Call of Duty: Black Ops III Reviews

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is ranked in the 79th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
9.2 / 10.0
Nov 6, 2015

This game could retail for $80, and I would still be inclined to tell CoD, FPS, and action game fans alike to get it day one. At $60, it's almost too good to be true. Black Ops III is the deepest Call of Duty ever. That I do know.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 19, 2015

Black Ops III is a very well made game, and one that gives you a great deal of content to reward your purchase, but there's a feeling here that the developers are maybe playing it too safe, and this long into the franchise's lifespan, we're in desperate need of a re-invention.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 14, 2015

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is the most extensive Call of Duty game ever made, but not without its flaws. Dour storytelling and purely incremental changes to multiplayer prevent it from reaching the legendary status of its predecessors.

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CGMagazine
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Nov 10, 2015

It reminded me why Call of Duty is one of the most influential series' on the planet, even if it didn't reflect that for a while.

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GameZone
Top Critic
Unscored
Nov 12, 2015

If you're going to be buying Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, you're doing it for Zombies and a fresh multiplayer experience after a year of Advanced Warfare. It sure as heck isn't going to be for the campaign, which is the worst we've seen in quite some time.

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NZGamer
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Nov 12, 2015

Call of Duty is the Coca Cola of the game industry. Popular, unchanging, and tastes good to most, but it's still the same stuff.

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4.7 / 5.0
Nov 6, 2015

All in all, for as much flack as the Call of Duty series has rightfully received over the recent years, Black Ops 3 completely destroys every preconceived notion - it's far from a recycled version of the previous installments. From top to bottom the game is excellently crafted with a series of new features to complement a robust campaign plot with all types of crazy twists and turns.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 14, 2015

A rollicking, ridiculous ride that is pure nonsense, but generous in both amount and quality and a campaign that isn't as jingoistically brainless as usual.

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7 / 10
Dec 15, 2015

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is a game of two thirds that gives us a fantastic multiplayer experience and an ever addicting Zombies mode, coupled with a poor single player. Hopefully Treyarch's next entry can finally give us a commendable campaign to boot.

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4.2 / 5.0
Nov 19, 2015

I used to hear that Treyarch's efforts with the Call of Duty series were inferior to that of Infinity Ward, and that may have been true in the past, but here Treyarch has really put their stamp on the game and created what is, in a nutshell, the game that made me come back to the series after such a lengthy time away.

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7 / 10
Dec 5, 2015

Decent effort, but far from COD mastery

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8.8 / 10.0
Nov 5, 2015

Black Ops III shows that Treyarch are in a great position to keep the Call of Duty series fresh and relevant.

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Unscored
Nov 19, 2015

But these concerns are pushed far to the margins of Black Ops III in favor of explosion porn and the crushing pressure of a forward momentum that propels you toward more things to see and do and shoot. You can almost feel the writers butting their heads against the constraints of a big-budget first-person shooter when it feels like they desperately want to write the next Philip K. Dick story. It's hard to be smart when you're mandated to deliver a violent thrill-ride that doesn't stop to throw on the brakes.

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8 / 10
Nov 6, 2015

The online experience was a mixed bag, but Black Ops 3 is perhaps the most comprehensive Call of Duty game we've played in years. Buoyed by fantastic visuals and a steady frame rate, it's a gorgeous game that is fun to play. Whether you're a veteran of the series or a newcomer, there's more than enough content to warrant checking out Black Ops 3.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2015

This may be one of the most fulfilling Call of Duty games I've played yet, and as manic as it may be, it certainly backs up everything it promises. Kudos to Treyarch for going the extra mile, and proving that, yes, it's still one of the best developers for this job.

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Nov 5, 2015

Messing with the core 'Call of Duty' gameplay is tricky work, but Treyarch has delivered a AAA beast with 'Call of Duty: Black Ops III.' On the one hand, there is an accessible speed and mobility that keeps everything moving in a guns up way. On the other hand, new abilities will make even the least adept player feel like a powerful part of a team. No doubt, the performance on the PS4 will spoil players. With robust options ranging from a slick co-op campaign to a moody underworld trip into zombie purgatory, playing 'Call of Duty' "just for the multiplayer" has new meaning.

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80 / 100
Nov 17, 2015

While the campaign is lacklustre and Zombies is over-designed, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 succeeds thanks to the multiplayer's perfect mix of structured maps, diverse specialists and liberating movement.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 17, 2015

Black Ops 3 is a well-rounded game that doesn't take the series forward. Its packed with a solid multiplayer experience, an okay campaign but loaded with a ton of content that'll surely keep its fans busy and happy.

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Nov 9, 2015

I see little reason why longtime fans of the franchise would be disappointed with Black Ops 3. It may not draw in many new fans, or convert those who've never been big Call of Duty fans. But there's more than enough here to keep the game's existing community locked in digital combat for another twelve months.

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Nov 9, 2015

Black Ops III tries something different, but it's wrong headed approach ruins otherwise strong context.

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