There was a lot of hype around the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 but does it cut it? Check out these reviews to see if the newest game on the shelves fulfills it’s promises before shelling out.
1. IGN – “The biggest and most feature-packed Call of Duty to date”
“With alternate histories and crazy weapons, Treyarch’s Black Ops games have always been Call of Duty’s oddballs. After killing mind-wolves with a swarm of nano-bees in the new campaign, I’m happy to say Black Ops 3 not only continues that trend, but smartly embraces its sci-fi oddities more than ever before. But the most remarkable thing about Black Ops 3 isn’t its tone; it’s the sheer amount of content which, at its best, is some of the greatest I’ve seen in Call of Duty. Multiplayer still has the depth fans expect by now, but the addition of unique Specialists makes every player more important. ”
Read the full review here
2. Gamespot – “By the fifth mission, I had settled into that continual routine of “aim, shoot, reload, repeat.”
“If the Call of Duty franchise is a well-oiled machine, Black Ops III is the replacement part that keeps the wheels moving into yet another year. It introduces minor changes to an established formula, and in some aspects, this is developer Treyarch near its peak. But in other areas, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 lacks inspiration.
Treyarch has set a high bar with its contributions to the Call of Duty series. The first Black Ops introduced a twisting, engaging campaign with vivid characters and historical conspiracies. Black Ops II revamped multiplayer customization, lending deeper player choice to a fine-tuned competitive experience. And now there’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III, a shooter reaching in several different directions with vastly different results.”
Read the full review here
3. Polygon – “Black Ops 3 doesn’t meaningfully move the series forward”
“Developer Treyarch took the Call of Duty franchise in weird new directions with Cold War conspiracy in Black Ops back in 2010, and in 2012 it picked up the slack left by series originator Infinity Ward’s implosion, taking the lead with Black Ops 2. It wasn’t that Black Ops 2 was perfect, exactly, but it had ambition leaking out of its ears, changing what people could expect from a Call of Duty campaign while introducing the first major changes to the series’ world-conquering multiplayer system.”
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4. Gaming Trend – Back in Black
“The evolution of the post-modern shooter is here, and the market is crowded with squad-based combat tactics, cybernetic enhancements including enhanced mobility and vision modes. We have plenty of space marines, wall-running and enough tech installed in people to officially forfeit the term lifespan in favour of “warranty period.”
I can’t stress this enough: Call of Duty. Household name, annual franchise with multiple developers. It’s been parodied in TV shows and films throughout pop culture. This isn’t just a big game, it’s a AAA title being released on consoles that reaches the largest audience.”
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5. FrankieOnPCin1080p – Youtube Review
6. The Guardian – Plenty to see, but nothing to shock
“Call of Duty: Black Ops III, the latest title in the conspiracy-laden side-series formulated by LA-based studio Treyarch, fulfils a lot of the promises that were made for it pre-release. This is indeed, a thoroughly modernised Call of Duty offering, with slick, swift visuals, astonishing production values and a wealth of content. Before launch, the team expressed its fascination with the sorts of nightmarish military technologies that may be available in 2065, and true enough, there are sentient battle robots and drone swarms aplenty. But what there isn’t is any sense of a truly game-changing shift away from the series archetypes. Black Ops III tries to give fans everything they want and more, but it does so under serious restrictions that drag it back down into the industrial production line this once thrilling series has become.”
Read the full review here
7. Digital Spy – Assassin’s Creed to the future as Activision’s shooter loses it’s mind
“It’s hard to know where to begin with Black Ops 3. Developer Treyarch has clearly taken full advantage of the new three-year development cycle, stuffing the game with so much content it’s a wonder the disc doesn’t have stretch marks.
Everything about Black Ops 3 is bigger, faster and more intense, starting with the massive campaign, which clocks in at a sizeable 10 hours and can even be played co-operatively.
While it’s not quite the open-world sandbox we were hoping for, the larger areas allow for more freedom to experiment. Levels have clearly been designed to accommodate four players, featuring different layers and corridors that can be used to flank the enemy from above, below and to the sides.”
Read the full review here
8. DailyDot – Black Ops 3 returns to multiplayer greatness, but stumbles on the story
“Call of Duty: Black Ops III follows that same well-worn path, but while the unrelenting pace of its story mode leaves it feeling a bit like a shooting gallery, the multiplayer components are easily the best in years. There’s no point in beating around the bush here, so let’s just get right to the heart of the issue. The campaign mode in Black Ops III is not great. In fact, I’d argue that it could barely even be called “good.”
When you begin the story mode you’re given the option for the first time to be either male or female. This is a bit less meaningful than it sounds, as the only real control you have over your character is the choice of a handful of pre-rendered faces. You have no name and are referred to by other characters as “new blood” or “soldier,” which makes your role in the unfolding events feel more generic than ever before.”
Read the full review here
9. AGC – “Buy, wait for sale, rent or never touch?”
10. The Jimquisition – Dues Ex Hackina
“I have reviewed every single Call of Duty game since World at War, developed by Treyarch and released in 2008. For the past seven years, I have played through every campaign, experienced every online component, and given my every thought. Seven games, year after year, all of them having now bled into each other to form an oozing grey sludge in my mind.
There have been good ones, there have been bad ones, but looking back… I barely remember which ones.
It hardly makes a difference.
It hit me, while playing through Black Ops III, how little any of it matters. This one game, for all its marketing and hype, for all the people currently screaming and yelling throughout its servers as they taste crushing defeat alongside triumphant victory, will be worth less than nothing twelve months from now.”
Read the full review here
Have you purchased Black Ops 3? Tell us what you think in the comment section.
