Call of Duty: Black Ops III

 Xbox One
User Score
5.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 870 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 347 out of 870
  2. Mixed: 159 out of 870
  3. Negative: 364 out of 870
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  1. AsheZx
    Jan 30, 2016
    5
    I think we all hoped Black Ops III would hail a new era for the Call of Duty franchise. Unfortunately, a mixture of dodgy and slightly clunky feeling movement mechanics, age-old issues and drag and drop ideas from other franchises has left this Call of Duty feeling cobbled together and inconsistent, although the graphics really do help this game achieve the 5 I gave it. The campaign triesI think we all hoped Black Ops III would hail a new era for the Call of Duty franchise. Unfortunately, a mixture of dodgy and slightly clunky feeling movement mechanics, age-old issues and drag and drop ideas from other franchises has left this Call of Duty feeling cobbled together and inconsistent, although the graphics really do help this game achieve the 5 I gave it. The campaign tries to do something special with it's story, allowing for 4 player co-op, a new special ability upgrade system and even character customization but ultimately it all falls apart. The story is downright confusing, and is clearly designed for Black Ops IV leaving an unsatisfying conclusion, the 4 player co-op is nice - but why bother when you've got the far superior zombie mode? The various upgrades and custom classes in the campaign is nice, but really it's just an extension of what was achieved in Black Ops 2. In fact, i'd go so far to say that this is a step BACKWARDS for the franchise. Black Ops II had branching storylines, tactical strike force missions and the whole thing felt epic and well thought out with an, admittedly, over the top story - all of that is gone in Black Ops III, with a linear, confusing story replacing it. What a shame. And you can play it all again with zombies! (I'd highly recommend Nightmares mode though, it makes more sense than the normal campaign)

    On to multiplayer, and this year Treyarch attempts to spice things up by introducing Specialists. Playable characters that have their own backstories and each have an ability or weapon that you can choose from. However, I found these more annoying than beneficial. Finally getting your death machine (sorry, Scythe) and losing it after dying was ragequit inducing rather than fun. In the end, I just rocked with the Commando Lunge knife called the "Ripper" because it was the one you earned fastest. There's very little tactical counterplay between specialists, it's just pick one and annihilate. Also some of them specialists are just plain bad ideas that, in Call of Duty fashion, somehow make it into the final game - for example, there is one specialist, Nomad, who has a 6-round unavoidable trip-mine grenade launcher and a "Final Stand" specialist ability. Why? No idea - but the team at Treyarch thought (incorrectly) that it would be a good idea. Other than that, it's largely Black Ops II with thruster packs. Seriously. Pick 10 is back. Scorestreaks are back. Did they reinvent Scorestreaks and add some exciting new ones to fit in with the 2065 setting? Nope. They are literally copy and paste from Black Ops II. There's maybe 5 new Scorestreaks? Unacceptable for a 3 year development game. While I appreciate the Pick 10 system, I still do not understand why a smoke grenade is the same value as a Light Machine Gun - it makes certain things completely void because nobody will use them. Customization in this game is limited, with each specialist character having their own outfits... with two variations of outfit... each with around 6 different colour schemes. Yeah, it's that basic. However, I do appreciate the Paintshop and Gunsmith options - they're pretty cool ideas and worked out well - though I wish my named gun was shown during a match. Something I don't appreciate however is Unlock Tokens, these essentially block you from unlocking everything FORCING you to prestige if you want to experience the whole game. What an awful idea.

    Finally on to zombies, and - well, for 3 years... it isn't great. They've added a new "Gobblegum" system that gives you temporary perks which is a cool idea but, for the powerful ones, you have to spend Liquid Divinium's to spin a Vat which gives you a random one, which is used up if you eat it in game. Unfortunately, this was a ploy to sell you Liquid Divinium's because you can now buy them with real life cash. The zombie map, Shadows of Evil, is okay. It has a surprisingly steep learning curve and it has the amazing ability of making not want to play zombies because of it. To Pack a Punch, you need to do 4 "Survive in a certain area" type challenges, kill 3, 3-headed monsters that can one hit you and gather some worms. It's too difficult for the casual audience and makes the game unnecessarily difficult, which puts you off playing the game.

    To conclude, Black Ops III is a mediocre game that has a lot of content, but not much quality. If you can get it cheap, and I mean cheap, it's worth picking up - otherwise don't bother.    … Expand
  2. KingAndCountry
    Sep 12, 2016
    5
    Most reviews here aren't judging this game on its merits or flaws, but rather because of the series it's in.

    Which is unfortunate, because Black Ops III deserves criticism, but not just because it's another Call of Duty game. I'll admit it's a factor, but that doesn't earn the game an immediate 0. Let's start with the negatives, that have been ignored in favor of the aforementioned or    Most reviews here aren't judging this game on its merits or flaws, but rather because of the series it's in.

    Which is unfortunate, because Black Ops III deserves criticism, but not just because it's another Call of Duty game. I'll admit it's a factor, but that doesn't earn the game an immediate 0. Let's start with the negatives, that have been ignored in favor of the aforementioned or otherwise blindly glossed over.

    This game has the worst multiplayer servers in the series, to the point that it's nearly unplayable. It's not unusual to be disconnected five times in a row. Host migrations almost always fail. Lobbies full of players but never start a match. Random and frequent lag spikes to 400 ping regardless of your connection speed. I once played ten minutes in game for what should have amounted to an hour. -2 for playability.

