Video Game Review: Call of Duty Black OPS 3

Developer Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher Activision
Distributor Megarom
Where we got our copy Self-bought
Genre FPS
Game modes Single Player, Multiplayer, Co-op
Players 1-12
Reviewed on PC

Available on PC, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Uberutang

Published December 3, 2015

The annual CALL OF DUTY is here and boy, is it a big one (compared to previous years).

This will be a ‘rolling’ review with updates and comments as I progress through the many layers ( single player, multiplayer, coop, zombies) of this years Call of DUTY.

Some ground rules before we begin:

Reviewed on PC

I am not an ‘e-sport’ Codder or anything that would remotely look, smell or taste like ‘competitive’.

The game code was self purchased.

Right off the bat: Multiplayer

My last Call of Duty Multiplayer experience was a bad one: Call of Duty Ghosts. It was so bad I skipped Advanced Warfare entirely.

It was clearly a terrible console centric port that failed to play to the strengths of PC as a platform, but as we all know Treyarch is the studio behind the Black OPS series and they have a dedicated and focused PC team (@PCDEV on twitter) so I went into this one with high hopes.

From the get go they made it clear that they will give PC Multiplayer the love it deserves with dedicated matchmaking servers and mod and map tools. For more info on that: BLOPS3 MP and MOD info

So did they deliver? YES.

The action and pace of Black OPS 3 MP is dialed up to 11 and with the new Specialist and Abilities ads a fresh layer of fun.

The basics:

This is Black OPS, so PICK 10 is the name of the game when picking your load out.

You have 10 points to spend on active and passive abilities, perks, guns and gun mods and additional combat hardware.

So the choice is with you on whether or not you want to go lean and mean with loads of perks and a vanilla gun, or a gun with every single extra glued on, but almost no perks or abilities.

Not every build will work on every map, so with time you will start to build scenario specific load outs that suits your play style on each map or mode.

Speaking of MAPS: they have not followed the usual COD method of just repainting and re-orientating existing maps. Each map (there are 12 maps available at launch) is designed for the other new thing to the black ops franchise: Enhanced Mobility.

You can now wall run, boost jump or power slide (and any combination of those chained together) to your hearts content and your weapon is ever ready to be fired. Each map have multiple ‘mobility’ routes to get to the prime camping spots faster and sprinting is indefinite to further up the pace of rounds. The result is a fantastical series of ninja like moves punctuated with bullets, grenades and the tears of your enemies (when you get it just right).

The gun play feels solid and the nice wet sound when you get a head shot is wonderfully enjoyable.

Call a Specialist: Arguably the biggest change in Call of Duty history since the series shed the cloak of World War 2 and essentially rebooted the series in Modern Warfare is the the Specialists that you play with as your Multiplayer character.

Each Specialist (there are 9 in total) are voice acted with their own personality and look that plays of really well in the post game ‘Winners Circle’.

Each Specialist has 2 abilities to pick from:

One aggressive ‘attack’ ability and one passive ‘defensive’ ability and you can also unlock various outfits and extras for each by leveling the Specialist up and or completing specific challenges.

This will give your specialist a more unique look and feel over time.

For more in depth information around each specialist have a look at the official wiki: Call a Specialist

Initially some specialists might feel over powered in comparison with others, but I think the balance overall is good enough to counter any ability with some quick fingers, fast reflexes and or a game plan.

There is rarely a ‘frustrating’ “OH NOT AGAIN” moment, but rather a feeling of experimentation: “Ok so that failed, let us try this then!”.

COOP UPDATE!

Hello folks! Long time no see! I blame all the fantastic games out at this time of year.

Next up on the review is COOP! And more specifically, one PC / two screens COOP!

Treyarch promised us that if your PC has the horse power you will be able to play ‘split screen’ across two Computer Monitors and they did not fail to live up to that promise.

Setting up your system to do so requires you to enable Nvidia Surround or A MD Eye-finity across two screens running at the same resolution and then to enable vertical split screen in the Game options.

I hooked up a second 1920×1080 screen to my RIG, enabled Nvidia Surround (3840×1080), fired up the game, selected vertical split in the options menu, handed my coop partner her controller and we were playing the Campaign cooperatively!

Obviously your RIG needs to be able to render the game at 3840x1080x60 for this to work, so I had to go tweak a few graphics settings to ensure a nice smooth frame rate for both of us.

This split screen across monitors can also be used for multiplayer and or Zombies!

How does COOP compare to the Campaign? It is the exact same thing, with just one extra player ‘clone’ running around and kicking ass, so if you have the option to play it COOP with a friend do so!

