In certain respects this is the worst Call of Duty campaign I've played. Call of Duty was ever thus, but Black Ops 3 is something more - and less. Casual brutality in cutscenes to establish the local goons as irredeemable from the off. Plots that ricochet from one environmental cataclysm to the next. Missions that are pinned together by the introduction and discarding of various flavours of murder-gizmo. Violent leaps in tone from sentimental through pseudo-profound to gung-ho. Even without wall-running and the double-jump equipped, levels are designed to be clambered on. Rapid vertical movement feels like a firm part of the Call of Duty package now. Then we're on a cargo ship, because there's a terminal that needs to be hacked. Then he passes me a fancy grapple of some description, and we make our way across storm-tossed terrain, ramming anchors into the ground when prompted to weather high winds and tidal surges. There's a bit of vengeful gunplay, then Hendricks hands me a micro-missile launcher so I can bring down a sturdy "Overlord" cyborg - an aggressive and annoying foe, best tackled in co-op or using one of your own cybernetic abilities. About two minutes after that, we look on as a civilian couple are roped together by gangsters in swish faceted armour, equipped with an exploding collar and summarily decapitated. Food for thought, right? About the objectivity of chocolate? Not for long.Īnother few seconds later we're standing on the rumpled tarmac of an abandoned coastal district, and Hendricks is enthusing about what a "lawless s***hole" the place is, because it means there's no need to exercise restraint. But as our radio handler archly points out, thanks to our assorted bio-augmentations anything can be made to taste of chocolate. A few seconds later, I sit opposite Hendricks in the belly of a VTOL as he chomps on a chocolate bar. "Can you remember where we are, Hendricks?" mutters Call of Duty: Black Ops 3's lead as I wander around one of the new pre-mission briefing chambers - social and customisation hubs, lurid with ambient flourishes such as holographic displays plus the odd aimless bloke with a mop, that squat somewhere between Destiny's Tower and the interrogation chamber of the original Call of Duty: Black Ops. Years of upping the ante, of packing ever more gadgetry and grandeur into what is still largely the same linear shooter, have strained it to the point that even central characters are losing their bearings. We'll have our full review, which will take into consideration the multiplayer and a weekend spent playing Black Ops 3 on live servers, early next week.Ĭall of Duty has finally gone mad. Editor's note: This is an early impressions piece, based upon a review event where we were able to play through Black Op 3's campaign.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |