Call Of Duty: Blacks Ops 3 ReviewBy Paddy Carroll

Remember when games released every 3 or 4 years. Don't fret because those days aren't over with games like Fallout leading the front. Building anticipation and making their fan base ache until the game releases. Well ladies and gentlemen today our review is on a game that releases every single year, without fail since the start of civilisation (slight exaggeration). Call of Duty Black Ops 3 has come to town and now comes the ever beckoning question. Has much really changed or has too much changed? Have Treyarch managed to pull another glowing gem from a cave mined for too long. Well the simple answer is yes...and no.

Gameplay:

Let's face it, war never changes. Sure the locations and the opposing forces change and who they chose to align themselves with. In that respect Black Ops 3 can be considered a realistic combat simulation to an extent. Last year Sledgehammer introduced some big changes to both the mechanics in single, multilayer and zombies. Obviously removing double jumps and other futuristic powers wasn't an easy thing without alienating last year's new community.

Treyarch were clever. Trying to wean players off super jumps with jetpacks and for the first time in a Call Of Duty game the ability to wall run. Alright before the "Titanfall did it first" band wagon rolls into town yes it may have inspired them but jetpacks and wall running have being prominent for quite a while. Mirrors edge was a long time ago and its ideas are still being used and freshened up. In a nutshell Black Ops 3 plays really well and fluidly. The wall running is executed nearly perfectly. The combat jumped has received the axe in favour of a super slide which is excellent at getting the player out of a sticky situation.

Specialist classes add a new dimension to the general gunplay in multiplayer. There are many to choose from all with their own special abilities and customisations. These are seen as your agent and not only do they look pretty nifty but they also come with special abilities. Ranging from war machines to crossbows. These abilities activate when you earn points. Some players are interested in more than senseless killings and this is a nod to them. Assists, kill confirms, objectives and kills will all bring your score tally up and when it reaches its destination by pressing LB and RB you gain a limited special which varies by specialist. One of the coolest ones is a character called H.I.V.E. who can plant bee traps which once triggered immediately kills the opposing player.

Killstreaks also remain a key factor with some new inclusions and of course all of your favourite perk variations are back also. The new guns are a mixed bag and vary quite well. There are balancing issues with some weapons. A few shotguns in particular. Game modes have everything you may ask for except for a few variants from previous Black Ops games. One such missing match type is sticks and stones which was a hit in every iteration. The maps are small in size but allow for a lot of great intersections and nooks to launch attacks from.

Zombies mode only has one map currently named Shadows of Evil. Now as a major fan of zombies in the Black Ops series I was excited to dig my teeth in, the sad thing is I didn’t like the taste. Now call me old fashioned but many a few hours were spent playing Kino Der Toten on the original game in the series. Yes World at War had the original zombie experience but Kino sticks in the mind.

Manageable and simplistic with a goal to survive. Perfection. Shadows of Evil over complicates everything. Using a Demon Mode to grapple around the map and activate the power is pretty cool and there is a lot to do in the map but then my heart wonders back to transit. To that cabin in the woods with the Bowie knife. I just couldn’t get sucked in. Again an individual experience but relevant none the less.

Campaign mode….where to begin. Advanced Warfare had a great single player experience with Kevin spacey leading the way with excellent acting chops and a story that was engaging and interesting. This year doesn’t have an engaging campaign. It’s dumbed down to include the fact it can be played in 4 player online cooperative or offline split screen. The voice acting is hammy at the best and the lead character is annoying and sound pretentious. It plays like any standard shooter with very little wow factor and a lot of running and gunning with not a lot of caring. Unless of course you are insane and want to try the game on the new Realism difficulty. One hit and that’s it and it literally is. For the maniacs out there give it a try.

Graphics:

Graphically the game looks quite well. There is an obvious difference between the single player experience polish and the online components. The Xbox One versions runs at 900p whereas the PS4 version runs at full 1080p. Having played a bit of both the difference is hard to spot on sub 42 inch displays. Of course if you are on PC and the rig can run it then 4k is a very viable option while also being quite pleasing on the eyes. The trouble with Call of Duty games is the engine never really changes and the improvements visually while being evident are sometimes very small.

Sound:

Bang bang, pew pew pew…oh sorry I was imitating the sounds instead of talking about them again wasn’t I? The soundtrack for the game isn’t really anything amazing. The menu music is nowhere as catchy as Black Ops 1 Zombies mode which is stuck in my head as I write this. But the guns sound good and the tonality of the single player is well matched by the accompaniment. The voice acting is shocking as I mentioned earlier. The announcer is still being his awesome self but still miles away from “Finish Him” and “Juggernaut” if you get my drift.

Value:

You do gain a lot of value for your money. Three very distinct modes each with their own set of parameters with unlockables and many hours to be spent in each depending on which mood you are feeling the most before you commence playing. Compared to other games it holds up well value wise but for the same money or less at this stage games like The Witcher 3 could be purchased which would contain a lot more content. Overall Black Ops 3 is good value and for the price you are getting a lot. Of course a season pass will be required for extra content and Nuketown is only available in certain areas on pre orders for a limited time.

Conclusion:

Most of the internet garnishes hate for the Call of Duty series. Maybe some of that hate is justified but more often than not it is based on other entries in the series which didn’t work and when they tried something new last year, not many people gave it a fair go. The multiplayer is frantic this year and hasn’t being as polished and refined in a while. The zombie mode is fun albeit a little bit over complicate at times. But hey some people like it that way and it will please many a fan. The campaign is a let down based on last years and series highs like Modern Warfare 2 but it is meant to be enjoyed with friends rather than solo.

Would I buy the game again you ask? More than likely when some more content releases and of course if they bring back some classic zombies who am I to refuse.

Score: 7.5/10

Pros:

- New and interesting multiplayer aspects- Campaign in fun with friends- Zombies is massive

Cons:

- Campaign is not engaging- Zombie mode is over complicated