Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 Beta - 4 Ups & 5 Downs

3. The New Health System

A decidedly strange thing to focus on as a shakeup to the game, now healing is done with a dedicated button (L1 on PS4), as no longer will your health come back in time or by resting.

Though it was easy to think this would get in the way of every firefight, the fact you need to actively consider health as a factor of combat works very well.

Picture two players attempting to heal themselves at the same time. The animation only takes a couple of seconds, but should you both end up refilling your life bar at the same time, the resulting "JUST LET ME GET THE SHOT OFF!" rush is like nothing else.

In general, it just means that ducking out the line of fire or just scraping by is a tactical choice - something that tends to elevate intensity and engagement by default.

All of which is besides the fact that popping a health syringe has a satisfying slam to it - one that makes pushing the button and keeping your levels topped up a great part of the experience.