Call Of Duty: Black Ops III is not just another Call Of Duty game. The time developer Treyarch has put into making the game, three years, really shows in all aspects of the game, including the multiplayer and the Zombies mode, but most prominently in the single player campaign. Its has more depth, and scope then ever seen before. Here are the top five reasons why it’s the finest in the series so far:
1. Exciting And Intriguing Story
I won’t go into any spoilers here, but the campaign is actually really intriguing. The story starts off in a familiar fashion, but a few twists and turns later and you find yourself really perking up and paying attention.
It gets absolutely insane toward the end, and takes you to places you never expected to go in a Call of Duty campaign. It’s the first time in years I’ve been legitimately excited about this franchise’s solo experience. I’m being intentionally vague here since I don’t want to spoil anything, you’ll really find it worth your while to invest time in the campaign.
Oh, and when it’s all over? There’s a full-length “Nightmares” game waiting for you, that changes the entire experience up in truly bizarre ways.
All told, there’s simply a ton of content here for solo players.
2. The Co-op Is An Absolute Blast
If you were disappointed by the lack of split-screen in Halo 5, fear not! You can split your screen four ways in Black Ops III, and if you don’t have friends to couch co-op with, you can also play the campaign with friends online. Even though I’m generally a solo player, I love having the split-screen option.
I have really enjoyed the split-screen bits in the previously Call Of Duty games, but playing the whole campaign with a buddy along feels like an entirely different ride. On those increasingly rare days when friends are over to play games, it’s a great treat.
3. Tackle Missions In Your Own Way
While I really do not wish another open world game, Call Of Duty campaigns have been overly linear. What I had wanted was more than one approach to tackle and complete an objective. And this is exactly where Treyarch delivers big-time!
In the little base zones between missions, you can now customize just about everything.
You’ve got your super powers thanks to the high-tech DNI boxes implanted in your head, which you can unlock and upgrade just like weapons. You’ve got your various loadouts which you can customize to your heart’s content. You level up and unlock stuff as though it were multiplayer.
And it’s really awesome. It gives you a sense of control over how you want to play each mission, how you want to tackle each obstacle.
Adding to this sense of choice is the fact that you can play as either a woman or a man. You can switch between missions if you want, playing some of them as a man and some as a woman. You get to choose. It doesn’t impact the game at all beyond the voice acting. You can also change outfits between missions, unlocking new ones as you go. There’s a sense of progression beyond just beating missions here that really adds to the fun.
4. The Futuristic Sci-fi Elements Are Really Enjoyable
The futuristic stuff in Black Ops III is actually pretty cool. Your suite of cybernetic powers—you can choose either Control, Martial, or Chaos—give you wizard-like abilities on the battlefield.
Send swarms of nanobot fireflies to engulf your enemies, or instantly immolate bad robots, sometimes causing a chain of explosions. Take over enemy turrets, powerhouse through ranks of baddies—there are tons of different play-styles available just based on your Core powers.
And yes, it makes the game feel a bit more like Destiny with its space magic (though the gunplay still feels solidly like Call of Duty) and I can’t shake the feeling that all this cybernetic tech is really just its own kind of spell-casting, but that’s okay. You feel almost like some Black Ops battle-mage while playing, and it’s terrific fun.
Then there’s the wall-running, adding a bit of parkour to the entire experience.
5. Varied Mission Types Keep You Hooked Till The End
While Black Ops III may not be a huge visual upgrade (it’s a looker, no-doubt, but so was Advanced Warfare), what it does have is seriously great mission variety. Lots of different set-pieces, terrain, and choice on how to approach (most) of the missions make this one of the most varied and interesting Call of Duty campaigns to-date. I can’t even get into how crazy some of the missions become.
The game isn’t gimmicky, either. There aren’t really any Quick-Time Events, and the most you ever really do is stick to the controls you’ve been given and hold the interaction button down to open doors, pick up collectibles, or restock ammo (and so forth.)
It’s not an open-world game by any means. It’s still fairly linear—a corridor shooter with a couple extra corridors to gun down—but I like that about it. We have enough open-world games. I like the fact that each area is so distinct and that missions have a beginning, middle, and end.
I hope this convinces you to give the campaign a go before jumping into the ever-popular multiplayer. Keep an eye out for the full review coming soon. And for more news and review keep checking back at Gaming Central.