    The single-player campaign is also easily the worst in the series. It's obvious that they just included it because they had to. Nonsensical plot, meaningless enemies, nonexistant effort put into this at all. If you've ever tried to get into it, I pity you. -2 for including this half-ass throwaway of a campaign.

    Now for the positives. This is the best Zombies experience there is, on par with and built over the original experience in World at War. Diverse maps, great gameplay, complex mechanics that actually require some forethought, and an interesting wrap up to the background storyline to boot. +2 for impressing me on this part of the game, and -1 for deliberately putting the best parts of BO3 in $60 DLC.

    The multiplayer gameplay itself is surprisingly good too, but the unreliability of the servers effectively cancel this out. The specialists and movement system keep things varied enough, and the new game modes like Safeguard are more than welcome. Relatively balanced gunplay. All in all it's still fun with a friend, and that's also the only reason I play it, if only to pass the time waiting to find a real match.

    And yes, -2 for being another COD game. Starting at an 8/10 is more than fair. We all know the series has been milked, but compared to the immediate previous games in this series, BO3 is definitely a standout title. I'd even say that I'd rather play this than MW3 or BO2, and I'd rank BO3 above either of them.    … Expand
  3. El3ment_514
    Nov 10, 2015
    5
    I have played all the COD single players and have enjoyed them. Now with that being said I couldn't even make it half way through this train wreck. The devs finally got the gameplay back to where it needed to be, but for some odd reason they left everything else behind that is COD. The cool ambient music in the menus, stunning soundtrack where is it?, characters you actually like, storyI have played all the COD single players and have enjoyed them. Now with that being said I couldn't even make it half way through this train wreck. The devs finally got the gameplay back to where it needed to be, but for some odd reason they left everything else behind that is COD. The cool ambient music in the menus, stunning soundtrack where is it?, characters you actually like, story that drives you to want to play it on Veteran. All it is now in the campaign is soldiers being Aholes to one another, a female soldier who is a Ahole toward the guys and talks down to them. Fighting within is a stupid concept that devs have clinged to and its old and played out.
    Now your character can use the force like Skywalker and wall run like Tfall. Ranking guitar riff should have been deleted it sounds terrible. Some of the levels you play are at night and you have to leave that annoying green scan on so you can see the enemies.
    In MP if I die 10 times in a game 5 of those will be when I spawn and take 3 steps. They should remake COD4 and MW2 for next gen and take a break from the creative side of things.

    Maybe a prequel to COD4 with SOAP and Price should be the next step, because these BLOP characters cant hold my attention    … Expand
  4. TheWaffle
    Dec 3, 2015
    5
    This'll be the last Call of Duty I buy. I'll still have fond memories of the WWII days and the magnum opus that was the Modern Warfare Trilogy. But Black Ops III has learned all the wrong lessons from CoD Ghosts and Black Ops. The CoD series is at its best when it builds the world and sets the scene with patience and discipline. In MW1 you sneak through the forest and crest the hill justThis'll be the last Call of Duty I buy. I'll still have fond memories of the WWII days and the magnum opus that was the Modern Warfare Trilogy. But Black Ops III has learned all the wrong lessons from CoD Ghosts and Black Ops. The CoD series is at its best when it builds the world and sets the scene with patience and discipline. In MW1 you sneak through the forest and crest the hill just to see the nukes launch, headed for the U.S. and suddenly the race is on. In MW2 you trudge through the sewers of a gulag and breach the walls to come head to head with your old friend Capt Price.

    BO3 has none of that nuance, and Activision has convinced itself that what the game needs is more bad guys and bigger spectacles. Between hordes of stupid AI enemies, drones, and bionic spells, it's impossible to figure out what BO3 is going for. In the original CoD you fought off Nazis from the back of a truck with a 0.50 cal, in BO3 you fight off advanced assault mechs from...the back of a truck, with a 0.50 cal. The plot is convoluted and the multiplayer is Titanfall lite.

    Modern Warfare embodied the spirit of its villain Makarov, who uttered "It doesn't take the most powerful nations on Earth to create the next global conflict. Just the will of a single man." as the game pitted you as a rifleman in the midst of vast chaos. BO3 on the other hand, thinks that the will of a single man is nowhere near enough, and instead requires a vast arsenal of useless gizmos and gadgets to get anything done. The result is a bloated mess that gets in the way of a series that once had such great storytelling.    … Expand
  5. CodMasters
    Nov 6, 2015
    5
    This is the worst call of duty there is. They tried to take elements from other games like Titanfalls wall running and Destinys ability's by doing so they took something that worked great in those games and ruined how call of duty feels. The multiplayer does not feel like Call of duty. when AW came out at least it still felt like cod. This just feels like a game that tried to take goodThis is the worst call of duty there is. They tried to take elements from other games like Titanfalls wall running and Destinys ability's by doing so they took something that worked great in those games and ruined how call of duty feels. The multiplayer does not feel like Call of duty. when AW came out at least it still felt like cod. This just feels like a game that tried to take good elements from other games and failed in the implementation of them in this game. The Campaign is a mediocre campaign at best and once again way too short. The only thing that has me playing this game still is the Zombies that the only thing they got correct.… Expand
  6. CrueFan
    Nov 12, 2015
    5
    Campaign is terrible. Outnumbered. And of course you have no idea what is going on.
    I haven't tried the multiplayer, but I played it with a friend. Wish you can customize scorestreaks.
    I mean, fighting bots with friends is a lot of fun, with the wallrunning and everything, but they could have done so much better with this game.
  7. CorgiBot
    Jan 7, 2016
    5
    Pros:

    * Zombies is back! The main reason many purchase this game when treyarch makes it is for the zombies, and it does what it's supposed to, progresses the story and adds new and exciting features. * Multiplayer has stayed about the same, and I can't say I personally like it, but if you enjoy COD multiplayer then you'll certainly enjoy this one just as much. More of the same, take    Pros:

    * Zombies is back! The main reason many purchase this game when treyarch makes it is for the zombies, and it does what it's supposed to, progresses the story and adds new and exciting features.

