chunks of flesh,” but it sounds like something Treyarch would include for their survival-horror game mode.

But what’s more interesting is how the rating organization describes the game’s zombie mode, which will, of course, feature plenty of “decapitation and dismemberment” that fans come to expect.

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“Players use bladed weapons and guns to kill hordes of undead soldiers/creatures.” This sounds like Zombies will have plenty of familiar elements that the CoD fanbase will be able to indulge in.

The full ESRB summary for Black Ops Cold War can be seen below, as players await the game’s release on November 13.

ESRB summary for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

This is a first-person shooter, set during the Cold War, in which players explore locations in Europe and Asia while engaging in combat/infiltration missions. Players use pistols, machine guns, assault rifles, and explosives to kill hostile forces in frenetic combat. Battles are highlighted by realistic gunfire, blood-splatter effects, and cries of pain. In addition to ranged combat, players have the ability to stab or pistol-whip enemies close-up, or use them as human shields. Some weapons cause characters to explode into bloody chunks of flesh. A zombie mode also depicts decapitation and dismemberment, as players use bladed weapons and guns to kill hordes of undead soldiers/creatures. In one setting, flyers with the words “peep show” and “XXX” can be seen alongside pictures of women in lingerie; a red-light-district storefront is depicted with a neon sign that reads “XXX.” During one mission, players infiltrate a drug cartel—drug packages and piles of white powder can be seen in a warehouse. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” appear in the dialogue.