Throughout the past 10 years, the Call of Duty franchise has been a staple for console gaming. Despite recent bashing for “ultra-futuristic” gameplay — including jetpacks, laser guns, and invisibility — Friday’s release of Black Ops 4 will quiet much of that criticism.

Call of Duty’s 2014 installment, Advanced Warfare, started the franchise’s approach towards futuristic movement, and away from “boots-on-the-ground” gameplay. Ever since then, only one game, 2017’s World War II, has not involved jetpacks in the game’s movement system.

Call of Duty operates on a three-studio cycle of development, all under Activision: Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer, and Treyarch. Every year that a “Black Ops” title is released, including this year, it is developed by Treyarch.

Every Black Ops game delivers a multiplayer experience; Treyarch’s signature Zombies wave-based game mode; and a straight-through, story mode campaign. Contrarily, Black Ops 4 offers Zombies, multiplayer, and, replacing the campaign, an all-new Battle Royale game mode, Blackout, which is an “all-men-for-themselves” multiplayer mode.

Despite much media bashing upon its initial announcement in May 2018, Blackout stands out as the most exciting and fresh game mode currently. Offering a fun, fast-paced, and adventurous style, the Battle Royale mode is a complete success, especially for such a traditional game as Call of Duty.

Aside from Blackout, Zombies also is a fan-favorite, and delivers the exact same this year. With new guns, player boosters, called “perks,” and a new storyline for the characters, Zombies still reigns as the owner of the largest community of dedicated fans across any other mode in Call of Duty.

The best mode so far, though, is multiplayer. Fast-paced and tactical gameplay meets a perfect median with teamwork, creating a perfect atmosphere for friends to play in. Also, the return of specialists, selectable characters that have special abilities to give advantages in the game, makes multiplayer even better.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 surpasses all expectations, making it the best Call of Duty installment in at least five years.