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. 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.
  2. 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
  3. zlindstrom
    Dec 27, 2015
    6
    camp. like the matrix didn't fit in with bo1 and 2. multi shaky, argus is the death of my experience. Nailed zombies, best one yet only thing hyped about for the new DLC coming out. But back on multiplayer, its terrible no skill needed. Everyones apparently banged your mom, etc, just make zombies a separate disc
  4. skippyhippy
    Jan 5, 2016
    6
    It is an alright game. The shooting is fine, but I would like to list the things bad about it.
    Invisible walls everywhere making the wall running and double jumping mechanics useless.
    the wall running and double jumping mechanics were stolen from Titanfall. The campaign is awful. The courses where you wall run and double jump are stupid because you can't even use them in the game. (If    It is an alright game. The shooting is fine, but I would like to list the things bad about it.
    Invisible walls everywhere making the wall running and double jumping mechanics useless.
    the wall running and double jumping mechanics were stolen from Titanfall.
    The campaign is awful.
    The courses where you wall run and double jump are stupid because you can't even use them in the game. (If you don't believe this see the first issue I had at the top.)
    This one is mainly aimed at Activision, STOP LAUNCHING CALL OF DUTY GAMES IN 1 YEAR! If you take at least 3 years to make it then maybe you can make a better game!    … Expand
  5. aforbes458
    Apr 14, 2016
    6
    Overall, I think that Black Ops 3 is an okay game. It is by no means the best Call of Duty games, but it is not a complete pile of garbage like most people are making it out to be.

    Campaign 4/10: The story line is straight up terrible. No character development at all whatsoever. The characters are simply not memorable and the story is a confusing mess of nonsense. Cybernetic Core    Overall, I think that Black Ops 3 is an okay game. It is by no means the best Call of Duty games, but it is not a complete pile of garbage like most people are making it out to be.

    Campaign 4/10: The story line is straight up terrible. No character development at all whatsoever. The characters are simply not memorable and the story is a confusing mess of nonsense. Cybernetic Core abilities are a complete rip from Bioshock. However, load-out customization is fun and adds a new element to the game.

    Multiplayer 8/10: I have enjoyed the multiplayer a lot. Many different game types, some new and some old. Camo unlocks are fun to complete. Spawn systems are broken sometimes and many players tend to use the same top-tier guns (kuda).

    Zombies 7/10: Shadows of evil is very similar to Mob of the Dead from black ops 3. Pack-a-punch takes a large process to open, so it takes a while to set up to actually start completing waves. Gun customization and leveling allows the player to improve wall gun purchases giving them an advantage. New perk, widows wine, is very effective and fun to use. Boss waves and different enemies mix up the gameplay and keep the player engaged and aware. DLC maps not included in this review.

    THE BLACK MARKET: The Black Market is one of the biggest scams I have ever seen in microtransaction history. With dlc weapons added to the black market, activision has gross millions of dollars by selling players virtually nothing. I made the mistake of spending $20 on cod points for the BM. DO NOT SPEND MONEY ON COD POINTS! The chances of you actually getting one of the rare weapons is very slim. I also have an extremely hard time believing that the odds of getting rare stuff is the same whether you spend COD points or Cryptokeys. Most of the time you get useless stuff, such as the dust camo, mustache decal, or a legendary attachment. Armor makes the game feel childish with rainbow helmets and pink armor... Taunts are funny at first, but get annoying seeing the same ones over and over again.    … Expand
  6. TheGameAddict
    Apr 16, 2017
    6
    Call of Duty: Black Ops III is a mixed bag of great ideas with often terrible execution.

    Campaign: The good thing about Black Ops III's campaign is undeniably the level of customisation on display here. You can customise your loadouts with just as much freedom and detail as in multiplayer, you can change your appearance, you can unlock and use new abilities and even level up your    Call of Duty: Black Ops III is a mixed bag of great ideas with often terrible execution.

    Campaign:
    The good thing about Black Ops III's campaign is undeniably the level of customisation on display here. You can customise your loadouts with just as much freedom and detail as in multiplayer, you can change your appearance, you can unlock and use new abilities and even level up your character. The problem is LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE! The story is boring (as are the characters), the gunfights are fun for the most part but the time in between those is filled with waiting for your ally to open a door or spout unskipable exposition which is incredibly tedious and slow on subsequent playthroughs and worst of all: this game isn't a sequel. The only thing that ties BO3 to BO2 is ONE off the cuff remark about Menendez, the antagonist of BO2. Pathetic. Its a shame because the amount of unlockables would make this game highly replayable if it was fun to play. Oh, and there's zombies because of course there is.