    * Multiplayer has stayed about the same, and I can't say I personally like it, but if you enjoy COD multiplayer then you'll certainly enjoy this one just as much. More of the same, take that as you will.

    * Solid gameplay mechanics and sound/music, nothing wrong in that department.

    Cons:

    * Horrible campaign, not only does it stop following the previous black ops storyline but it's a bland military shooter at best. Bland main character, bad voice acting, messy storytelling.

    * Nightmare mode. Sure they didn't have to add this in in the first place, but everyone sure would rather they had put that effort into the campaign before creating this steaming pile of **** What is nightmare mode? After you beat the main story you will unlock this mode, it's the campaign mission again, but the human enemies are replaced with zombies and there's a new storyline, only it's just audio written over the old cutscenes. Lazy and unnecessary.

    * Microtransactions. It was bound to happen eventually, but they added microtransactions to the game called "cod points" also known as CP. These can be used to buy the new liquid divinium in zombies or items in multiplayer, which both effect gameplay!

    Final Verdict: Buy this game on sale for the zombies or multiplayer if you're into them, if you're just getting it for the campaign, don't buy this.    … Expand
  8. SDS_IV
    Nov 7, 2015
    6
    Halo fanboy writing a review of CoD?! Shut the front door!! No seriously this is a good game. Massive improvement over what I expected it to be. Also a massive improvement over Advanced Warfare but that game is a holy mess, I could jam a dog turd into my disc drive and have more fun with that than I did AW. Even though I'm from the Halo camp my favorite multiplayer game of ALL TIME isHalo fanboy writing a review of CoD?! Shut the front door!! No seriously this is a good game. Massive improvement over what I expected it to be. Also a massive improvement over Advanced Warfare but that game is a holy mess, I could jam a dog turd into my disc drive and have more fun with that than I did AW. Even though I'm from the Halo camp my favorite multiplayer game of ALL TIME is World at War, I was desperately awaiting the announcement of WaW2 and then they announced this. I decided to still give it a shot and I'm glad I did. After beta testing it I knew I'd enjoy the multiplayer at least. The other modes, well..... The campaign is okay. The zombies mode is..... Really weird? (Though I didn't shell out the dubs for Der Riese GIANT and I wish I would have)

    If you like CoD you will have a fun time with this game but I just feel like I've done this before..... A lot. It's going to get really old really quick. Wait for it..... Wait for it..... IMO if you want the most bang for your buck this Christmas get Halo 5. It's so good it hurts. I'm highly addicted to Halo 5's scaled back multiplayer. They stopped trying to be like CoD and finally embraced the old style of halo again. Call me back to duty when WaW2 is released, then and only then will I dive back into a CoD game.    … Expand
  9. karma6
    Nov 6, 2015
    7
    People always gonna hate on Call of Duty so naturally it's gonna get a bad user score. Honest review, it's a good game, not great by any means but its COD and its fun. If you enjoy dumb FPS games this is great and has a lot of content especially if you are into zombies. If you want a more polished and competitive game get Halo 5 its pretty awesome.
  10. ratt19
    Nov 7, 2015
    7
    BEFORE YOU BELIEVE A PERSONS REVIEW WHETHER IT IS GOOD OR BAD!!
    I suggest that you look at the persons profile, and see what games they are into by comparing their other scores. I have seen a lot of people who give 0 are into RPG style games or have given every HALO game a 10and others who a 10 are (obviously) into COD.
    OK back on track now. This game also requires a 3GB day one patch    BEFORE YOU BELIEVE A PERSONS REVIEW WHETHER IT IS GOOD OR BAD!!
    I suggest that you look at the persons profile, and see what games they are into by comparing their other scores. I have seen a lot of people who give 0 are into RPG style games or have given every HALO game a 10and others who a 10 are (obviously) into COD.
    OK back on track now.

    This game also requires a 3GB day one patch to run which i think is disgusting, that's almost an additional 5% of file size to fix up problems after it went gold (finalised for sale)
    COD BLOPS III is set in the future with cybernetics (deus ex) as the innovation (gimmick) of choice this time around.
    What you can do with these upgrades is quite fun.
    Cybercores: (plasmids style Bioshock) add new ways to take out enemies but work best in a group environment (more on this later).
    Parkour style running (mirrors edge, Titanfall): Is smooth and when you get a kill using it quite satisfying.
    Character choice: (RPG) You can choose a male/female, a very restricted head list that looked all the same to me and uniforms that you unlock as you progress.
    As you can see it borrows heavily from a lot other games to and doesn't introduce anything most players wont have used at some previous point in time.
    The campaign:
    Starts out fantastically well and has a rather brutal scene that caught me by surprise. However it does fall down a little bit in the 2nd and 3rd acts and plays just like a standard COD campaign game. It was very short and felt a little lacking to me. Voice acting was so-so, publishers need to realise the difference between actors and voice actors.
    Multiplayer campaign was a lot of fun, but i found it better split-screen as opposed to online as we could cutomise our rigs to complement each other (i'm sure others with more friends online will find it better online).
    Multiplayer:
    The usual COD style of twitch, fast paced action and class customisation that is the hallmark of these games is pulled off very well and smoothly.
    Parkour is easy to pull off, however the maps don't feel like they were made for it and usually makes you a target when used. The power slide (syndicate) however is very useful and is a good option to use instead of the usual dive.
    Zombies:
    Thankfully is not DLC this time around (worst decision ever AW)
    Has some new twists on the one map you have access to and the voice actors add humor with their one liners. Otherwise its the usual fun of zombies. BIG HINT: you will die.

