Part of that diversity is the competitive multiplayer that we’ve all come to know like the back of our hands since Modern Warfare 1. Fundamentally, not that much has changed since CoD 4 all these years later. The reason for that is the same reason the DualShock Controller has stayed relatively static over the years: You don’t fix what isn’t broken. That being said, Black Ops III makes arguably the biggest change in the multiplayer in years by adding true classes, called Specialists. These specialists don’t dominate the gameplay like in other class-based shooters, but instead subtly adds another layer of strategy atop the familiar formula.
If you pick up Call of Duty year after year just for the multiplayer, you’ll find that what you love (gun customization, scorestreaks, prestiges, etc.) are all there. The addition of the futuristic elements such as Specialists and Cybernetic abilities like wall running and power sliding mix up gameplay just enough to feel fresh for both newcomers and loyalists alike. This was a tough task for a game that is annually released, and Treyarch pulled it off.
Zombies in and of itself is nearly an entire game within a game at this point. Beginning as a mini game that you unlocked after beating the World at War campaign, it’s become one of the most popular parts of the Treyarch Call of Duty games. There are, I’m sure, plenty of fringe Call of Duty fans that wait around for the Treyarch games specifically to play their Zombie mode. Black Ops III features yet another amazing Zombies game mode that blends popular features from the older maps (think Pack-A-Punch, for instance) with new buildables and customization options, and of course entirely new characters and locales.
Hell, Zombies even has its own campaign mode called Nightmares now. Serving as an alternate timeline version of the campaign, Black Ops III mashes together the easy to jump into Campaign mode with popular Zombies elements like power-ups and the Mystery Box. It’s a welcomed addition for Zombies veterans that want something familiar, but different to occupy their time, or someone that doesn’t have what it takes to survive long Shadows of Evil, but wants to mow down some undead.
What I’m getting at here is that there is just so much content packed into this $60 package, especially when you start comparing it to other shooters. It’s easy to say Call of Duty is the same thing every year because they don’t dramatically alter the feel of the gameplay. At least this year with Black Ops III, it would be really unfair to characterize it that way; everything has been freshened up and nothing has been sacrificed in the process. Between its co-op Campaign and Zombies elements (which now both include a leveling system, like in multiplayer) and popular multiplayer modes, there’s a little something for everyone. Hell, I didn’t even get into the ridiculous amount of creativity and customization options (such as weapon paint jobs) that exist throughout all three modes. And there’s still the easter eggs and secrets that hearken back to a older time when developers had a little more time to do fun stuff like that.
Seriously, Black Ops III is one of the best bang for your buck shooters that we’ve seen in years, and is definitely worthy of being recognized as a Game of the Year nominee for its efforts.