    Multiplayer:
    The multiplayer is the best part about Black Ops III. The new movement system is awesome and makes for some fun and frantic matches. The guns are great (mostly), the new specialists are great (mostly) and the maps and modes are also great (mostly). What drags it down into the abyss however is the Black Market, A.K.A. Microtransations! There are two things that make the Black Market terrible: the overpowered firearms that must be unlocked through this system, and the incredibly annoying duplicates that ensure you'll never unlock everything. If you can somehow ignore that however, the multiplayer is great.

    Zombies:
    The fan favourite zombies mode returns and is disappointing. Black Ops III comes with only one zombies map by default, Shadows of Evil. SoE is an easter egg/story-driven map that is NOT built for pure survival and is in fact very difficult to play like a traditional zombies map. Don't get me wrong however, SoE is a great map but its not enough. There exists a pre-order bonus map (which currently available on the Xbox Store for $10 AUD) called The Giant which plays like a traditional survival zombies map. If this map was bundled with the game or was a free download then this game's score would go up. BO3's zombies also features a progression system for the first time ever and its great. But it of course it also features microtransactions using a separate currency to the multiplayer, though they're not as bad here.

    Overall Call of Duty: Black Ops III is a good game held back by a poor campaign and horrendous business practices and despite having microtransactions, the DLC and expansions still cost money.    … Expand
  7. nn666
    Jan 15, 2019
    6
    This game got high reviews on review websites but for me the game isn't that great. The single player mode is ok, just not that exciting. Like when you play AW you're like ok this is fun, this one isn't so much. The zombie mode is ok but there's one free level and the rest you have to pay for. The multiplayer is ridiculous. People running across walls (i don't like all the parkour stuffThis game got high reviews on review websites but for me the game isn't that great. The single player mode is ok, just not that exciting. Like when you play AW you're like ok this is fun, this one isn't so much. The zombie mode is ok but there's one free level and the rest you have to pay for. The multiplayer is ridiculous. People running across walls (i don't like all the parkour stuff it's just ridiculous), maps that work well for campers etc. I have games where you just get hit by guys focusing down places where you have to run through it's just so annoying the way some maps are for that crap.… Expand
  8. Caldan
    Nov 14, 2020
    6
    āŽ61%
    A pretty disappointing follow up to Black Ops 2 which is my fav COD game. This is just the same over again except the Zombies sucks.
  9. Nebraska619
    Mar 2, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is the embodiment of meh. The trailer i saw was overhyping the game way too much. Putting aside my salt from the fiasco with my BO3 copy for the 360, the campaign is confusing and hard to follow on. All i know is robot ripped off my arms and now im shooting people. The guns and customization are also ok but it's hard to unlock things. The multiplayer is by far the best part and is the only thing keeping this from getting a 3, it was really good with all the specialist kill rewards like gravity spikes and things such as that. The zombies is ok, zombies still doesn't sell me on games and so it's still boring to me. This game is just ok.… Expand
  10. 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
  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. 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
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. B5HARP
    Nov 16, 2015
    5
    First off I have to admit that I only like Treyarch's COD games. This one, however; not so much. I paid $110.00 for this game and Season Pass. I didn't do the same for Ghosts or AW, but since this is Treyarch and i absolutely love Zombies, i paid it. Problem is this game's only good offering is Zombies. The campaign is absolutely terrible. I started from the beginning and quit,First off I have to admit that I only like Treyarch's COD games. This one, however; not so much. I paid $110.00 for this game and Season Pass. I didn't do the same for Ghosts or AW, but since this is Treyarch and i absolutely love Zombies, i paid it. Problem is this game's only good offering is Zombies. The campaign is absolutely terrible. I started from the beginning and quit, because it was so lame. A buddy invited me in for co-op, which was further than when i quit and it was just the same. Still had no clue what was going on story wise and didn't really care. Multiplayer is the same as it has always been. Sure you can run on walls and what not, but basically the same. Graphics are great as well. Loading the game every time makes you wait for the Treyarch and Activision symbols and then there is the download for syncing to multiplayer. This is next gen, tired of all these loading screens and wait times. I would rate this game much worse, but my love for Zombies keeps me from doing that. So if you like Zombies enough to pay $110.00 then go for it, otherwise Pass on this one.… Expand
  22. 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.
  23. Lilmanike
    Nov 14, 2016
    5
    Call Of Duty Black Ops III is an absolutely disappointing game. The horribly bad single player campaign, stupid supply drops that give you less than 0.1% of a chance to get a new weapon, alright graphics, meh weapons and abysmal multiplayer.

