Here we go again. Another Call of Duty game. Only this time Treyarch again takes the lead and brings us another futuristic shooter that appears to have more in common with a Killlzone game than a military shooter. Even though I am a fervent hater of the recent entries to the CoD series, Treyarch actually made me perk up as I watched the trailer for Black Ops 3 . I can’t lie to you, I’m actually excited about this one. It looks like the team at Treyarch has locked into something that could really turn things around for the overdone franchise, so even if you’re not a fan, you might want to keep clicking. Here are ten interesting things we know about so far.
Zombies!
Let’s go ahead and get this one out of the way. Yes, there is a confirmed zombie mode for Black Ops 3 . Here’s why I actually care this time. It’s not just the run-of-the-mill, cut-and-run zombie shoot. This time, zombie mode has its own story and its own XP-based progression system, so even though it’s still a zombie shoot, there will at the very least be a solid point to it this time. The images depicting the zombie mode include a zombie holding a card with pictograms on it and the cryptic words, “only the Cursed survive.” Interesting.
Online Multiplayer
Yep, you guessed it. You’ll be able to blast the s#!t out of other gamers online in the usual free-for-all formats as well as other familiar modes of play from previous Black Ops entries. Treyarch isn’t really talking too much about this area, though. That’s got me thinking they might be cooking up something new for us this time as well. The fact that they are actually staying pretty tight-lipped about it has me more intrigued than I normally am. OK, enough about multiplayer. It’s Call of Duty. We know that’s coming.
Not Just a New Coat of Paint
Since the game happens so close in the timeline to the last Call of Duty, there may be the urge to say that Treyarch just polished up and piggy-backed on Advanced Warfare . Well, from what I have seen so far, nothing could be further from the truth. While the jump in the timeline may not be huge, the overall feel is definitely not Advanced Warfare . It has a vibe all its own. Treyarch seems to have included some of the best parts from other sci-fi favorites like Terminator 2 and mixed them seamlessly into a solid, fast-paced shooter.
Not Tied Down
One thing that I like is that the soldier you choose is not tied to a loadout and you can’t change weapons in mid-battle. You have to plan accordingly for the task at hand. What you take into battle is what you have to work with until the mission is complete. I realize that may ruffle a few feathers here and there, but honestly it brings back the concept of strategy more than the Call of Duty franchise has in a while. You choose your power OR your weapon for each of your specialists and that’s what you roll with, so you really have to plan ahead before you even go into battle. I am digging that idea a lot.
No Exo-Suits
No. There are NO exo-suits in Black Ops 3 . Thank God. I was a little worried when I saw it was another future-shooter. What you have instead is something way more cool. Your soldier’s DNI (Direct Neural Interface) allows you to connect with a great many things in the environment. You can communicate with your teammates faster as well as hack into enemy gear and use it against them. It also allows you faster movements throughout the world. Even though there’s no suits, you do have a booster pack. Everyone gets one, but believe me when I say it’s far more functional this time. You can use it multiple times mid boost and can even change your direction with it while attacking.
Rich Story Idea
This game flirts with the very real conundrum of whether or not we should push military technology to the breaking point and beyond. It reminds me a bit of Ian Malcom’s speech in Jurassic Park where he talks about scientists being so preoccupied with whether or not they could do something without thinking about whether or not they should. The question, “how far do we push technology before it starts to push back?” is a very real thing in the world right now and even though this is a game, maybe some people in high places on this planet should play and pay attention.
More Guns
I am not really sure how they were able to do it, but it looks to me like they somehow figured out how to cram even more shooting in an already frenetic shooter series. Seriously, there were enough guns and explosions in the last trailer to make Michael Bay turn green with envy. The best part about this is that they didn’t just add more for the sake of adding more. It really seems to add to the overall chaotic experience of a well-constructed shooter. I love the idea of a shooter based around a futuristic, technological revolt against humanity, so the fact that Treyarch seems to have nailed that has restored my faith in the series. I’ll be able to tell you if my intrigue is well-founded when I actually get the final build of the game.
Chaining Movement
Imagine being in a world where there are giant, mechanized hordes gunning for you at every turn. Now imagine that you are on the run to an objective and are trying to clear a path for another specialist in your team. Now, imagine that there’s a bot hot on your trail and you are having trouble shaking it because of the din of gunfire all around you. What’s a guy or gal to do? Well, in Black Ops 3, you boost to the side of a building, run along the wall while taking out a few enemies, then vault to the ground while reversing in mid-air and then initiating a reverse power-slide the second you hit the ground and kill the enemy that’s been chasing you. Yep, you can do that.
Specialized Soldiers
One of the bigger changes that I like about the way you play this time is the inclusion of your choice of specialist. You no longer play as generic soldiers on a futuristic battlefield. You know have a specific purpose in combat that allows you to become a true asset to whatever team you are playing with, whether it’s live players or bots. You are now the subject matter expert in a given field of special operations, not just a badass with a big gun.
There have been four specialists confirmed so far. Ruin uses gravity-based attacks to hammer down hard on his foes and cause proximity damage in the process. Seraph has a large-caliber hand cannon that can one-shot kill as well as chain kills with a single bullet. Outrider is the Darrell Dixon of the group. She wields a bow and has stealthy attributes. Reaper is your heavy-gunning, killer-robot whose arm can turn into a mini-gun.
True Team-based Co-Op
This is my favorite part. The focus has been taken some off of online PvP gameplay and put back where it belongs… on the game . The campaign has been engineered from the ground up to accommodate any type of shooter fan, not just the online, kill-em-all-and-prestige-before-everyone-else shooter fans. The world has been laid out in such a fashion that it gives you tons of room to shoot, move and communicate with your four-man team and employ actual strategy to achieve the objectives. It gives you huge routes to move in separate ways to cover each other as you move. But if you prefer the lone wolf game, there are much shorter and more succinct routes that would allow you to play alone and not get overwhelmed by the vastness of the battlefield.
I am super-excited about the fact that Treyarch has brought back the idea of true co-op campaign play. It’s not an afterthought this time. It’s an integral part of the overall package. And that, my friends, makes me want to actually spend my money on this title. Coming from an avid CoD hater (at least since MW3), that’s saying a lot .