So, Black Ops 7 multiplayer is out now and it’s packing a few new tricks. The one everyone’s talking about is the wall jump – it’s messy, unpredictable, and somehow both awesome and irritating at the same time. You’ll see players bouncing around like pinballs, darting up in ways that throw off your aim. I jumped into the new 20v20 Skirmish mode, dropping in on a wingsuit and sprinting toward objectives. It’s big, chaotic, and fun for a while, but before long I found myself back in my comfort zone – classic Team Deathmatch. The maps? Yeah, they’re fine, but they all start to blend into one familiar blur after a few rounds. Oddly enough, that sameness feels kind of good, like slipping into something you recognise every time you play. Maybe that’s why I keep coming back – part habit, part muscle memory, and maybe a bit of CoD BO7 Bot Lobby practice thrown in.

There’s a rhythm to it. The second a match starts, my hands know exactly where to go on the controller. I’m strafing corners, snapping onto targets, ducking behind cover without even thinking. That trance-like state kicks in fast – one minute I’m scanning the map, the next I’m just… there, moving and shooting almost automatically. It’s not adrenaline at that point, it’s something quieter. Shoulders loosen up, jaw unclenches, and I’m locked into the flow. For all the noise these games make, it’s strangely calming when you’re in the zone.

It’s weird to think about how this happens. The game isn’t breaking new ground – how could it, with another Call of Duty dropping every year? And yeah, maybe there’s even some AI tech creeping in behind the scenes during development now, but that doesn’t change the feeling when you play. Call of Duty has that seasoned familiarity, like an old sports ground you know inside out or a pub you’ve been visiting for years. It doesn’t matter what shiny new features they toss in, that baseline is still there.

I guess it’s the same reason you go back to certain foods. As a kid, I’d eat the same thing every morning – Entenmann’s corn muffins for a stretch, then Eggo waffles when I wanted to mix it up. Nowadays, my routine’s swapped baked goods for shooters. Today it’s Black Ops 7; tomorrow maybe Halo Infinite will pull me back in. The loop just keeps spinning, because if you want a fast-paced shooter with instant queues, there aren’t many solid choices. And Call of Duty, no matter how much you try to step away, is always sat there waiting – much like the comfort snacks you never really quit. Right now, it’s this game… and maybe a stint in a BO7 Bot Lobby before the night’s done.