Taking the fight to the UNDEAD!

Yes ZOMBIES is back (this is a Treyarch COD after all) and this might just be the best ZOMBIES in a Call of Duty game yet.

Set in a very Bioshock meets HP Lovecraft 1940’s inspired city (Morg City) you drop into the shoes of one of several wonderfully voiced characters to survive the waves of undead that will try their best to eat your brains!

You can select to play as either Nero (Jeff Goldblum), Jessica (Heather Graham), Vincent (Neal McDonough) or Floyd Campbell (Ron Perlman), each with their own unique ability and preferred play style.

You will have to survive wave upon wave of Zombies where team work, cooperation and pure grit will be essential to make it. (Do not try this alone, this is strictly meant to be played with good friends). They have dialed the difficulty up to 11 on this one, making the reward of success taste that more sweet.

The ‘vanilla’ Black Ops3 includes the “Shadows of Evil” Zombie map set, with the “GIANT” map set being available to via DLC or to those who buy the Digital Deluxe, Hardened, or Juggernaut versions of the game.

Treyarch has also sneaked in a fourth game type into Black OPS 3 called: Nightmare.

What is Nightmare and how do you play it?

Clock the Single Player (or coop) campaign and you will be able to replay the entire campaign in Nightmare mode. This mode adds new dialogue, new scenes and it sets the entire campaign in a milieu where Zombies have taken over the world!

Nightmare mode also ramps up the difficulty and Treyarch have scattered all kinds of awesome easter eggs throughout the ‘revised’ campaign.

The annual CALL OF DUTY is here and boy, is it a big one (compared to previous years). This will be a 'rolling' review with updates and comments as I progress through the many layers ( single player, multiplayer, coop, zombies) of this years Call of DUTY. Some ground rules before we begin: Reviewed on PC I am not an 'e-sport' Codder or anything that would remotely look, smell or taste like 'competitive'. The game code was self purchased. Right off the bat: Multiplayer My last Call of Duty Multiplayer experience was a bad one: Call of Duty Ghosts. It was so bad I skipped Advanced Warfare entirely. It was clearly a terrible console centric port that failed to play to the strengths of PC as a platform, but as we all know Treyarch is the studio behind the Black OPS series and they have a dedicated and focused PC team (@PCDEV on twitter) so I went into this one with high hopes. From the get go they made it clear that they will give PC Multiplayer the love it deserves with dedicated matchmaking servers and mod and map tools. For more info on that: BLOPS3 MP and MOD info So did they deliver? YES. The action and pace of Black OPS 3 MP is dialed up to 11 and with the new Specialist and Abilities ads a fresh layer of fun. The basics: This is Black OPS, so PICK 10 is the name of the game when picking your load out. You have 10 points to spend on active and passive abilities, perks, guns and gun mods and additional combat hardware. So the choice is with you on whether or not you want to go lean and mean with loads of perks and a vanilla gun, or a gun with every single extra glued on, but almost no perks or abilities. Not every build will work on every map, so with time you will start to build scenario specific load outs that suits your play style on each map or mode. Speaking of MAPS: they have not followed the usual COD method of just repainting and re-orientating existing maps. Each map (there are 12 maps available at launch) is designed for the other new thing to the black ops franchise: Enhanced Mobility. You can now wall run, boost jump or power slide (and any combination of those chained together) to your hearts content and your weapon is ever ready to be fired. Each map have multiple 'mobility' routes to get to the prime camping spots faster and sprinting is indefinite to further up the pace of rounds. The result is a fantastical series of ninja like moves punctuated with bullets, grenades and the tears of your enemies (when you get it just right). The gun play feels solid and the nice wet sound when you get a head shot is wonderfully enjoyable. Call a Specialist: Arguably the biggest change in Call of Duty history since the series shed the cloak of World War…

Video Game Review: Call of Duty Black OPS 3

2015-12-03

Uberutang

Total - 9

90 9

Get it!

It is hard not to recommend the game, simply because it offers something for everybody. Addictive and refined Multiplayer, Scifi inspired Single player (or coop) campaign, additional Nightmare campaign and a brutal but rewarding ZOMBIES game mode means that this years Call of Duty is loaded with enough variation and content to keep you happy for a long long time!

Overall the game offers a ton of value to any fan of the series.

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Uberutang

Gaming / Tech Author at Geek Node

When I asked my mom where I was from she said they caught a wild ape and shaved it… she weren’t joking.

This primate has an unhealthy obsession with all things tech and pc gaming and when not in front of his Battlestation he can be found roaming the Cape wildlands with his motorcycle.