CoD Black Ops 3 Blow Out! – Reveal Trailer, Gameplay Details, Co-Op Campaigns, Beta & More!
Activision and Treyarch has released the reveal trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops III, along with a batch of new screenshots and a bucket load of information regarding its gameplay for both singleplayer and multiplayer aspects. They have also confirmed the release date and it will be coming to PC, PS4 and Xbox One on November 6th. At this time it doesn’t seem like Black Ops III will be coming to the PS3, Xbox 360 or Wii U (no surprise with the latter), but that’s not to say a version of Call of Duty won’t release for those formats this year, so watch this space.
While some may see the potential neglect of the last-gen systems as a negative, for those that own PC and new-gen consoles, it means that Black Ops III should be developed without any compromises, unlike perhaps Advanced Warfare which was catered for new and last-gen systems.
Treyarch and Activision describe Black Ops III as “a dark, gritty future where a new breed of Black Ops soldier emerges and the lines are blurred between our own humanity and the cutting-edge military robotics that define the future of combat.” The story takes place after the events of Black Ops II in the year 2065 and the game has been in development by Treyarch for three years, which is the lengthiest time the studio has had to develop a game for the series. You can catch the reveal trailer below, with the soundtrack from The Rolling Stones “Paint It, Black”.
Black Ops III’s campaign is said to have Specialist and Character Progression, allowing you to customise and level-up your favourite characters. In total you will be able to level-up nine different soldiers independently, known as Specialists, which act as character classes if you will. Its main campaign will also be playable with 4 player co-op, both for online and local split-screen co-op. You’ll even have the choice to play as a male or female character during the campaign, a first within the franchise.
While not all of the Specialist classes have been revealed, four have been detailed courtesy of Eurogamer:
- Ruin: who can pound spikes into the ground for a strong area effect.
- Seraph: who has access to a high-calibre revolver.
- Outrider: who wields a compound bow.
- Reaper: a robot who can use a mini-gun for a short time.
Speaking of campaigns, Black Ops III will also feature its very own Zombies campaign, offering a “full game experience” which is said to have its own “distinct story right out of the box.” The zombie’s campaign will also have its own XP levelling up system and as always it will be 4 player co-op enabled, for both online and offline play.
Similar to the Exo-Skeletons of Advanced Warfare, Black Ops III will feature its own version, which Treyarch are calling Cyber Cores and Cyber Rigs. You will be able to upgrade around 40 special abilities to suit your gameplay style needs. Some of the abilities mentioned were being able to hack and fly an enemy drone, unleash a swarm of Nanobots, which once upgraded has the ability to set enemies on fire and detonate nearby explosives (more abilities will be revealed in the near future). The Cyber Cores/Cyber Rigs will also of course give you a super sense of manoeuvrability, which includes wall running and more.
Once your Cyber Cores/Cyber Rigs are upgraded and certain acts/chapters are complete, you will be able to revisit previous levels with your upgraded skill-sets, which adds a level of replayability in its own right. When playing in co-op, friends will also be able to join your campaign, regardless of whether they are behind you in story progression or not. But if a friend jumps into your campaign for a mission that they have not personally reached, obviously they will run the risk of plot spoilers.
To add to the co-op functionality, you will be able to loan your upgraded weapons and technology to your friends to use in the campaign. This will be possible in what Treyarch is calling the Safe House (not a very original name to be honest). In the Safe House not only will you be able to trade weapons and tech, but you will also be able to relax in your social household customising and upgrading your character, show off medals and awards, explore deeper into the Black Ops III lore and you will even be able to pimp-up your Safe House to a degree.
If that wasn’t enough, by pre-ordering Call of Duty: Black Ops III, you will be granted with beta access to its multiplayer mode. The release date for the beta is yet to be announced, but you can find further details on the beta here.
Black Ops III might not be out until later in the year, but that hasn’t stopped the PC requirements being revealed, for which you can find below. The game will also of course support 4k for the PC version.
- Operating System: Windows 7 64-Bit / Windows 8 64-Bit / Windows 8.1 64-Bit
- Processor: Intel® Core™ i3-530 @ 2.93 GHz / AMD Phenom™ II X4 810 @ 2.60 GHz
- Memory: 6 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 470 @ 1GB / ATI® Radeon™ HD 6970 @ 1GB
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
Call of Duty: Black Ops III will release for the PC, PS4 and Xbox One on November 6th.