Call of Duty: Black Ops III PS4 Review: Predictable, but Great

This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.

As expected, Treyarch's first Call of Duty of this generation delivers three games in one: campaign, multiplayer, and zombies. And while the triptych packs no real surprises in terms of its content, what perhaps is a surprise – and a nice one at that – is just how good much of it is.

Yes indeed. Despite being almost as predictable as its yearly release date, I think this latest iteration of the CoD franchise is one of the best we’ve seen in some years. And that's said coming off the back of what was one of my personal favorite entries in the series – Advanced Warfare.

Since the game is essentially broken into a trio of aspects, I'll cover each one separately, kicking off with…

Multiplayer

Although it packs few surprises, and indeed will be highly familiar to anyone who's played CoD multiplayer before, BLOPS III is nevertheless as slick and buttoned-down as any other entry in the series - if not more so.

At its core, it continues to build on Advanced Warfare's movement system. In last year's game you had thrust jumps, auto-mantling and chained-moves that delivered a quite comprehensively fluid movement system. This time out, Treyarch has dialed that up so that moves are now even smoother and more easily connected together, and the result is fantastic. From running along walls, through power sliding and thrust jumping to mantling onto pieces of scenery, you can chain together moves in a way that feels silky smooth. And all the while, your gun is almost always useable.

As you get used to exactly how you can connect different moves, you begin to parkour your way across the landscape in a series of free-flowing movements that are really quite impressive - and extremely fun to execute. It's very intuitive and easy to learn, and ultimately lowers the barrier between your intentions and the results to deliver a brilliant control scheme that just feels completely natural. This is further enhanced by the fact that the game's cadence is generally rapid: sprinting is quick, the speed of the gun coming up is lightning fast, and overall the controls feel exceptionally responsive. It's very rare that you feel like they let you down – which is exactly what you want from a highly competitive multiplayer shooter.

Another aspect of the game that I really like are the new specialists. Instead of choosing a generic soldier to fight with, this time out, players start by picking one of nine new characters (although only four are available at level one – the rest have to be unlocked by progressing through the game). Each specialist has his or her own unique weapon or ability, and you can choose to equip either one before a match. As you play, a meter slowly fills up, and when it's full, you can use the ability or weapon of your choosing. Needless to say, they're very powerful, and give you a distinct advantage while they're active. Some are more effective than others in certain situations - Outrider's bow is effectively an excellent sniper weapon, while Battery's grenades and Ruin's gravity spikes are great for delivering an AoE-type damage effect - but they're all fun to use.

Specialists' looks can be customized, which is a great idea. With a relatively small pool of characters to choose from, it's inevitable that you'll run into copies of yourself – but fortunately as you level up your kills, additional clothing and heads become available so that you can change your character's appearance. Additional items can also be found in the Supply Drops available from the Black Market. As you play, you earn Crypto Keys, which are used to purchase Supply Drops – 10 buy you a common Supply Drop, while 30 get you a rare one. As well as featuring specialist outfits, Supply Drops also contain weapon camos, decals and calling cards. Camos and decals can be used on your weapons, which in BLOPS III are fully customizable. You can layer different decals and paint on your weapon to create pretty much whatever kind of design you want, if you have the time and patience – and creative talent.

The most meaningful customization comes, of course, from adding attachments to your gun – or not, as might be your style – and BLOPS III offers a smorgasbord of interesting ways to augment your playstyle with gear. There are few real surprises as you peruse the selection of largely familiar unlockables, from quick draw and recoil-reducing grips to fast-movement stocks, but what's for sure is that you can really finesse your loadouts for all manner of tactical situations. Whether that's creating a one-shot, run-and-gun shotgun build, or making a sniper weapon your own with a particular reticle, there's a lot of potential for endless tinkering with your weapons and loadouts – something that I really enjoy. Add to that the perks and wildcards, and you have plenty of scope for comprehensive customization.

BLOPS III's multiplayer mode packs 12 maps in all – not including the Nuk3town map that came as a preorder bonus – and I must say they're generally very well designed. All follow the same three-route system where there's a central choke point flanked by two alternative paths connecting each "end" of the map, but while they're fundamentally very similar in terms of layout, none of them feel formulaic or rote. Each uses a combination of closed spaces, cover and open areas to create interesting-feeling environments where there's little respite from battle. Camping areas are few and far between, and for the most part, BLOPS III's maps promote really dynamic battles where there's very little battle downtime, and always a clear and present danger from the opposition.

