Topic: Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - OT

As we don't have an official Black Ops thread, I thought I would start one...

My initial impressions have been overall good so far. I have played a bit of everything - all Solo. The campaign structure to me feels a bit weird - mainly because I am more accustomed to the traditional formula that doesn't have XP based progression - not that you need to gain XP to unlock missions as all are available and can be completed in any order but after completing the first, I have a sense that XP progression will help - particularly with weapon choice and ability should you wish to replay.

Zombies looks and feels great. Its similar to Black Ops 2 Zombies but with a few 'new' additions. The map (Shadows of Evil) feels huge. Loving it so far and can't wait to play it with a group of friends to see how far we can get.

The MP is certainly a return to form. I thought Advanced Warfare but to much emphasis on their movement mechanics and the introduction of these messed up the map flow. It seemed to me that it favoured movement over gun-skill and turned the maps into random, chaotic messes which often affected the spawns too. Black Ops 3's movement is more of an enhancement to the game rather than a major impact on it. The traditional 3-lane map flow is back and the movement allows for quickly getting to the action/objective. It also enables gun-skill to be the prime focus too. A lot of the wall-running spots are more high-risk/high reward - enabling you to flank or get to objectives quickly but if you get seen by the enemy, you are more likely to end-up dead. As someone who has played every CoD (usually around 1,000hrs per game) and all DLC's too, it feels like the best 'next-gen' CoD - whether it will be better than those on last gen, time will tell but it certainly has that potential!

I haven't actually tried the Giant map yet myself. Maybe I will try it out in a bit. If you or anyone else wants to play a bit of Zombies or MP (preferably Hardcore) then add me, send a message etc too...

up to press my fave cod game multiplayer wise...it keeps enough of the old infused with the new to be brilliant.
I also have halo 5 on my xbox and funwise it doesnt hold a candle to this!.and ive not even tried zombies mode yet too!

campaign is fun so far...a bit brutal in parts (pardon the pun) but enjoying it!

I've been charged with reviewing it, and in all honesty this is the most fun I've had with a COD game in a while. Haven't really been a fan since Black Ops 2 but Treyarch have really pulled it off this time around, while Ghosts and AW were uninspired and dull, I'm loving this.It's absolutely packed with content, some real effort has been put into the campaign, Zombies has more easter eggs than ever (Though it is a little confusing) and multiplayer is fun with the new traversal system. There is so much replayability too - the fact that Nightmares mode completely changes the campaign is great, and I like how you can unlock Dead Ops Arcade too

I know most people will have the 'Nuketown' map but if anyone doesn't and wants it, I have an extra code. I am not advertising or selling it, not promoting anything but happy to give it away to a PushSquare member. If you are interested please send me a message. I am only willing to give it to a PushSquare member!

Ok as someone who has never played a Black Ops game, can someone explain to me what the heck is Zombie mode? How is it different from the regular game?

Zombies is just a wave based survival mode but has unlimited rounds. You start off with just a pistol and in a very small area but the Zombies have low health. As you kill them you gain points to buy better weapons, perks and open up the map. As with other wave based modes, each wave increases the number of Zombies and their health too. It has Easter Eggs that have various steps that can be completed as well - not necessarily essential although some can be of you want to reach later rounds. It also has an underlying 'story' to it. Pack-a-punching weapons makes them more powerful which helps in the later waves.

@BAMozzy: Ah ok that's sounds pretty neat. I might have to check out the game for that alone. Just seems dumb though to me to buy a game for one little mode lol.

@Tasuki: Zombies itself started out as a hidden bonus mode for 1-4 players for completing the World at War campaign and although that was relatively simplistic and could be considered a 'little' mode, it has grown somewhat into its own significant part of the game. There are many who buy Treyarchs Call of Duty games firstly and sometimes purely for Zombies. It can and for a lot of people provide more hours of gaming than many other AAA games provide in their entirety. Its far more complex and a lot bigger than its original beginnings and has become an iconic part of Treyarch's games - so much so that the 'prestige' and even the Hardened Edition are predominantly Zombie related.
I struggle to think of any 'wave' based game that has as much lore, complexity and strategy as this does. I would highly recommend it. That being said, I can totally understand that paying full price for essentially 1 map, despite the amount of fun and hours that can potentially provide, is hard to justify for many. It may be worth picking up one of Treyarchs older Black Ops games from a second hand store or if you can play a friends game (especially if they have some of the DLC maps too) you could at least give this mode a go.
From my perspective, buying a Treyarch CoD game is a no brainer. I know I can easily get over 1,000 hours worth for less than £100 (inc DLC) - that's less than 10p an hour with at least a third to a half of that time spent just on the Zombies alone. Considering games like Wolfenstein: The New Order for example worked out at over £1 per hour, Zombies alone alone beats this from my perspective - that's not to say Wolfenstein was poor but from a purely financial basis, it was very poor value by comparison.
Obviously everyone has different criteria, circumstances and likes too. Only you can decide if it appeals and whether or not you can justify the cost - even if you have no interest in the Campaign (also up to 4 player) or MP. I haven't tried with BO3 but in past Zombies, just like the MP, these can also be played in couch (split-screen) co-op both online (with others) or offline - something that appeals for some people too as not many games offer that these days - although if that appeals I would check to see if that is still an option.

@BAMozzy: Wow thank you for the very deep explanation. If it does have a couch co-op in Zombie mode right there that will sell me. Also I didn't realize how far it has evolved, I thought it was just some mode tacked on without much thought if you know what I mean. I have always preferred multiplayer games where you more or less work together for an object more so then just a deathmatch. Definitely will be looking into this over the weekend. Thanks again for all the info.

