The Call of Duty offerings from developers Treyarch has always offered good value or money, well perhaps ever since World at War and the original Black Ops at least.  But with this year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, it promises to be the biggest game yet in terms of content and from my experience, is certainly the case.  For starters you have the main campaign, which can be played with up to three other friends, whether that be online or local co-op, in fact all of Black Ops 3’s modes can be played locally in multiplayer, which is a rarity in today’s industry.  Each year I look forward to getting my mitts on the latest Call of Duty instalment and despite the multiplayer being as polished as ever, I always look forward to playing through the main campaign.

 

However, I would say that Black Ops 3 has a weak campaign in comparison to others and while its story tells the typical tale of betrayal, conspiracies and corruption, I’d lost what was going on after the first couple of chapters.  Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it, but I found this one to be a little less immersive then others.  For example without giving to much away, I felt un-invested in an NPC going by the name of Taylor, who was at the centre of the stories corruption.  It was almost as if the script writers wanted you to feel some kind of emotional attachment to him, but given that you are only really introduced to him very early on and then little snippets throughout, I found it very difficult to feel invested in him.  Kind of like those random characters that get introduced in The Walking Dead, nobody really gives two shits about them, but it’s almost as if the writers expect you to feel devastated when they turn into zombie grub.

 

 

Speaking of which, upon completion of the main campaign, you will unlock what is called Nightmare.  Effectively it’s the same campaign, only this time you have a character from the game narrating her experience and a huge chunk of the enemies within this campaign mode are replaced by zombies!  I think it’s a mode that many might not have expected, but its fun playing through and already adds even more value to the Black Ops 3 experience.  Also, if you enjoyed the top-down twin-stick shooter Dead Ops from the original Black Ops, then you’re in for a treat, because Dead Ops 2 is back in Black Ops 3, it can be found located in the central HUB/HQ area within the main campaign at the Data Vault computer near your collectibles.

 

Obviously a Black Ops game from Treyarch will not be the same without its ever present Zombies modes.  Since Call of Duty: Ghosts and with last year’s Advanced Warfare, these types of modes have been given extra love and care in terms of narrative, almost making them a campaign in their own right.  But despite their best efforts of Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer, they’re not quite as fulfilling modes as the ones by Treyarch and Black Ops 3’s new Zombies campaign “Shadows of Evil” is no exception.  Sticking with a traditional star-studded cast, Treyarch have enlisted the talents of Jeff Goldblum as Nero the Magician, Ron Pearlman as the Boxer Campbell, Heather Graham as Jessica the Femme Fatale and finally Neal McDonough as a cop named Vincent.  While Shadows of Evil is effectively the same beloved Zombies mode at its core, it arguably has its best set of characters and with the fictional noire city of Morg offering a perfect setting for its trouble characters and tale; this is probably the best Zombies mode yet.

 

 

Now for some, the staple of any Call of Duty game are its competitive multiplayer modes and with so much attention being put into the Black Ops 3’s other modes, it would have been easy for Treyarch to take their foot off the peddle a little with this year’s multiplayer offering.  But in fact, it’s quite the opposite.  As you might expect from a Treyarch game, the multiplayer is full of customisable options, from creating the look of your soldier (male or female), loads of weapons to unlock with heaps of perks and attachments, many of which are also available when creating and using your character in the main campaign.  In terms of customisable options, Black Ops 3 has more variety than any other game in the series, it may feel a little daunting at first, but you’ll seen feel attached to what fits best for you.

 

However, the one big addition in Black Ops 3’s multiplayer comes in the form of the Specialists.  Each one will come with their own super abilities if you like, each with two unique skills and as you level-up, more specialists will become available.  In way it almost reminds me of Destiny’s Guardian class system and their special sub-class super powers, only there is more to choose from in Black Ops 3.  And in terms of gameplay, Black Ops 3 plays absolutely fantastic.  Since the release of Titanfall, wall running and jetpack jumping has been a common trend and while I enjoyed Advanced Warfare’s multiplayer, it just doesn’t seem to come close the enjoyment that I am having with Treyarch’s outing.

 

 

If I’m honest, I’m not much of a fan of Black Ops 3’s wall running and thrust jumping, I’m much more of a grounded type of player, but when I feel I need to use these abilities, it’s because I need to and it doesn’t feel like it’s for the sake of it.  On top of all that, for the first time in many years, Black Ops 3 gives me that “one more go match” feeling and like Activision’s other big shooter, the weapons and maps are superbly designed, and the sound of the bullets making impact on your opponent feels rather therapeutic.  I’d go as far as to say that the multiplayer of Black Ops 3 is the best since Black Ops 2 in 2012, perhaps even beyond that.  Either way Treyarch have certainly reclaimed their Call of Duty multiplayer crown.

 

Before Black Ops 3 hit our consoles, I was worried that after all these years I was suffering from Call of Duty fatigue, especially when it’s a third game in the Black Ops series.  But once I started playing Black Ops 3, especially with its refined competitive and addictive multiplayer, my pre-assumed doubts were quickly put to rest.  It may not have the best main campaign, in fact I believe it’s the weakest since Call of Duty 3, but it does have a few surprises to keep you intrigued with some unexpected levels towards the end.  Black Ops 3 is billed as the most packed game yet in the long running series, and Treyarch and Activision have lived up to their own hype.  Whether it’s the campaign, Zombies or competitive multiplayer, Black Ops 3 has something for just about any fan of shooters and that enjoyment is heighted by the fact that every mode can be played with friends, online or offline.  In my opinion, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 has all the ingredients to be the best.

 

*The PS3 and Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 does not include the main campaign, but does feature all other modes.

 

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