    In short this BLOPS III steals a lot of ideas from other games. Packages them together to try and trick you into thinking it is something new, in some ways it works in others not so much. However there is no true "innovation" here.
    On console however it was smooth with only a little delayed texture fill now and then.
    Nowhere near the best but certainly nowhere near the worst it is a good standard COD FPS
    I enjoyed playing this and will probably keep playing it for awhile, especially the zombies.    … Expand
  11. Peptide
    Nov 8, 2015
    5
    Unfortunately this is heading in the direction of Ghosts (which was the worst incarnation of CoD yet). The Campaign is ok but a lot of people prefer to not play co-op. Why should a solo-player have to have a different experience from those that have friends and can do co-op. Zombies is the same fare as usual which is fine. No problems there. The multiplayer is downright sub-par.
    1 -    Unfortunately this is heading in the direction of Ghosts (which was the worst incarnation of CoD yet). The Campaign is ok but a lot of people prefer to not play co-op. Why should a solo-player have to have a different experience from those that have friends and can do co-op. Zombies is the same fare as usual which is fine. No problems there. The multiplayer is downright sub-par.
    1 - The maps are average at best. to many are too large. Short range weapons are mostly irrelevant. There are more camping corner spots than in any other CoD. Also, not a lot of maps to choose from.
    2 - The gun selection is also average. There doesn't seem to be much difference between them. Sure there are differences but as compared with other CoDs (even Ghosts) it doesn't seem to matter which weapon you use.
    3 - Environments are pretty but the character animations seem like last-gen. Also, everything seems a bit laggy. Its definitely not my connection as I can play 4 different online games in a day and this is the only one that is laggy.
    I'm a fan of CoD and have played every one. MW2 was my favorite. BO and BO2 were awesome. I even thought AW was pretty good. Unfortunately I think this one will go down as a terrible entry. The only reason I didn't score it lower is that there is always the chance that it might grow on me...especially after some DLC. We'll see. I pray the next CoD goes back to some original formulas.    … Expand
  12. Lilbutter
    Nov 9, 2015
    7
    I only bought this for zombies, and I'm not disappointed. However, I get really random frame-rate drops when playing by myself in zombies. Why does this exist? Sort it out Treyarch!!
  13. SQG_Slasher
    Nov 11, 2015
    7
    The game may not be completely original nor is it the revolutionary change it promised it would be, but there are enough new features to enjoy in all three modes that makes the game enjoyable and different to previous installments.
  14. abscherz
    Nov 9, 2015
    7
    Let me start by saying that I have been on the CoD train from the very beginning. CoD4 and WaW are the best out there in my opinion. I hated Ghosts and Advanced Warfare - I'm so sick of this futuristic mess. With that being said, BO3 is a small step back in the right direction. It's not great but it almost feels that way since Ghost and AW were so terrible. Those felt over the topLet me start by saying that I have been on the CoD train from the very beginning. CoD4 and WaW are the best out there in my opinion. I hated Ghosts and Advanced Warfare - I'm so sick of this futuristic mess. With that being said, BO3 is a small step back in the right direction. It's not great but it almost feels that way since Ghost and AW were so terrible. Those felt over the top arcadish and "cartoony". CoD needs to go back to the basics with another World War or Vietnam entry. Hell, I'll even be cool with a Civil War CoD. So bottom line to Black Ops 3: It's a decent game that hopefully will put an end to the futuristic **** for at least a few years. Gameplay is good, it's more violent (which is fun), and if you like Treyarch CoDs (which are the best IMO) then you'll have fun with this game. **Please make World at War II**… Expand
  15. Molloy12
    Nov 9, 2015
    7
    Call of Duty: BO3 continues the yearly instalment of the popular game, with some potentially unwelcome changes to the Black Ops series and some issues that need fixing.

    The game puts on a futuristic theme, playing out about 50 years in our future, making use of abilities such as wall running, boost jumping, and "mental abilities". Fans of the series from the World at War or Modern    Call of Duty: BO3 continues the yearly instalment of the popular game, with some potentially unwelcome changes to the Black Ops series and some issues that need fixing.

    The game puts on a futuristic theme, playing out about 50 years in our future, making use of abilities such as wall running, boost jumping, and "mental abilities". Fans of the series from the World at War or Modern Warfare days will be disappointed, as this game puts a mixed feeling of part Halo, part titanfall, part Advanced Warfare in a mash up that makes this once simple and straightforward game at times confusing, over able, controller mashing mess. With multilayer enemies fling around, and using over powered abilities, it strays too far from what call of duty used to be. Some may like the new way the series is going, how ever us who enjoyed what it was in the past will be disappointed in what it has become.
    Zombies mode is back,however playing online has a few issues. First you may notice more than the max 4 players in a lobby at the time of the game starting. This will result in people getting kicked, leaving the game empty at times. Playing through the rounds you will often find the game shut down and kick you completely.
    Issues are apparent in the campaign too. Going back to play previous missions after completing them once leaves players lacking abilities that are needed to complete the game, and game crashing issues leaving players angry and confused/
    Some other features include free running mode, where players pass through an obstacle course of wall runs, jumps and slides. The emblem creator is back as well as a custom camo creator. Small additions to the game that most won't care much about.
    Overall, this game is better than Advanced Warfare, however, it needs some repairs, and is too different for what some players may like.

