Expensive and pointless? Black Ops 1 and 2 PS4 and PS5 ports cost a lot of money and barely offer any upgrades over the originals
Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 have arrived on PlayStation 4 and PS5 as ports, but the releases have faced significant criticism from players over pricing and the minimal effort put into the updates. Activision is charging $40 per title ($80 for both), with an additional $30 per season pass for DLC content—a total of $60 if players want all add-ons for both games. This pricing strategy is unusual, as modern remasters typically bundle DLC content rather than selling it separately.
The technical presentation of these ports has proven disappointing, according to Digital Foundry and reviewers. The games feature barely noticeable visual improvements or enhancements over the originals, making them effectively straight ports of titles now over a decade old. Multiple outlets have described the releases as overpriced and representing only the bare minimum effort required to bring these games to current PlayStation hardware.
Players have expressed frustration with the overall value proposition, with some reviewers calling the ports a “rip-off” given the age of the source material and lack of meaningful upgrades. The combination of premium pricing, separate DLC charges, and minimal technical improvements has led to widespread disappointment within the community, particularly when compared to how publishers typically handle re-releases in the modern market.