History YMMV / CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar

* AluminumChristmasTrees: The description for the Pelington's "Recon Barrel" caused a bit of head-scratching due to being both smoothbore and rifled. This type of barrel, that is mostly smoothbore with rifling at the final segment, exists in reality, and is known as paradox rifling, designed to allow shotguns to fire both scattershot and rifled slugs effectively. It is also used, in Russia for example, to allow certain civilian rifles [[LoopholeAbuse to be classified as shotguns]] and make them easier to legally obtain, an example of which is the [=VPO-209=], a civilian semi-auto only variant of the AKM chambered for the [=.366TKM=] cartridge, which features a paradox rifled barrel (in this case, smoothbore with the last 120 mm of it being rifled).

* HesJustHiding: Many people believe that Bell didn't actually get killed in the good ending, making up various different theories for it.

* HilariousInHindsight: This isn't the first time a prequel game to a high profile franchise had [[VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2 Bell and Adler]] created for it, and [[spoiler: with one of them being a traitor]].
* ItsShortSoItSucks: If the campaign deserves any criticism, its the extremely short length compared to others in the franchise, which is unfortunate, as the story is rather enjoyable and could've stood to be fleshed out some more.
* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: A common criticism of the game from the Alpha and Beta, such as [[https://youtu.be/_H2T1_m4OV8?t=268 Act Man's take on the Private Beta]], is that the game's general interface and weapon customizations closely resembles how ''Modern Warfare 2019'' looked; the main menu looks the same, as does the Scorestreak menu, and the Gunsmith compartment is downright identical, even down to the camera angle when previewing attachments. Of course considering ''Modern Warfare'' was one of the better received COD titles, [[OlderThanTheyThink and past games tend to copy and build on previous games' mechanics (such as the Pick 10 System) anyways]], this isn't surprising.

** "[[BigBad Perseus]]" is a [[RogueAgent rogue Soviet Union agent]] who seeks to increase his country's power. Stealing the detonation codes for Operation Greenlight, which will involve initiating a series of American neuron bombs planted in European soil, Perseus plans to activate the bombs and kill millions, with America taking the brunt of the blame while the SU will rise as a global superpower. Perseus is able to remain hidden throughout the game, getting away with killing his own scientists after they successfully reverse engineer the bombs to activate upon his command. Anticipating his former associate Bell regaining their memories, Perseus launches a successful ambush against Adler's men should Bell choose to side with the Soviets, even allowing his former comrade to activate the bombs and secure victory.
** The PlayerCharacter known as "[[TheDragon Bell]]" is secretly the [[HeelFaceBrainwashing brainwashed]] second-in-command of Perseus turned US black ops soldier. After aiding in a series of secret missions to uncover and prevent Operation Greenlight, Bell rediscovers their true identity and is given a choice that decides the fate of the two global superpowers of their era: should they side with their current associates, Bell aids in the operation that effortlessly prevents and thwarts Perseus' plans to burn the West to the ground. Should Bell decide to side with their former associates, they are able to divert the US operatives' attention long enough for Perseus to detonate the nukes, being able to take things further by secretly setting up an ambush with their Soviet allies that wipes the entire team out, and then personally giving the order that leads to Russia becoming the dominate country of the world.

* MemeticBadass : Belikov is sometimes compared to [[{{Franchise/Hitman}} Agent 47]] in the first half of the level "Desperate Measures" for his ability to take down and then hide the bodies of the soviet guards and him having the option to kill Charkov in order to gain the bunker key.

** "I'm a goddamn onion, Mason. You should know that."[[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by Woods when Mason calls him the expert in quiet, the line came across as ridiulous and cringeworthy for many players, with some jokingly drawing comparison to the [[Memes/{{Shrek}} "onions have layers"]] meme. Even James C. Burns, Woods' previous voice actor, found this line utterly ridiculous and out-of-character.[[/labelnote]]

** Adler's tendency to default to PayEvilUntoEvil and his TheUnfettered personality has made him a fan favorite for hypothetical scenarios where he kills people for ''extremely'' absurd reasons.