    Campaign: 6/10 Fix the bugs.
    Zombies: 7/10 Again, fix the issues.
    Multilayer :7/10 Works well, but just too odd
    Other Features: 7/10 Good, but forgetful.

    Overall: 27/40 (6.75/10)    … Expand
  16. VeeGuz
    Nov 11, 2015
    7
    Wow, everyone put away your pitchforks for a second. It's amazing to see people tearing this game to pieces with the same argument since MW2: "It's repetitive uhh reskinning uhh it looks terrible". Now first of all I am nowhere near a COD fanboy, I'm more of a Battlefield fanboy, but my point is that I can still see the playability and appeal in this game dispite what the Anti-COD NazisWow, everyone put away your pitchforks for a second. It's amazing to see people tearing this game to pieces with the same argument since MW2: "It's repetitive uhh reskinning uhh it looks terrible". Now first of all I am nowhere near a COD fanboy, I'm more of a Battlefield fanboy, but my point is that I can still see the playability and appeal in this game dispite what the Anti-COD Nazis think. It's actaully the best COD that I've seen in a while, It's fun and pretty good looking. Multiplayer is still Good-fun, and Zombies is...well...zombies. this game isn't innovative or mind-congealing like everyone else thought it would be, but to have that pre-concieved notion when talking about a COD game is **** stupid, seriously.

    I guess the entire point of a review (at least to me) is to be able to recommend it or not, I'd recommend waiting until it drops down to 49.99 or 39.99 before you buy, it's good though.

    NOTE - The XBONE version is buggier than a shoebox full of roaches in the NSA's security HQ, Buy PS4 or PC.    … Expand
  17. Remembrancer
    Nov 10, 2015
    6
    The singleplayer is pretty awful, but that has been common to the Call of Duty series for the last few titles.
    Multiplayer is mostly more of the same, if you liked it before you'll like it now. I haven't encountered a bug as of yet so no complaints there. All in all it's just a CoD game. If you want more of the same purchase it, if you want more leave it alone.
  18. WhitelightHBK
    Nov 11, 2015
    7
    I like it, don't love it, but it's okay. Great improvement over the disappointments we got in last couple of years (I'm looking at you, Ghosts and Advanced Warfare). Graphics look nice, gameplay is fast paced, and lets not forget about Co-op campaign which is great. One thing I would do is COMPLETELY disable auto-aim/Aim-assist because it ruins most of the multiplayer aspect, game is fastI like it, don't love it, but it's okay. Great improvement over the disappointments we got in last couple of years (I'm looking at you, Ghosts and Advanced Warfare). Graphics look nice, gameplay is fast paced, and lets not forget about Co-op campaign which is great. One thing I would do is COMPLETELY disable auto-aim/Aim-assist because it ruins most of the multiplayer aspect, game is fast already but Aim-Assist makes it really hard, you propably won't even notice if you got killed. Overall the game is good but needs improvements.… Expand
  19. Review_For_You
    Nov 27, 2015
    6
    Ok first of all let me say everyone who gives this game a 0-4 is just insane since there is no way this game could get lower than a 5. The story is pretty good and the multiplayer while it's hard it's not nearly as hard as black ops 2 multiplayer (speaking from experience!) black ops 3 is a great game and it might not be completely new it is still way better than a lot of the other moreOk first of all let me say everyone who gives this game a 0-4 is just insane since there is no way this game could get lower than a 5. The story is pretty good and the multiplayer while it's hard it's not nearly as hard as black ops 2 multiplayer (speaking from experience!) black ops 3 is a great game and it might not be completely new it is still way better than a lot of the other more recent call of duty games. the one area where this game lacks is in zombies even thought zombies is fun and new it does lack some of the fun of other zombies such as black ops 2. Im not saying zombies is terrible i'm just saying it lacks there is currently one map (for free) and it's pretty plain and you find yourself trapped in mobs of zombies a lot but it get really interesting and fun when you start digging deeper into the story which is what treyarch intended. Overall Call Of Duty Black ops 3 is one of the best games out so far and will keep you entertained for a very long time. But NEVER BUY CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS 3 ON XBOX 360… Expand
  20. EmilyV
    Apr 12, 2016
    5
    The user rating for this is pretty spot on. Not worth full price. A really glitchy campaign along with a really "weird" multiplayer. The movements seem completely wrong and don't flow nicely at all. It's like they tried to capture titanfall movements and missed the mark by miles. If you're expecting a multiplayer that you will keep coming back to then you're going to be very disappointed.The user rating for this is pretty spot on. Not worth full price. A really glitchy campaign along with a really "weird" multiplayer. The movements seem completely wrong and don't flow nicely at all. It's like they tried to capture titanfall movements and missed the mark by miles. If you're expecting a multiplayer that you will keep coming back to then you're going to be very disappointed. I never made it past 1st prestige, it felt like a chore every time I played it. Never got through the campaign because my save would either glitch or the achievements weren't popping for the difficulty I was playing on. Huge waste of time.… Expand
  21. SchroederRock
    May 2, 2016
    6
    Updated review: within 3 1/2 months of the game launching, I stopped playing it entirely. The first map pack came out, which actually wasn't terrible (for a change) and offered some decent new places to play but it was all for nothing as this game continues to die off quickly. Black Ops 3 was a lofty goal for Treyarch that extended from the events of Black Ops 2, the only problem beingUpdated review: within 3 1/2 months of the game launching, I stopped playing it entirely. The first map pack came out, which actually wasn't terrible (for a change) and offered some decent new places to play but it was all for nothing as this game continues to die off quickly. Black Ops 3 was a lofty goal for Treyarch that extended from the events of Black Ops 2, the only problem being that, unlike the origins of the Black Ops series, the third installment lacked some originality. There is a somewhat interesting story to go through but it's early-goings are way too bland to be enjoyable. It takes several missions for things to heat up and the campaign to become interesting. By the time things wrapped up, I had to give Treyarch a little credit for not making hot garbage out of the campaign. Still, there's little that can be considered original as it all seems like it was ripped out of a Christopher Nolan movie with less of a thrill. The multiplayer is certainly the weak point of this game. Lots of wall jumping and double jumping, and that's fine, but it all gets shoved into a system that is flawed from the start (no true dedicated servers, only hybrid servers that all-too-often experience problems). Matchmaking couldn't be more frustrating at times, giving The Master Chief Collection a little bit of competition. If you paid $60 for this game, you got cheated. If you paid $20-$30 for this game, it's not a loss. Call of Duty is running on fumes these days - it will take a miracle for one of these games to be good again.… Expand
  22. Infrnlmajsty
    Nov 13, 2015
    5
    I generally love CoD but hated everything after Black Ops 2, I had high hope for Black Ops , but it just seems incredibly boring, the campaign seems just thrown together, and Zombies is 1 map (2 if you bought season pass) and Shadows Of Evil is not very fun........just sad all around
  23. PanthersFanStev
    Dec 16, 2015
    6
    If you are dying to have a new COD title, BO3 will probably suffice. Is it a great game? No Are the graphics and sound up to par for next gen? No Anything revolutionary here? No.
    The visuals are bland with poor color saturation. Gunplay is meh, so many games do it better. Loadouts are not well presented or introduced. The abilities are meh, Advanced Warfare did it much better.
    This    If you are dying to have a new COD title, BO3 will probably suffice. Is it a great game? No Are the graphics and sound up to par for next gen? No Anything revolutionary here? No.
    The visuals are bland with poor color saturation. Gunplay is meh, so many games do it better. Loadouts are not well presented or introduced. The abilities are meh, Advanced Warfare did it much better.
    This is really just a sequel of many sequels released during the holiday season.    … Expand
  24. matdevine21
    Feb 23, 2016
    5
    After finishing playing the campaign, I couldn't help but think "wow, is that it!".

