It’s refreshing to play a Call of Duty level and have more options than “shoot that guy again, but with a different gun.” The second time I sat behind cover, happily hacking drones and using them to clear the way. The first time I played through one area, I charged around the battlefield, slaying as I went. On a second or third run, your character will unlock the ability to switch between different power types in the middle of a mission, opening the door for fun new combinations. On your first run, you’ll commit to one style. Without the new abilities, there wouldn’t be much of a gameplay reason to replay the story. This let me continue the fight, find cover, or survive long enough for my allies to save the day.īlack Ops 3’s enemies are varied and competent, but when I replayed a few campaign missions they acted pretty much the same as they did before. By design or by coincidence, it often felt like my powers came off cooldown right when my guns ran out of ammo. Powers are on a cooldown, so they don’t make Black Ops 3’s excellently refined shooting obsolete. Many of the levels accommodate tactics like this, and using the environments, powers, and good ol’ cooperation satisfied me in a way a Call of Duty campaign never has before. Also, his bees distracted enemies, giving me time to line up my charge ability (which can be tough to steer) and hit multiple enemies in one blast.Ī more general tactic was for me to charge to the other side of the battlefield and flank the enemy from a spot that I couldn’t have made it to at normal running speeds. When we needed specific enemies dead as soon as possible, his powers took care of it. He could ignite enemies with the wave of a hand, set loose a swarm of bees, and more. In my playthrough, my co-op partner was the “blow things up” guy – a ranged damage dealer and disabler. These powers really shine when you throw another player or three into the mix. I haven’t seen this kind of utility in a Call of Duty game before, but it’s a terrific addition. Invisibility was fun for sneaking into better cover and useful for giving me time to revive downed allies. Other favorites include an area-of-effect ground pound, which was especially satisfying to use after leaping from up high. My most-used skill was a charge ability that sent me flying across the battlefield at incredible speeds, killing weaker enemies and staggering the big ones. My powers of choice enhanced my up-close-and-personal combat skills – an altogether underexplored style in Call of Duty. The gun you pick will likely stay in your hands for the entire level. Plus, this leaves enough points to beef up your trusty primary weapon, which feels more important than it ever has. Even then, you can usually only use one type per level, so committing to one path is important. Each power tree promotes a certain style of play, and you don’t earn enough points to level up all three paths unless you choose to sacrifice extra perks, weapon upgrades, and more. Killing more robots (and other enemies) is actually quite fun thanks to the new powers, which come in three flavors: blow things up, beat things up, or control your enemies and have them blow things up for you.
It’s disappointing, because Black Ops 3 begins to explore some genuinely interesting and taboo topics: What happens when people no longer own their thoughts, or when they don’t receive the mental health care they need? The answer: kill more robots! With Our Powers Combined. Without getting into spoilers, I’ll say that Black Ops 3 didn’t spend enough time making me care about its characters before it tried to cash them in for an emotional payoff.
For example, you can’t use enemies’ dropped weapons because they’re registered to someone else’s brain – hence Black Ops 3’s focus on cool new combat powers. It introduces both terrific new abilities and important new limitations that changed the way I thought about playing Call of Duty. This ubiquitous technology allows humans to mentally interact with computers, weapons, and other people. Black Ops 3 settles on “Direct Neural Interface,” or DNI for short. The six-hour story is set in the not-too-distant future, and, like most similar sci-fi fare, it includes its own techno-gibberish to get used to. Likewise, the option for four-player co-op and the new focus on playing how you want make the campaign and Zombies modes more rewarding and fun to play than they’ve ever been. Multiplayer still has the depth fans expect by now, but the addition of unique Specialists makes every player more important. 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.
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