** The descriptions for weapon attachments are this to people who have knowledge of how firearms work. The 1911 Cavalry Lancer barrel is an ''"anti-infantry"'' barrel designed to '''do more damage to vehicles''', and the Milano's drum mag has rounds arranged "side-by-side in a single stack". (While still somehow being inside a circular drum.)
** When Mason calls Woods the expert in quiet, Woods replies: "I'm a goddamn onion, Mason. You should know that." It's obviously meant to be a BadassBoast, but instead it's comes off as something ridiculous and cringe-worthy to [=CoD=] fans[[note]]hilariously, Woods' original voice actor agrees[[/note]].

** Rambo will [[ScreamingWarrior scream]] when using the Death Machine (or sometimes when killing a large group of zombies), which sounds cool on paper but sometimes this can happen when there are no or barely any enemies in the vicinity. This will either make him look ridiculous, or [[NarmCharm hilarious]].
* NarmCharm: Rambo and [=McClane=]'s slightly OffModel looks (particularly in Warzone) and shoddily-ripped film quotes have been interpreted as some people as a deliberate use of StylisticSuck to make the two come across as animated action figures.

* OlderThanTheyThink: There was a lot of less than positive press about Ronald Reagan appearing in the story to "absolve" the player of committing war crimes. Yet the first ''Black Ops'' features the main character getting briefed by John F. Kennedy himself, who implores them to save their way of life from communism, before ordering them to illegaly infiltrate the Soviet Union and basically massacre a space launch facility. And then, in the non-canon Zombies mode, Kennedy teams up with arch-nemesis ''Fidel Castro'' to fight zombies. %% Overshadowed By Controversy requires a 6 month waiting period after release, which would be May 13, 2020.

** The "Best Play" feature in Multiplayer has gotten a fair amount of ire from players, due to its convoluted way of determining the best play, and for replacing the Last Kill feature from every other game in the series. It also does not base this on skill or performance, but how many players are killed in a short span of time. So, a player can very easily get the Best Play [[LoopholeAbuse by camping and kill-spawning]], tactics that many players deride as lazy and unsporting (while camping is not as much of a BerserkButton anymore, since it's fairly easy to beat, [[DirtyCoward kill-spawning is widely hated since the victim has little to no chance of defending themselves]].)

** Those who hoped the campaign would delve more into fighting against the communist subversion Yuri Bezmenov warned against will be largely disappointed, as such a premise was given relatively little attention in the campaign compared to the standard 'stop the world from being nuked' storyline.

** The Colt 1911 has basically nothing going for it, the Magnum has better headshot damage if you want accuracy, the Diamatti and {{AMP63}} do far more damage at close-medium range (especially when dual-wielded) and the Marshall is a one-shot machine at close range.

** The Colt 1911 has basically nothing going for it, the Magnum has better headshot damage if you want accuracy, the Diamatti ·and AMP63 do far more damage at close-medium range (especially when dual-wielded) and the Marshall is a one-shot machine at close range.

** While Adler is a patriot devoted to his country and one of the good guys, his many ruthless actions in the past and in the campaign, combined with his acceptance of his amoral nature would make him a perfect villain if it wasn't for Perseus trying to nuke the world. Even his nickname, 'America's Monster', is sufficiently evil enough for most works.

** The evidence board could've been greatly expanded on and provide more depth to the campaign, but fully decoding the mysteries it provides gives you 2 extra missions, whose outcome will only change a few lines of dialogue in either ending. The same can be said for the choices in the story, as most of them end up lacking any influence on the story.

