--Sarah Hall, Call of Duty: Black Ops III
It's been two weeks since the announcement trailer for Black Ops 4, so it's time for a Black Ops III review to celebrate. Followed by two other series entries and with a sequel to succeed it, Black Ops III, though not the newest offering of the franchise, certainly should not be overlooked by those who appreciate a broad range of gameplay variety. With a rich multiplayer system, a surprisingly philosophical campaign, zombie mode (of course!), and several additional modes, Black Ops III's greatest strength is that it truly does offer a wealth of content, even without the DLC.
Production Values
It doesn't have the most gorgeous graphics I've seen on the Xbox One (I think the reboot Tomb Raider games have the most beautiful visuals I've seen on the console), but the visuals are often detailed and the colors vibrant--though sometimes there is a distinct lack of detail on some character models--with the gameplay maintaining a consistent framerate even with numerous enemies onscreen at once. The sound, which is clear and immersive, is particularly useful in modes like zombies, as it allows for easier identification of enemy presences. It is clear that many resources were directed into the production of the game.
Gameplay
--Campaign
For those who enjoy single player activity, the 7+ hour campaign has its own progression system, with its XP meter and rewards kept separate from the leveling system in both multiplayer and zombie mode. Periodic breaks from the normal style of play, like piloting a jet or controlling a ground-based drone, offer some variety for campaign players. Thankfully, not every level is the same; though the basic gameplay mechanics are present for the majority of the campaign, the environments and objectives are quite diverse at times. Just be prepared to potentially die a lot, as some parts can be frustratingly brutal.
--Zombies
The natural evolution of one of Call of Duty's most popular and fun features, zombie mode ascends to new levels of depth in Black Ops III, with its self-contained XP rewards, prestige mode, freedom to level up individual weapons and modify them with attachments, and introduction of the new gobblegum abilities that stand alongside the usual perks. Coop, local and online, can alleviate some of the difficulty of zombie mode, but later waves still become arduous. Map variety includes new maps and--for DLC purchasers--remastered versions of old maps, like Natch Der Untoten, Der Riese (now simply called The Giant), and Kino Der Toten. You can stave off undead beings in an asylum, a theater, a moon base, and even in an alternate version of Stalingrad that has dragons!
--Dead Ops Arcade 2
Dead Ops Arcade 2 expands upon a bonus mode from the first Black Ops, the zombie killing mostly occurring from an aerial perspective (though a power up-like object can temporarily trigger first person mode). You can play it alone or with three companions online. Random, fast-paced, and chaotic, it provides an alternative take on the classic Call of Duty zombie mode.
--Nightmares
In Nightmares mode, the same general campaign environments appear, though the sequence of levels is rearranged, and the narrative is altered from a story about a CIA game of betrayal and AI singularity to one about a virus outbreak that triggers a zombie crisis around the world. Basically, it conjures up an excuse to mix aspects of zombie mode with the loose structure of a normal single player campaign. Only one gun can be held at a time, with zombies dropping random weapons and even power ups from the regular zombie mode. It can be quite difficult! And it takes a very surprising narrative turn at the end.
Story
Some spoilers for the campaign are below.
What initially seems like a CIA mystery set in a very futuristic world becomes a cautionary narrative about artificial intelligence and an attempt to control masses of people. The player's point-of-view character, whose gender, outfits, and weaponry are customizable, has his/her limbs torn off by a robot during an extraction mission in Egypt early on in the story. Fashioned into a cyborg, he/she receives mechanical replacement limbs and a DNI: a direct neural interface. This device enables private mental communication with other DNI users, entrance into an elaborate simulation, the ability to hack into computer systems, and the ability to experience the thoughts and memories of others equipped with DNIs.
A team member appears to suddenly betray his companions, abducting and killing a doctor who was involved in a past CIA project dealing with DNI development. While he seems to be acting as a quasi-terrorist, he, like others who have received DNI implants, is actually being influenced by a self-aware software program, called Corvus, that governs the training simulations and DNI usage. The story shifts here from a futuristic espionage tale to one of how a technological revolution sparks a terrifying calamity. Though at times it might be quite confusing for some players, the story can also be deeply intriguing, showcasing several complicated concepts.
Intellectual Content
Black Ops III's campaign is a wonderful example of entertainment that, while not having the depth of something like Inception, The Matrix, or Terminator (all of which it shares similarities with), allows its story to very naturally raise significant questions. The campaign broaches a variety of complex issues, including artificial intelligence, transhumanism (though it is not called by that name, there is definitely a form of transhumanism in the story), simulation technology, mind-body dualism, what future warfare will look like, and whether or not soldiers should deviate from strict orders to stop injustices.
The direct neural interface (DNI) devices unite many of these themes and concepts, with these implants allowing, as explained in the story section, for soldiers to communicate directly with the minds of other soldiers on closed frequencies, teleport around in battlefield simulations, hack enemy robotics, and download the memories of other DNI users. What does it mean to be a human in such a world? Clearly, a living human with a DNI and modified physical features is still a conscious mind in a bipedal body, but the nature of that body dramatically changes, moving from the purely biological to the cybernetic. If simulations as advanced as the ones connected with the DNIs ever do become created in reality, it could get extraordinarily difficult to distinguish the simulated world from the external world perceived in everyday experiences. The simulations are used by the rogue AI software Corvus as a type of collective afterlife for the consciousnesses (or at least replicas of them) of various deceased characters who had DNIs, introducing an intriguing hypothetical use for a simulation. At the very least, a software program could store projections based upon the minds of actual humans, retaining these projections even when the humans themselves die. This would be far from a legitimate afterlife for the actual consciousnesses, but it could provide a way for the living to interact with digital reconstructions of the dead.
Considering this is a Call of Duty game, the inclusion of some of these concepts was impressive at times. Despite not ever diving straight into the epistemological and metaphysical natures of the issues it confronts, and despite not giving significant answers about them, Black Ops III definitely surprised me with the way its story integrates complicated subjects together. I was not expecting a narrative with this exploration of so many topics that either have exploded or very likely will explode into controversy, popularity, and the public consciousness. Neuroscience, artificial intelligence, the simulation hypothesis, and the nature of futuristic warfare are only becoming more pressing issues with each passing year.
Well done, Black Ops III! The story could have been far more conceptually shallow.
Conclusion
Having never played the prior two Black Ops games, I have no reference point for the progress or lack of it that Black Ops III brings to its own sub-series. But I do know that it is not a small game. The campaign and its alternate Nightmares mode could easily occupy 15+ hours of play time, zombie mode can provide dozens of hours of play, and the traditional multiplayer modes can also offer dozens of hours of enjoyment. At the very least, Black Ops III provides a very multi-faceted, replayable gaming experience that players could invest hundreds of hours into overall. That is nothing trivial! Perhaps this summer I will play Infinite Warfare and World War II for the first times as I await Black Ops 4.
Content:
1. Violence: Gunplay and melee attacks are used to kill a variety of enemies, whether humans, robots, or zombies. Blood is generally minimal, but one early scene in the campaign shows a character lose his/her (depending on player customization) limbs onscreen in a robot assault.
2. Profanity: In the campaign characters use words like "shit" and "fuck."
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