    It undeniable that Treyarch put a lot of previous game references into BO3 but overall it all felt like an add on to Advanced Warfare rather than a stand alone title. When I started playing the missions, I thought I would be in for epic boss battles that I needed to use my high tech abilities to get    After finishing playing the campaign, I couldn't help but think "wow, is that it!".

    It undeniable that Treyarch put a lot of previous game references into BO3 but overall it all felt like an add on to Advanced Warfare rather than a stand alone title.

    When I started playing the missions, I thought I would be in for epic boss battles that I needed to use my high tech abilities to get through but really I went through most of the game barely using any of them and basically run and gunned my way through all the game like I have done in every other COD game of late.

    I know a lot of people have complained about this game being boring (which it is at times) but for me, this should have been called "COD BO3 lets go nuts with grenades!" as every level I was having grenade after grenade thrown at me by the "AI" which left them open to shot and made each level repetitive as f*ck.

    The zombies mode is nothing more than an advert to sell micro transactions and shill the upcoming DLC which is a real shame as this mode had me interested more than the rest of the games offerings.

    Multiplayer is still the same but feeling so tired and unimaginative, Activision are going to ride COD into the dirt at this rate unless they are prepared to start pushing the limits and create a multi player offering that's new and fresh!

    Such a let down on what should have been COD's return to form especially since you had Ben Browder as the players voice actor! seriously how can you screw up have him and still have a lame story.    … Expand
  25. Batmandude46
    Aug 2, 2017
    7
    This is the only boost jump cod game I enjoyed, just the campaign is so god awful, it's incomprehensible. On the other hand, multiplayer is a lot of fun, especially with the specialists and zombies is a lot of fun
  26. firestorm3
    Nov 15, 2015
    5
    Not worth the money. Maps are dull, un-detailed, and drab. Single player campaign story is nauseatingly labyrinthine and dumb (not in a fun way). If you choose a male character be ready for your character and his npc buddy to look virtually identical (making the story even more confusing).

    Jumping mechanic feels like the beta version of last year's COD: AW jump packs. Multiplayer is    Not worth the money. Maps are dull, un-detailed, and drab. Single player campaign story is nauseatingly labyrinthine and dumb (not in a fun way). If you choose a male character be ready for your character and his npc buddy to look virtually identical (making the story even more confusing).