** The [[spoiler so-called [[VillainProtagonist Evil Ending]] missed a brilliant choice. After Bell gets their revenge on Adler and Co for the brainwashing, Perseus gives Bell the detonator to usher in the new Soviet era. The devs missed a glorious moment for Bell to turn around and stop Perseus from committing the largest mass murder in history, by appealing to the moral high ground. Instead of actually detonating, they proclaim that they [[FalseFlagOperation discovered a CIA plot to destroy Europe with American nukes, then blame it on the Kremlin]]. The nukes are indeed American, and the CIA (and [=MI6=]) were involved in the situation, thus forcing the POTUS to either disavow the CIA for such a plan or accept the political fallout of the events of the game. Meanwhile, Perseus, Bell and the KGB are hailed as heroes for saving the world from [=WW3=] and it puts Russia in the foreground as a more 'trustworthy' ally to the rest of the world. This way, Bell would still be a hero, but on their terms, not Adler's.]]

** The [[spoiler so-called [[VillainProtagonist Evil Ending]] missed a brilliant choice. After Bell gets their revenge on Adler and Co for the brainwashing, Perseus gives Bell the detonator to usher in the new Soviet era. The devs missed a glorious moment for Bell to turn around and stop Perseus from committing the largest mass murder in history, by appealing to the moral high ground. Instead of actually detonating, they proclaim that they [[FalseFlagOperation discovered a CIA plot to destroy Europe with American nukes, then blame it on the Kremlin]]. The nukes are indeed American, and the CIA (and [=MI6=]) were involved in the situation, thus forcing the POTUS to either disavow the CIA for such a plan or accept the political fallout of the events of the game. Meanwhile, Perseus, Bell and the KGB are hailed as heroes for saving the world from [=WW3=] and it puts Russia in the foreground as a more 'trustworthy' ally to the rest of the world. This way, Bell would still be a hero, but on their terms, not Adler's.
*** In a similar vein, the player ''must'' side with either the Soviets or the Americans; there's no option to screw over ''both'' sides, which the game repeatedly shows they amply deserve. A lot of players enjoyed getting revenge on Adler and his team but wish it didn't come with the baggage of blowing up half of Europe. ]]

** The so-called [[VillainProtagonist Evil Ending]] missed a brilliant choice. After Bell gets their revenge on Adler and Co for the brainwashing, Perseus gives Bell the detonator to usher in the new Soviet era. The devs missed a glorious moment for Bell to turn around and stop Perseus from committing the largest mass murder in history, by appealing to the moral high ground. Instead of actually detonating, they proclaim that they [[FalseFlagOperation discovered a CIA plot to destroy Europe with American nukes, then blame it on the Kremlin]]. The nukes are indeed American, and the CIA (and [=MI6=]) were involved in the situation, thus forcing the POTUS to either disavow the CIA for such a plan or accept the political fallout of the events of the game. Meanwhile, Perseus, Bell and the KGB are hailed as heroes for saving the world from [=WW3=] and it puts Russia in the foreground as a more 'trustworthy' ally to the rest of the world. This way, Bell would still be a hero, but on their terms, not Adler's.
*** In a similar vein, the player ''must'' side with either the Soviets or the Americans; there's no option to screw over ''both'' sides, which the game repeatedly shows they amply deserve. A lot of players enjoyed getting revenge on Adler and his team but wish it didn't come with the baggage of blowing up half of Europe.

** The so-called [[VillainProtagonist Evil Ending]] missed a brilliant choice. After Bell gets their revenge on Adler and Co for the brainwashing, Perseus gives Bell the detonator to usher in the new Soviet era. The devs missed a glorious moment for Bell to turn around and stop Perseus from committing the largest mass murder in history, by appealing to the moral high ground. Instead of actually detonating, they proclaim that they [[FalseFlagOperation discovered a CIA plot to destroy Europe with American nukes, then blame it on the Kremlin]]. The nukes are indeed American, and the CIA (and [=MI6=]) were involved in the situation, thus forcing the POTUS to either disavow the CIA for such a plan or accept the political fallout of the events of the game. Meanwhile, Perseus, Bell and the KGB are hailed as heroes for saving the world from [=WW3=] and it puts Russia in the foreground as a more 'trustworthy' ally to the rest of the world. This way, Bell would still be a hero, but on their terms, not Adler's. In a similar vein, the player ''must'' side with either the Soviets or the Americans; there's no option to screw over *both* sides, which the game repeatedly shows they amply deserve.