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Xbox X|SWe've documented 36 accessibility features for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), Large Subtitles, Control Assists, Select Difficulty and No Repeated Pressing. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Reading but it also has features in Visual, Getting Started, Navigation, Audio, Communication and Difficulty to reduce unintended barriers.
This report is created with input from accessibility experts and the player community to help people find games that have the accessibility features they require. Once you have found potential games on the database, there are excellent specialist accessibility sites that offer in-depth reviews to guide your purchasing decisions.
External examiner, Eamon Gaudio, first checked Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War accessibility 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 2 years ago.
Accessibility Notes
There are extensive assistance for aim, as well as a range of difficulty options.
There are good audio queues about the location of enemies, by your team mates calling out whether they are on the left or right. This is in addition to the stereo audio that relates to where shots are coming from.
You can opt for subtitles and specify the size. However, the other fonts of mission planning and menus are smaller and can't be resized.
There is a good overview of these accessiblilty options in the DAGERSystem video from Kyle Abbate.
Game Details
Release Date: 13/11/2020
Out Now: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox X|S
Skill Rating: 14+ year-olds
Players: 1-2 (40 online)
Genres: Action, Shooting and Traversal
Accessibility: 36 features
Components: 3D First-Person
Developer: Callof Duty (@CallofDuty)
Costs: Purchase cost, In-Game Purchases and In-Game Pass
Controls
We've documented 12 accessibility features for Controls in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War which deal with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.
Gamepad
Can play with the following:
Multiple Buttons & Two Sticks: Can play with multiple buttons and two sticks.
Mouse And Keyboard
Can play with the following:
Mouse and Keys: Can play with mouse and multiple keys.
Remap Controls
Can customise the controls for the game as follows:
Select Preset Controller Mappings: You can select preset button layouts from options provided by the developer.
Remap Mouse and Keyboard: Can remap mouse and keyboard key bindings, on systems that support these controls.
Remap Extra Mouse Buttons: Can remap additional buttons on mice that provide more than the two standard buttons, on systems that support these controls.
Remap One Action to Multiple Buttons: Can remap multiple buttons to perform the same action to reduce the need to memorise buttons and make the action easier to access.
Remap Game Menu Access: Can remap buttons to pause, access and navigate the game menu. This enables you to specify which buttons pop-up the game menu.Whether you can remap menu navigation buttons isn't considered here.
Invert X/Y Axis: Can invert the direction required to control looking and aiming. This enables you to match your instinctive orientation when looking.
Button Combinations
Specific button operation required to play
Holding Down Buttons Optional: Holding down buttons for prolonged periods (a second or more) is not required or can be switched to toggling the action on and off. This is in addition to the movement stick/button which is not considered a hold for this purpose.
Rapid Repeated Pressing Optional: Quick, repeated button pressing (more than 2 times a second) is not required, can be skipped or switched to holding a button to trigger a repeated action.
Controller Vibration
Vibration Optional: Controller vibration not used in the game or you can disable it.
Sensitivity
You can adjust
Adjust Mouse/Stick/Touch Sensitivity, Deadzones and Thresholds: Adjust how sensitive touch/mouse/stick controls are and the related deadzones and thresholds.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Controls accessibility:
- BattleBit Remastered (14 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Difficulty in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War which deal with how you can adjust the challenge of play, and whether this is locked once chosen or can be adjusted as you play.
Difficulty Options
Select Difficulty: Select the level of difficulty from a range of presets. This not only offers a way to adjust the challenge of a game but enables you to do so without dealing with individual criteria.
Adjust After Setting
Adjustable Between Levels: You can adjust the difficulty between levels/rounds. Although you have to restart your checkpoint or level, this enables you to adjust the difficulty after selecting it at the beginning of the game.
Getting Started
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Getting Started in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War which deal with what support is offered to get started with the game. This includes customising the experience when you first open the game via any onboarding processes it provides as well as tutorials and other assistance when you first start playing.
Assistance Getting Starting
These features aid your play of the game in terms of cognitive load on learning controls, dealing with pressure and coping with the environment and challenges.
Tutorials: There are helpful tutorials and instructions on how to play. Information is provided in a timely manner, with appropriate level of detail.
Practice Area: You can practice freely without opponents or time pressures. This can be a specific practice option, or the ability to play levels with the easiest opponents to improve understanding and skill.
Assistance With Controls: The game can automatically assist with aiming, steering, reloading, jumping, running etc. This reduces the challenge of certain aspects of play to remove barriers and make control of characters more accessible.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Quake II (7 Getting Started Features)
- Roto Force (6 Getting Started Features)
- Doom Eternal (6 Getting Started Features)
- Wee Tanks (5 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Reading in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War which deal with how much reading or listening comprehension is required, how well the game provides visual and audible access to the text and whether subtitles and captions are a good fit for purpose.
Reading Level
How much reading is required to play the game's main path or story and how complex the language is. The presence of voiced characters doesn't reduce this requirement, as it's recorded as a separate datapoint.