    Jumping mechanic feels like the beta version of last year's COD: AW jump packs. Multiplayer is just flat out, not that much fun.    … Expand
  27. fijiboy
    Jun 28, 2016
    5
    this is definitely not my favorite call of duty game, but its still a good time when your playing multiplayer. it functions quite well and I like the use of classes or whatever they are called, but much like the last few games in the franchise it does very little to make itself stand out and does nothing to surprise anyone, you already know what this game is and there are plenty of firstthis is definitely not my favorite call of duty game, but its still a good time when your playing multiplayer. it functions quite well and I like the use of classes or whatever they are called, but much like the last few games in the franchise it does very little to make itself stand out and does nothing to surprise anyone, you already know what this game is and there are plenty of first person shooters just like it out right now. some people don't even worry about the campaign in these games but since there have been some actually really good campaigns in the past like in the first two modern warfares and the first black ops I think we should get a good campaign and that we deserve one, but we don't get it once again. the one thing black ops 3 does try to put effort into is its zombie mode, its had a lot of changes to it and is overall deeper than previous zombie modes, but unfortunately I don't feel its better. I definitely prefer the older zombie modes but I do appreciate black ops trying to do something different. very generic game, but still ends up being just as addictive and fun as previous titles, but honestly I could have just as much fun or more fun playing any of the other games in the series.… Expand
  28. ToFewViews
    Nov 30, 2015
    5
    Black ops 3 is similar to previous games in the series with it's exo suits and futuristic kill streaks that can feel very overpowering. But it has taken a step back from advanced warfare..a small step be that. It's enough to give the game it's own feel and personality, the story of black ops 3 is much more interesting then previous games but it's not going to surprise you or catch you offBlack ops 3 is similar to previous games in the series with it's exo suits and futuristic kill streaks that can feel very overpowering. But it has taken a step back from advanced warfare..a small step be that. It's enough to give the game it's own feel and personality, the story of black ops 3 is much more interesting then previous games but it's not going to surprise you or catch you off guard. Co-op campaign has also made a return and they opened the maps up a lot to make space for everyone and there unique load-outs. The campaign was full of ups and downs of enjoyment and boredom, I'd go from having fun to mindlessly defending a person as enemies poor though a doorway. The ability to customize and level up your guns in single player is a nice touch but doesn't stop the game from feeling extremely liner. Multi-player is similar to previous games and is very familiar to fans of the series, but other may not enjoy it as much. Odd spawns,extremely powerful guns/kill streaks and other elements can make the game very frustrating for some and enjoyable for others. There is a nice variety in game modes to, it ranges from TDM, ranked areas and the crowd favorite Uplink. Zombies is even more over the top then before with most regular zombies being company by big monsters and flying bat type creates witch makes zombies feel very overwhelming but enjoyable.
    Fans of previous games in the series will enjoy black ops 3 but new comers or old fans looking to rekindle there love for the game maybe pushed away by some of the changes to the series.    … Expand
  29. aleecutor999
    Nov 23, 2015
    6
    First of all, this game is fun, just like any other Call of Duty. That's the problem , this game is just like any other of the Call of Duty. I won't like, I've had a lot of fun playing the campaign and the multiplayer even if it just frustrating! That's the COD rules, there will be plenty of ridiculous kills and deaths which make this game awesome yet frustrating. This COD is not bad, butFirst of all, this game is fun, just like any other Call of Duty. That's the problem , this game is just like any other of the Call of Duty. I won't like, I've had a lot of fun playing the campaign and the multiplayer even if it just frustrating! That's the COD rules, there will be plenty of ridiculous kills and deaths which make this game awesome yet frustrating. This COD is not bad, but it is not the best.

    I have been playing call of duty since the very first one, at the time it was brand new and amazing! Then modern warfare came, which was simply just amazing, a step into the modern day warfare. Since then they have not stopped growing, all the way to the future, with all this new tech and new weapons and new movement systems.

    That's the problem , they implemented all these new features which just do not live up to their expectations or potentials. The multiplayer has been evolving ever since the best call of duty, modern warfare 1, however the main problem i find is that the maps are getting smaller and smaller but the movement is getting faster and faster, meaning you end up traversing the whole map in under a minute. Any guns other than the ones with good handling and damage, a.k.a sub machine guns, are useless. Who is going to use a sniper in those maps, sure quick scoping is fun but useless now. With the addition of the new classes your usual cod tactic does not work as you have to adapt. This would be a great features if it was more fun than annoying! The respawns are ridiculous, for example if you play in domination and go capture the enemy base, they will respawn at the base while you are capturing it and simply exterminate you. The spawn are messed up. The gun as great and new as they are, are simply a reskin of the old ones. The new movement system feels stiff and recycled. Titanfall got the running on the wall done so well, cod tried to do the same but made it so unfriendly. Overall the multiplayer is just another call of duty , nothing new, only a different skin on the weapons and map, the only new thing being the movement system, as fun as it is , removes the tactical approach that players could take before.

    The new zombie mode," shadows of evil" is not great, it takes the whole fun out of zombies. Spawning and unlocking the map and then surviving for as long as your could based on pure skill and some luck in the matchmaking. With the new mode, if you do not have a headset and good partners you are doomed, there is simply to much to do by yourself. You are constantly stressing about what you have to do and leaving one zombie alive so you can achieve your goal rather than just worry about survival due to zombies. If they want zombies to be great, just keep it as it was , adding some new features, not changing the whole game mechanics.

    The story is definitely one of the more engaging ones, it is not a fresh idea and is pretty cliche, but with a call of duty element which makes it fun. For the first time probably, the campaign is probably my favorite aspect of this game. You can relate to the characters, the is some development and even if it lacks some elements to the characters, the story is definitely engaging.

    Finally, this is definitely a fun call of duty but there is nothing revolutionary in this game. You will find many elements from many other games. If this franchise wishes to survive they need to come up with some unique once again to make the series unique. If you wanna play with friends and have a fun time then definitely pick up this games. If you are hoping for something amazing though i would recommend halo or star wars. This game is not a waste of money, but it is not enough to justify the expense of purchasing a brand new game.