    Pros:
    Graphics
    Weapons

    Cons:
    Multiplayer
    Season Pass
    Supply Drops
    Single Player Campaign
    Confusing Story
  24. 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
  25. RageGamer
    Nov 13, 2015
    5
    Bland and stale. The game had nothing to offer that we hadn't seen in a call of duty game before other than the new system where you can choose a person with a specialty. The game is fun for about 10 hours, but after that the multiplayer becomes stale and boring. Furthermore, the campaign seemed like they literately just copied advanced warfare. Also while it had some reference to theBland and stale. The game had nothing to offer that we hadn't seen in a call of duty game before other than the new system where you can choose a person with a specialty. The game is fun for about 10 hours, but after that the multiplayer becomes stale and boring. Furthermore, the campaign seemed like they literately just copied advanced warfare. Also while it had some reference to the previous black ops games, it had little to do with the previous story lines. Also while zombies was alright, black ops 1 and 2 had better zombies campaigns. Overall, this game has nothing that we have not already seen before i a Call of Duty game, and is not worth your money, at least until the price goes way down.… Expand
  26. AllieVadner
    Jan 13, 2016
    5
    So, after finishing the campaign, I can't give it a higher score. I'm a mayor fan of the Black Ops series and I even bought the Xbox One to be able to play the campaign and...
    First of all; was it really that hard to get the campaign on old-gen consoles? At least the local one. I personally don't think it innovated anything, yes, the graphics were amazing but, that aside I didn't find it    So, after finishing the campaign, I can't give it a higher score. I'm a mayor fan of the Black Ops series and I even bought the Xbox One to be able to play the campaign and...
    First of all; was it really that hard to get the campaign on old-gen consoles? At least the local one. I personally don't think it innovated anything, yes, the graphics were amazing but, that aside I didn't find it special, the fact I could choose the face of my character I thought was pretty awesome but then, not even a frigging name?! Seriously?! Anyway, I'm fully disappointed with the campaign generally, heck, I liked Advanced Warfare better.
    As for multiplayer, it's exactly the same thing as Black Ops 2 which could be both ways; good or bad. I liked it because it FEELS like Black Ops but also I am quite disappointed that we anxiously waited for it and it's exactly the same thing with just a tiny bit of adjustments.
    Zombies is the only thing I personally believe is salvageable from the game, even if it's the same concept as the previous Black Ops, it does give us a new chapter on the story following this whole chaos so I think the effort of something worth playing was made on zombies... And I'm not even that much of a fan for zombie maps.
    So, in conclusion, I'm highly disappointed, maybe my expectations were extremely high, maybe I expected too much of this game but in the end, I feel like turning my 360 on and play the first two Black Ops.    … Expand
  27. 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
  28. DarkReaperV3
    Jun 29, 2016
    5
    Graficos muy buenos...... historia una gran porqueria, el multijugador desde que saliĆ³ el juego siempre hay lag, increible que un juego tan caro tenga unos servidores de mierda, me molesta que ya han convertido a los personajes en linea en lesvianas machorras y soldados homosexuales con sus uniformes con colores pastel, cuando se han visto soldados asi de maricas!!!!
  29. 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
  30. TheRealFlame
    Dec 19, 2019
    5
    The story was horrible, it had good concepts, but never delivered them in a good way. First off the story didn't make much sense the first run, and the ending of the story was revealed in fast moving text that you can't read without making a slow motion video, or looking one up on YouTube. The only thing that carries this game is the multiplayer, it is not as good as old titles, but it isThe story was horrible, it had good concepts, but never delivered them in a good way. First off the story didn't make much sense the first run, and the ending of the story was revealed in fast moving text that you can't read without making a slow motion video, or looking one up on YouTube. The only thing that carries this game is the multiplayer, it is not as good as old titles, but it is bad for a AAA game, They spent many years to make this game and it seems like they rushed it in only 6 months. Honestly unacceptable for a game with such a reputation. I can make more memories playing Call of Duty 2, the second game in the franchise, than I can in this game. They honestly use graphics as a selling point and not a compelling story.… 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.
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  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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