Simple Minimal Reading: Minimal reading is required. The quantity and complexity of reading are at a level that a primary/elementary student (9-year-old) could understand.
Text Visibility
High Contrast Text: Text colour contrasts to the background or can be adjusted to be. The text in menus, instructions and other information is presented in high contrast with a solid background.
Subtitles
Large Clear Subtitles: Subtitles are large, clear and of good contrast. They are at least 1/20 (46 pixels on 1080 screen) the height of a landscape screen and at least 1/40 height on portrait screens, or can be adjusted to be. We base this on the full line-height, including the space above and below the letters. Considered separately from the general text of the game, the subtitles are large, clear and of good contrast.
Some Speech Subtitled: Some spoken content has subtitles. This reduces the pressure on interpreting all the spoken content, although not everything is captured textually.
Captions
Speaker Indicator: Textual captions indicate who is speaking (or there is only ever one person speaking). This can also be indicated visually in the game with character icons or placing text in speech bubbles next to the person speaking.
Voice Acted
All Dialogue is Voice Acted (Or No Speech In Game): All of the game dialogue and narrative can be voiced, or there is no speech in the game. This means there is no requirement to read the dialogue and narrative text to play the game.
Navigation
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Navigation in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War which deal with how the game provides guidance and assistance to navigate its worlds. These are only for games that have traversal and exploration in 2D and 3D spaces.
Head-Up Display
Head-Up Display Navigation: Indication of where to go next with overlaid arrows, minimaps and waypoint markers. This supplements in-game visual and audible cues with additional guidance about where you are and where you need to go.
Adjust Head-Up Display: Resize and adjust the content of the head-up display. This enables it to be made more visible. It can also enable the removal of too much information that can be distracting or confusing.
Menu Navigation
Remap Game Menu Access: Can remap buttons to pause, access and navigate the game menu. This enables you to specify which buttons pop-up the game menu.Whether you can remap menu navigation buttons isn't considered here.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Star Wars: The Old Republic (8 Navigation Features)
- BattleBit Remastered (5 Navigation Features)
- Battlefield 2042 (5 Navigation Features)
- Star Wars: Republic Commando (5 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Visual in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
Audio Cues for Visual Events
Audio Cues for Visual Events: Audio is provided to indicate visual events. Game events or progress highlighted by visual icons, effects or animations are also accompanied by audio to signify that progress. This is useful for blind players.
Audio Depiction of Event Location: Indication with positional/stereo audio of where directional events are on the screen for things like damage, footsteps, environmental elements. This is useful for blind players.
Motion Sickness Friendly
Motion Sickness Friendly: Doesn't have 3D movement elements that may trigger motion sickness, like motion blur, depth of field and field-of-vision. Or includes the ability to disable motion blur, depth of field and field-of-vision effects.
Colour Options
Colour Adjustments: Adjust colours of characters or game elements for greater visibility. Includes the ability to select which type of colour blind mode you require.
Violence
Turn Off Dismemberment: Disable graphic depiction of dismembered bodies and corpses.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Visual accessibility:
- Fortnite (6 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Audio in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War which deal with how you can adjust the audio of the game and whether audio cues compensate for aspects of the game that are hard to see.
Adjustable Audio
Balance Audio Levels: Set music and game sound effects separately. This enables you to select your preference as well as ensure critical game sounds aren't obscured by other audio.
Audio Events
Visual Cues for Audio Events: Text or other visual indicators of audio events. This mirrors audio indicators of progress in the game with a corresponding visual indication.
Visual Depiction of Directional Audio: Indication on-screen with arrows, icons, located colour splashes and the like, to show where directional audio for damage, footsteps, environmental or way-finding sounds are coming from.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Audio
If you want to play Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Audio accessibility:
- Fortnite (4 Audio Features)
Communication
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Communication in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War which deal with how you can communicate with other players in the game and what options are available to customise and control this interaction.
Player-to-Player Online Communication
This is how players communicate with each other in online games. This can be to plan strategy, chat as they play or co-ordinate resources.
Text Chat: Chat to other players by typing text.
Voice Chat: Chat to other players on your team or friends list by speaking with headset.
Online Communication Assistance
Ping Communication: Send quick preset messages to teammates as safer alternative to open communication.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Communication
If you want to play Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, but it doesn't offer the Communication accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Communication accessibility:
- Apex Legends (5 Communication Features)
- Quake II (4 Communication Features)
- Call of Duty: Warzone (4 Communication Features)
System Accessibility Settings
In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:
PC
Windows has extensive accessibility features. Some, like colour correction, work with games. Lots of accessibility software can be used with PC games, from voice recognition to input device emulators.
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 4 has a range of accessibility settings. Some are system only, some work in games (invert colours and button mapping).
PlayStation 5
PlayStation 5 has a range of system-wide accessibility settings.
Xbox One
Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games.
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games.
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Eamon Gaudio and Andy Robertson
