With each and every year comes a brand new entry to the Call of Duty franchise. While there are many vocal naysayers, you can’t deny the fact that they try their damnedest to mix things up with various modes, locales, weapons, and themes. While they might not all hit their mark (we’re looking at you Ghosts), they tend to deliver on their goals more often than not. But, many have been looking for a jump bigger than last year’s, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 looks to be just what the doctor ordered.
During our hands-off demo, we got a look at the all-new campaign and some of the interesting mechanics that Treyarch is bringing to the latest Black Ops. The most notable change is probably the way in which the campaign is played. Up until now, campaigns were a solo affair that left many passing them over so that they can quickly get into the multiplayer mayhem that has been the bread and butter of the franchise. In Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 you will have the ability to play with up to three more people locally or online for the entirety of the game’s story.
No more going it alone and dealing with unbelievably slow guides (unless that’s your thing, of course) and troop mates who refuse to hit their marks. Now you can sit back with three of your friends as you work together to deal with a new technological threat. This threat isn’t just some hacker with a penchant for using swarms of drones. We’re talking huge rocket-launching walkers, drones, cybernetic soldiers, and your classic human grunts. Fortunately enough, you are not the same old soldier that many fans of the franchise have grown accustomed to.
Where Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare gave you a robotic arm, Black Ops 3 dials it up quite a bit by pretty much turning your soldier into the Terminator. Due to a cybernetic brain-graft and a Cyber Core, you now play as a lean, mean, somewhat mechanical, fighting machine. This is not just for the sake of making cool looking soldiers for players to gawk at as they move from point A to point B. These “upgrades” lay the foundation of the player customization that fans have been clamoring for, for years.
Due to the graft and Cyber Core players of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will have more direct control over how they play the game. Abilities ranging from hacking enemy drones, to being able to make enemies vomit (yeah you read that right), are there for the taking. Close range combat abilities and skills that allow you to circumvent direct conflict (sometimes) are there for you to fine-tune your face shooting adventure.
The scale of the campaign in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is also a step up from its predecessors. After all, if you’re going to allow four action-hungry soldiers into the game at once you’re going to have to put in tons of objectives and combat into every single inch of the game. Coordination will be key, and it will also add new levels of strategy into every moment.
Visually, the game is impressive, but it pales in comparison to last year’s Advanced Warfare. That’s not to say that it looks bad at all, it will still stand as one of the most visually impressive games of the year, but it won’t have that same wow factor that last year’s entry (from a different studio) had. But still, everything put on display was pure excitement.
You’ll be able to experience it all yourself come November 6th. Are you looking forward to Call of Duty: Black Ops 3? Interested in the new gameplay mechanics and multiplayer? Feel free to let us know in the comments. Also, be sure to check out our E3 2015 wiki for news, features, previews, and more.
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