Call of Duty: Black Ops III Reviews
Call Of Duty's most concerted effort to break the usual formula is unfortunately the most unsatisfying sequel in years, especially the badly flawed story campaign.
Black Ops III hits two out of three big marks for me. We were promised a wealth of mindblowing graphics, exciting new content and dynamic gameplay and Treyarch most certainly delivered on all points. Black Ops III is a fantastic Call of Duty game, but despite its best attempts to be completely different, it can't help but to fall into its own category. Underneath the glamour, it feels like just another Call of Duty game - to the delight of existing fans, but the chagrin of players seeking new turf. It is severely let down by its clumsy campaign mode, but additions to movement and customisation in multiplayer mode make it one of the best Call of Duty multiplayers ever created. The new zombie map, Shadows of Evil, is also an enormous high in the series, and is innovative and replayable enough to mark it as the largest and most exciting zombie modes yet.
Compared to past entries, keep in mind that Black Ops III falls squarely in the middle of the series in terms of overall quality.
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.
Treyarch's latest instalment in Activision's blockbuster military shooter is packed with content and modes, some better than others
The graphics get a little prettier, the story gets a little darker, and another Call of Duty counts time as we march together toward death.
An fantastic singleplayer campaign with a multiplayer component that's both familiar and slightly evolved in all the best ways possible. You'll be hard pressed to not enjoy this game for the singleplayer story itself. One of the best stories ever created.
Black Ops III really is a mixed bag. On one hand you have possibly the best multiplayer experience since Call of Duty 4, with a strong set of maps and a hugely immersive Zombies campaign to go with it. It's just a shame that it's been let down by a campaign that has some great ideas, but doesn't know where to run with them. I'm sad to say that I think the days of the good Call of Duty campaign are behind us, with last year's decent outing being the exception. Still, there's a lot of content here. In terms of a multiplayer shooter, Black Ops III is easily the best that Activision has published in a long time. After being roped back on board the Call of Duty train last year, I think I might as well buy an Oyster Card at this point, because it has its hooks in me once again. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to play Call of Duty 4's campaign again.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 proves why Activision's three-year development cycle for Call of Duty is necessary. Black Ops 3 packs a huge amount of new content and feature innovations, along with keeping the core features that everyone knows and respects.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III tries to do several things, and does so with differing degrees of success. It all boils down to what you look for in the series. I put most of my eggs in the multiplayer basket and it delivers, but your mileage may vary.
If Activision's goal was to get people excited about the prospect of a prime-grade multiplayer experience, then their mission is a success. It's hard to imagine what else they could have done to make this a great multiplayer game, but that's not in dispute. Treyarch still knows how to make things happen.
Treyarch has shoehorned an almost overwhelming amount of content into Black Ops III, with two sizable co-op capable campaigns, a gothic horror-flavoured zombie mode and an e-sports-driven multiplayer component that should keep fans of the franchise occupied for quite some time. Constantly getting humiliated at the hands of superior players has never been so much fun (note to self: get good!).
The addition of online co-op gives the campaign mode a great boost. There are some irritating connectivity issues in co-op and zombies though. The competitive multiplayer is much smoother and reliably packed with maps, modes and a dizzying array of unlocks. You'll struggle to find a shooter with more value than this year's Call of Duty.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Another year, another Call of Duty, Black Ops 3 is nonetheless a generous package that hits all of the right marks. Campaign is decent enough and Zombies is good fun, but it's the multiplayer that will keep you hooked.