What's been a pleasant surprise is just how bright and colorful the environments are. Only a few years ago, a lot of FPS games felt quite drab and dreary, mostly consisting of browns, grays and greens – but BLOPS III is almost completely the opposite. Maps vary in style, but they are all beautifully rendered. From the astonishingly realistic Northern California Redwood arena through the busy and bright Aquarium and Exodus zones to the Egyptian Combine map that was featured in Beta, the level of detailing and use of color is simply brilliant.

The maps and the dynamic movement system come together to create a game that's remarkably crisp and polished – and is a real joy to play. I've already spent many hours playing the game, and know that those hours are doing to turn into days, and probably weeks over the long-term. The game just feels exceptionally well presented, and has a surprising amount of depth in terms of its customizability.

Where BLOPS III's multiplayer is weak is in terms of its new features – even the roster of multiplayer game types are all familiar. But to me, that doesn't really matter. I'm one of those players who likes the formula, and this ticks all the right boxes for me. It's like having your favorite meal served to you at your favorite restaurant. You know what you want, and when it arrives you devour it, even though you might have had it several times before. BLOPS III's multiplayer is basically the same deal: it delivers exactly what I want, with a sprinkling of a new seasoning to make it as tasty a dish as ever.

InterfaceVery logical and well designed to make getting around the game a breeze.

Lasting AppealThe campaign lasts about 11 hours, give or take, and zombies is a nice bonus. But it's the multiplayer where the true long-term appeal lies.

SoundTerrific sound effects make the game sound like a war zone. The voice acting is also generally good.

VisualsFrom the campaign through zombies to the multiplayer, BLOPS III's visuals are spectacular.

ConclusionCall of Duty: Black Ops III offers few surprises, but even so, it's a great package. The campaign sometimes feels like it's trying too hard, but is ultimately solid and enjoyable. Zombies mode is a nice bonus. But really, it's the multiplayer that steals the show. It doesn't stray far from the usual formula, but it's been honed and polished to perfection to deliver seriously brilliant multiplayer competition.

Campaign

Unremittingly dark and dystopian, BLOPS III's campaign is largely theatrical bombast layered over a series of exciting and oftentimes challenging shooting galleries. The game is set in 2065, a time when the world's climate is running out of control, there's the continued pervasive threat of terrorism, bio-augmentation and robotics run rife in military and paramilitary organizations, and concerns of colliding corporate and governmental interests weigh heavily on the populace. It doesn't sound like a fun place to be – unless you're a super soldier, of course.

With technology having rendered air assaults useless, wars are now fought on the ground by small teams of operatives often working behind enemy lines, and that's where you come in. As recruit who's been given new cybernetic limbs and a brain implant called a Direct Neural Interface following a particularly harrowing and unpleasant encounter with an enemy robot during the game's first mission, you're drafted in to investigate a CIA site in Singapore that has ceased transmitting. Of course, getting to it involves fighting your way through streets packed with enemies, in the midst of a hurricane, no less, and this really sets the cadence of the action.

The story continues to unfold through a series of fairly predictable twists and turns, and while the writing and dialog is mostly just about good enough, it does sometimes veer into cliché territory that feels very video gamey. There's just something about the pacing and delivery of certain plot points that feels clunky and lacking finesse.

Still, what's most important is the action, and there's certainly plenty of it. Cutscenes and gameplay seamlessly transition from one to the other to make for some quite breathtaking sequences, and for the most part you're constantly under the gun, fighting against overwhelming forces. There are moments of quiet between the action sequences which help break things up – usually designed to deliver the latest piece of plot – but for the most part the gameplay is very well choreographed to create exciting set pieces that are challenging to fight through. Even on low difficulty settings, I had a tough time making progress – and on high I didn't stand a chance. If you like a good challenge, BLOPS III's campaign mode will certainly keep you on your toes.

The big banner feature of campaign this time out is the return of multiplayer. Playable either solo, or co-op with up to four other people, this aspect of the game is definitely more fun with other players. I did find that some of the more linear maps sometimes felt a little crowded when playing with other players – perhaps that's because I mostly played solo – but there are a few areas where you can properly work as a group and flank the enemy and provide covering fire for your teammates.