    I made this review hoping to help people get a clear opinion of the game and i am not biased at all, i have been playing this franchise since the beginning and have always supported it.    … Expand
  30. aidanpscott
    Oct 20, 2016
    5
    I know I'm a bit late to review this game, but as I've learned from Advanced Warfare, even if I like the game at launch,the game will most likely get worse as more and more updates are made to the game, and Black Ops 3 is no exception.

    At launch, I enjoyed the game's Campaign (I am one of the very few, so don't expect to play the game and like it as I have), multiplayer, and zombies! It    I know I'm a bit late to review this game, but as I've learned from Advanced Warfare, even if I like the game at launch,the game will most likely get worse as more and more updates are made to the game, and Black Ops 3 is no exception.

    At launch, I enjoyed the game's Campaign (I am one of the very few, so don't expect to play the game and like it as I have), multiplayer, and zombies! It was the first Call of Duty game since Modern Warfare 2 where I universally liked every mode I was give, but as time will tell, the game got progressively worse! My initial score at launch would have been a solid 7/10, which, on my scale, means it's a good game. As of now... well, let's review the game first.

    The campaign is one of the most hated campaigns in Call of Duty history, and as I said, I'm one of the few who actually liked it. I completely understand why people don't like the campaign though, the voice acting is cheesy as hell, the level design is very linear, the story is cliche, the AI is dumb, you name it. However, I felt the campaign did something the past call of duty games (after Modern Warfare 2) weren't doing. It innovated! We got new enemy types (which were challenging): drones, walkers, etc. We got to customize our loadouts which we took into our missions, the collectibles were fun to collect, and the story actually messed with my mind quite a bit. As unrealistic as the game is, and as disrespectful it may be to the Call of Duty Military Shooter of old, I couldn't hate the campaign. Perhaps this was because I had such low expectations after Advanced Warfare. I wish the game had continued the story of the Mason Family's story, I wish the voice acting was better, and I wish the game wasn't set so far in the future, but for what we got, I actually enjoyed the game's campaign. 7/10! It's good.

    At launch, I enjoyed the multiplayer greatly! I, for one, enjoyed Advanced Warfare's multiplayer, but after a while it got extremely bland and annoying. The exo suits turned call of duty into a bunny-hopping simulator, which ruined the game for most. The new movement system is more balanced, but does little to improve or innovate on the current call of duty formula. The maps we got at launch are pretty descent, for the most part, but the DLC maps left a lot to be desired. The graphics didn't help either. The game includes glossy textures, which make guns look plastic and less realistic and gritty as the Call of Duty franchise had once been. The sound effects are pretty good, even though the weapons are very unbalanced. As the game got older, the servers got so much worse, and eventually became unplayable. The lag, as of now, is completely game breaking! It is the worst lag I've seen since Battlefield 4 at launch, and I'm not exaggerating! The hit marker detection is awful, and has been awful even at launch, the lag got worse and worse, the skill-gap compression is a huge issue, input/output delays happen constantly, and what's worse is that the Black Market Supply Drops have made the game a Pay-to-Win system. At launch, the Black Market didn't require money and was a method to get cosmetic items, which I actually liked! It's not as bad as the Advanced Warfare Supply Drop system, but it's pretty bad! This multiplayer has been completely ruined by these upadtes. At launch, I would have given the multiplayer an 8/10, which is really good, but now it's a 3/10! It's bad!

    At launch, Zombies was actually my least favorite part of the game. I purchased the Hardened Edition, which gave me the Der Riese remake called the Giant, which was a pretty good map, but Shadows of Evil was a Mob of the Dead rehash, which isn't a bad thing, but didn't quite work for the map itself which is set in the 1950s. The map has been improved with updates to the game however, and has since then, become a somewhat descent map. One improvement was having two Margwa heads open at once. While I loved the third map, Der Eisendrache, I really didn't like the fourth map Zetsobou No Shima, which was glitchier and buggier than any Zombies map I'd ever played. I didn't expect the next two maps, Gorod Krovi and Revelations to be as good as they were, but Treyarch managed to release some of the best maps in Zombies history. Now, Black Ops 3 zombies, while a huge improvement over Black Ops 2's mediocre Zombies and Advanced Warfare's Exo Zombies, doesn't quite live up to the reputation of it's predecessors in Black Ops 1 and World at War, but overall, it's pretty good. It also helps that they added a customization feature to allow players to customize their weapons with the sights and attachments they want to use! This is a great addition to the game mode, and the best innovation since the Pack-A-Punch Machine in World at War. My biggest issue with the Zombies mode is the servers suck! I played a solo game and I got the "Connection Interrupted" message and had to restart! WTF! This mode ended up being a 7/10! It's good, but the lag keeps it from getting an 8!    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Best Xbox One Game of 2015
7
#7 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2015
7
#7 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. ICXM
    Jan 8, 2016
    80
    A great game despite its flaws. The campaign could be more but still manages to be a great experience if you look past the first few missions. Multiplayer is a blast and makes up for the inadequacies found in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. If you're a fan of Call of Duty, this will appeal to you. While the formula doesn't take risks, it still works.
    Read full review
  2. TrueAchievements
    Dec 16, 2015
    70
    If you play CoD for the campaign, Black Ops III is a low point featuring a confusing and uninteresting story, poor pacing, cheesy dialogue and over-the-top voice acting that results in a story that resembles what the outcome would be if you dropped the cast of Team America: World Police on the set of Inception or Source Code.
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  3. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Dec 8, 2015
    80
    Treyarch may not always hit its targets, but this remains a genuinely fresh take on an old sub-series in an even older franchise. A game as well-oiled as its cyborgian characters. [Christmas 2015, p.60]
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