No-probs

Zombies may have started out as a 'tacked-on' extra, a hidden bonus for completing the campaign. It was certainly very simplistic in nature but over the course of World at Wars DLC it grew into something much more significant. With Black Ops, it was probably as important as the Campaign and MP and its success has led to the community expecting a specific co-op mode. It even has its own dedicated development team at Treyarch and developed alongside the other parts rather than after other modes are finished. The lore behind the maps, characters and easter eggs are a lot deeper than the campaign story line too - although its not always that obvious. Some maps though are (or do seem to be) stand alone maps - i.e not linked to the others. It does mix the the stories of 'Nazi's' (not PC anymore) with the occult and the supernatural.

Most (if not all) maps can be played in the most basic way - i.e just see how far you can survive. However they do have a objectives to complete that can help you reach the higher waves. At its most basic, it is great fun to play with friends and very addictive too

So picked this game up today and what a blast I had with it. My son and I did a bunch of Free for all Multiplayer matches mainly to see all the multiplayer maps. Needless to say I got my but handed to me but I did enjoy myself. I can't really compare this to other CoD games since the Black Ops series are the only ones I play. I love the wall jump mechanics which add a new strategy. I also love the characters that you can select, I am particular fond of the guy with the flamethrower and flamesuit.

Overall I am not big on FPS games but this game will pay for itself on the multiplayer alone. I still haven't tried Zombie mode yet or unlocked Dead Ops, which if anyone knows how please let me know.

Can't wait to play this with the guys from work this weekend.

@Tasuki: To unlock Dead Ops, you need to have the 'Safe House' unlocked in the campaign (after the 2nd Mission). Its hidden on the computer which is similar to the original Dead Ops in Black Ops. You basically click on the 'Data Vault' logo in the top left although the 'cursor' doesn't show you are on it or can get to it. If you are struggling to understand what I mean - unless you have been in the Safehouse, you may not know what I am trying to say - there are a number of youtube videos about unlocking it.

@BAMozzy: Ah ok yeah I have yet to play the campaign, I just remember enjoying Dead Ops in the first Black Ops and was exited to hear that it returned in 3. This game has so much to do that it will keep me busy for awhile.

@Tasuki: I must admit I haven't unlocked Dead Ops 2 myself yet. Of all the Black Ops zombie options, Dead Ops rarely got played. I am not such a fan of top down twin stick shooters and so it hasn't been a priority. Shadows of Evil and The Giant (remake of Der Reise) are both excellent - the Giant is a lot easier to play on my own or with maybe 1 other as SoE has a several 'easter eggs' and things to do just to unlock Pack-a-Punch so easier with more players.

As you may have noticed, I have commented quite a bit on how good this CoD game is and the amount of content available to play. Even the Campaign has more to it than any other CoD game - even if the 'story' itself suffers as a result. Not only do you have the 'normal' campaign but an alternative version of it too. With the XP progression and various customisation paths, it does open up alternative ways to play and the fact you can also play with up to 3 others as well, more potential and replayability.

I doubt it will win any GotY awards (maybe best MP??) but like many very popular summer blockbuster movies that have the biggest Box Office takings, enjoyed by far more people etc, they too never win at the Oscars or other film based awards. In fairness, the Witcher 3 is certainly a deserved winner but that doesn't mean that BO3 isn't a very sold and packed game and I expect that I will end up with more than 10x the hours worth of game-time per console on this compared to the Witcher 3.

@BAMozzy: Yep, I agree with ya there. Usually with FPS games I just do the multiplayer mode and that's it but Blops III has so much that I want to AR least check out. It's going to keep me busy for months.

I also like the fact on how much I can do with local multiplayer as oppose to alot of games that only do online only. Reminds of the days of playing FPS with people in the same room. Games like GoldenEye on the 64 and Quake on the DC lol.

On that note how many can play locally on the Campaign?

@Tasuki: I haven't tried any of the 'local' co-op options but according to a site dedicated to co-op gaming...

In Black Ops 3, you can play all modes of play: Campaign, Multiplayer and Zombies, in both local and online split-screen. You can play through the Campaign in 2-player split-screen, local and online. Both Multiplayer and Zombies support 4-player local split-screen, and 2-player split-screen online. Team up through the entire campaign, built from the ground up around four player co-op play.

When the main screen loads, go all the way to the bottom and click local play. From there it will take you to the main page but now in local mode. Select what you want to play from there, Campaign, it seems is 2 player but zombies and PvP can support up to 4 players in Local split-screen. If you want to play with others online, you can play all modes couch co-op with 1 person but the rest of the players must be online players (2 in campaign and zombies and up to 16 others in MP)

I hear though that the ratio changes in 2 player split-screen to 4:3 - probably as the FoV would be too wide other wise but I haven't tried it personally. Hope this helps.

I thought Black Ops would be my most played online multi player game but I have hardly played it and when I do just for a short time. Not sure why just not grabbing me at the moment

Hmmmm didnt realise Black Ops 3 had so much local co-op content. Last COD I played was MW1, might look to pick this up.

@kyleforrester87: Most CoD's have had local co-op in at least the 'co-op' mode and often the MP combat training type modes as well as the opportunity to play couch co-op in online content too. BO3 adds the campaign. With the ability to have another player on their own profile signed in to the same console in gen 8, they can now win trophies/achievements now and the opportunity to achieve their own 'rank' and unlockables - assuming both don't mind playing split-screen against others that have a full screen field of view - not so important in the campaign/zombies as that's not so competitive but can be a bit of a disadvantage in MP.