Let’s be real – the multiplayer in Black Ops 7 might outshine the campaign, but that’s like saying a lukewarm cup of tea is better than cold water. The campaign was a mess from start to finish, so “better” doesn’t mean “great.” Multiplayer’s got the usual loadout: maps, modes, zombies… all the boxes ticked. You run, you shoot, you get shot – the basics are solid enough. Sure, you catch glimpses of some cool ideas here and there, but they don’t really stick. It’s patchy, shifting from decent to downright baffling match to match. And there’s this odd undercurrent, like something in it isn’t fully crafted by hand – makes you wonder if a bit of it’s been pieced together by machines, which is unsettling. Still, people jump in anyway, just like they do with CoD BO7 Bot Lobby for their own fun.
  The biggest change to multiplayer this year is surprisingly simple – and it works. It’s all about skill-based matchmaking. For ages, CoD’s been obsessed with throwing you into lobbies full of players at exactly your skill level. Sounds fair, but it can feel like a constant sweat-fest that wears you down. This time though, Treyarch’s given players a choice. Stick with the standard setting, keep it consistent. Or try a playlist where SBMM barely comes into play. It’s such a small tweak, but it’s a game-changer.
  For an average player like me, the shift was obvious. Standard SBMM meant matches went as expected – I’d do okay, maybe hit a great run here and there, but it was all pretty flat. The wins felt measured, the losses dragged out. Flicking over to “minimal” SBMM turned that on its head. One round I’d be pulling off killstreaks like I was born for it, the next I’d be flattened before I could blink. It’s chaotic, frustrating, and weirdly addictive. You never know if you’re walking into an easy stomp or a brutal lesson, and that unpredictability brought back some of the old CoD magic.
  It’s a shame the rest of the multiplayer doesn’t match that simple brilliance. The content feels stitched together – some parts fun, others clunky or half-baked – and there’s no real theme tying it all in. Modes pop between satisfying and forgettable with no middle ground. But giving players control over SBMM was the right move, and it’s something that makes the game feel alive again. If more of the design had that player-first mindset, BO7 could’ve been a different beast altogether. For now, I’ll keep diving into those unpredictable lobbies, the same way I might lean on BO7 Bot Lobby when I want to mix it up.