Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Review
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Treyarch
Genre:
PEGI: M
Comments:
Treyarch Studios has always done something different with the Black Ops series, and these changes are often bizarre; but they work, almost 100% of the time. Black Ops 3 is no different. The change in game philosophy keeps the title fresh and exciting, while maintaining the great mechanics that make a Call of Duty game, well, a Call of Duty game!
Like most Call of Duty Titles, Black Ops 3’s story is good, but not great. But lets face it: very few people are buying Call of Duty for the story! Overall, it moves at an acceptable pace, never keeping you in once place for too long. Dialogue is delivered well and the game keeps you intrigued and motivated during your roughly six hour adventure. The best part about the campaign for myself is the ability to play with others. Up to four players can team up – with separate Xbox One’s and copies of the game mind you – to work through the campaign, a campaign that is much better played with friends than played alone.
This is because of the new perks the game offers. You can focus your skill points to one of three areas, all of which create a different game play style. This not only rewards replayability by literally giving you three separate ways to finish the campaign, but also allows you to fight with balanced teams. Personally, I chose to excel in close quarters combat, something severely lacking in previous Black Ops titles. I admittedly have not tried leveling up the other two tech trees, but am told they are equally as fun to play.
For players to keep coming back, however, Treyarch Studios had to do something different yet again. This years iteration revolves around what I would call human modification. You have programmed chips inserted into your body which allows you to enact mind control and control enemy robots. It is weird to write and to say, but it works so well. The dominantly A.I robot army you face is varied as well, with over 20 different enemies you could encounter, all of which play differently, react differently, and fight differently. Treyarch has also added other new and interesting fighting mechanics. You remember the tracker jackets from The Hunger Games? You can basically do that now, using a swarm of bees to attack enemies. It’s weird at first, but when it is pulled off, it is very satisfying.
The short campaign might turn single player heavy consumers off, and it probably should. Unless you are a die hard fan, you are unlikely to play through the campaign multiple times, even if it does change drastically depending on which tree you choose to explore and upgrade. Six hours is a short campaign, and that goes for almost any title. Call of Duty online fans however are in for yet another outstanding first person shooter title. There are tons of maps to explore, new technologies to get a hang of, and more.
Zombies mode is back and set in an eerily beautiful 1940s setting. You play one of three unique characters – a magician, a cop, a burlesque dancer, or a boxer – and engage swarms of zombies. The longer you survive, the longer you will play. Like past Zombie titles, cash will allow you to get new weapons and open new areas of the map. Another great addition is leveling up your player, which allows you to choose your equipment and other such things before starting the game. Outside of these differences, this game plays much like it has in the past, and again, it is brilliantly fun, especially when played with others.
The Black Ops series has always thought out of the box which makes these specific Call of Duty titles so much more appealing than others. The World War shooter game has been done to death, and my tackling the future, Treyarch is always able to create and craft something new and exciting. For all the new things that the game adds, it is a wonder that more don’t fall flat on their faces. It is a true testament to how good Treyarch is as a studio, and how much love there still is for Call of Duty titles. Even long time haters of the Call of Duty franchise should give this latest offering a go. You probably won’t be disappointed, especially if you can manage to play with friends. Whether online or offline, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is one of the best shooters this year, and will have a long shelf life because of it.
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Article By Adam Roffel
Adam Roffel has only been writing about video games for a short time, but has honed his skills completing a Master's Degree. He loves Nintendo, and almost anything they have released...even Tomodachi Life.
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