What I particularly liked about campaign is that you have access to a safe house between missions where you can fully customize your loadouts, just like you can in multiplayer. Unlocks come thick and fast while you play, and it's not long before you can set up your character exactly how you want – and this can really help with some of the tougher challenges. Another interesting aspect of the game is that your DNI implant grants you a variety of almost magic-like abilities that you can also customize – such as being able to disable and destroy robots from afar, and send swarms of nano-bots at enemy soldiers. These can be used while in combat, and under certain circumstances can be very powerful indeed.

Although your expectations might be different to mine, I found BLOPS III's campaign felt quite substantial – weighing in at roughly 11 hours, give or take. It covers 11 missions in all, and while its action largely boils down to being a shooting gallery, it's a pretty glorious one. Indeed, I normally wouldn't play this aspect of the game – usually I spend my time exclusively with the multiplayer mode – but because I'm reviewing the game, I've essentially been forced to play it, and to be honest, I'm glad I did. It's quite spectacular, and graphically very impressive. While the writing does let the side down sometimes, and in the end the story feels overblown – almost like it's trying too hard – the action is still enjoyable, and a lot of fun. Just don't try to think about it too much.

Zombies

BLOPS III's zombies is a relentless single- or multiplayer mode that's entertaining in short bursts. The headline feature is Shadows of Evil. It's set in the 40's and features four individuals who are cast into a hellish Vaudeville where they have to hold their own against waves upon waves of shambling zombies.

Money is earned by killing zombies, which can be used to buy upgrades and new weapons to take on the next wave of undead. That's basically the way it's worked in the past, but what's new is that there's now persistent XP and a new perks system that lets you customize your character outside of the game. Another new feature is that you can temporarily "Become the Beast" by activating one of the shrines dotted around the map. Doing so transforms you into a powerful Cthulhu-like monster that can make short work of a zombie horde. However, this has to be used strategically, since you don't get any XP or cash when you activate it, and the effect only lasts for a short while.

Zombies mode is certainly not an afterthought. Starring Jeff Goldblum, Ron Perlman, Heather Graham, and Neal McDonough, and featuring an introductory plot and some pretty hilarious dialog between the characters, this multiplayer survive-a-thon feels on its way to becoming a game in its own right. While the action is essentially simple and straightforward, there are enough features to make it interesting, and there's a basic mystery to uncover: how can these people escape their plight? So far, I haven't been able to progress particularly deep into this side of the game, but I do see myself coming back occasionally to try my luck. It's a good way of honing your shooting skills, and also unwinding when you just want to turn your brain off and pop off endless headshots.

Conclusion

As a package, Call of Duty: Black Ops III is exceptionally solid. As I've already said, its content is fairly predictable, but it's of a very high caliber. You know what you're going to get, and if you've enjoyed what the series has offered in the past, it's unlikely that you'll be disappointed with this latest incarnation.

The real standout is the multiplayer mode: it's polished and finessed to a very high degree. Its controls are supremely responsive, and its maps are excellent. Both combine to deliver exactly what most CoD players want: an exceptionally competitive, eSports-level game where players can truly test their mettle against one another.

Campaign does feel over-wrought at times, but as long as you don't think about it too hard, what's at its core is an exciting and challenging set of shooting galleries that are graphically spectacular. Zombies mode brings up the rear. It's more developed than prior iterations, and packs a big challenge for those who are interested in playing it. I did find it somewhat relentless, but as what's essentially a bonus piece of content in the overall package, I really can't complain about it too much.

All three modes combine to make this a great entry in the Call of Duty series, and one that leaves me wondering where the series is going to go next. It feels like it's hit a peak this time out – and topping this with more of the same will be a very tall order. Perhaps it's time to revisit World War II?

InterfaceVery logical and well designed to make getting around the game a breeze.

Lasting AppealThe campaign lasts about 11 hours, give or take, and zombies is a nice bonus. But it's the multiplayer where the true long-term appeal lies.

SoundTerrific sound effects make the game sound like a war zone. The voice acting is also generally good.

VisualsFrom the campaign through zombies to the multiplayer, BLOPS III's visuals are spectacular.

ConclusionCall of Duty: Black Ops III offers few surprises, but even so, it's a great package. The campaign sometimes feels like it's trying too hard, but is ultimately solid and enjoyable. Zombies mode is a nice bonus. But really, it's the multiplayer that steals the show. It doesn't stray far from the usual formula, but it's been honed and polished to perfection to deliver seriously brilliant multiplayer competition.