With some remade maps in exchange for a pre-order

PlayStation Plus subscribers are getting some extra bang for their b?uck this month. And that bang comes ??from all the guns popping off.

During the PlayStation E3 press conference, it was announced that Black Ops 3 will be added to PlayStation Plus tonight. Black Ops 3 is basically a bonus free game, as it joins XCOM 2 and Trials Fusion? (and a few others) as June's PS Plus line-up.

The other Call of Duty news (which was previously reported) is that the classic Slums, Jungle, Summit, and Firing Range maps will be remade for Black Ops 4. But, they're seemingly also getting remade for this Black Ops 3 PS Plus reveal, but people only get those if they pre-order Black Ops 4.

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New content for 2015 release

Out of the blue, Activision have released new content for 2015's Call of Duty entry, Black Ops 3. The new update takes care of a? few bugs, as well as adding a new map, new multiplayer mode and other features to the three-year-old shooter.

The new mode "Infected", which has appeared in the CoD series previously,  sees one player on a mad dash to "infect" all of the other players on the map, who will then themselves join the horde It essentially sounds like "Tag", just with more hand-grenades. Players will be ab??le to enjoy this mode on the new Redwood Snow map, an icy variant of the forest classic.

The new patch also features various, non-descript "General performance updates". Older CoD titles are well-known for having extended lifespans, with many players choosing to stick with their favourite multiplayer iteration, rather than move on to more c?ontemporary games in the series.

Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Version 1.27 is live on PS?4 and Xbox One, and is coming to PC today.

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Yeah, these check out

"Wow," is the ?first thing I thought when I saw these.

That's my usual reaction to anything Yoji Shinkawa, best known for his Metal Gear art does, especially his work for Zone of the Enders. But now he's working on a decidedly more western project in Call of Duty, tapped to do promotional art for the Zombies Chronicles DLC for Black Ops III. His work i?ncludes renderings of all four of the "main" characters from the proper zombies timeline, including (from l??eft to right in the header) Tank, Takeo, Nikolai, and Richtofen.

The actual Zombies Chronicles add-on will drop on May 16 on PS4, and in June on PC and Xbox One (wow, that exclusivity deal is lengthy!). As a reminder this is DLC for Black Ops III, a game that came out in November of 2015 -- to see a Call of Duty game supported past th??e one year mark isn't normal.

Treyarch [YouTube]

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Feeling nostalgic?

As you might have heard last week, Zombies Chronicles is an about-to-launch expansion for Call of Duty: Black Ops III that assembles and remasters eight maps from the Treyarch ba?ck catalog. Befo??re the $30 compilation releases first for PlayStation 4 on May 16, 2017, here's a "story" trailer.

What's different in this package? On the audio-visual front, these maps will have "current-generation visuals, enhanced lighting, revamped character models and environments, and updated AI and audio systems." In terms of gameplay, "Zombies Chronicles also lets players use custom weapons, including current weaponry featured in Black Ops III that wasn't featured in the original maps."

Speaking of, these are the selections:

• From Call of Duty: World at War: Nacht der Untoten (Abandoned Bunker), Verruckt (Wittenau Sanitorium) and Shi No Numa (Jungle Swamp)
• From Call of Duty: Black Ops: Kino Der Toten (Theater of the Dead), Ascension (Soviet Cosmodrome), Shangri-la (Exotic Jungle Shrine) and Moon (Lunar Base)
• From Call of Duty: Black Ops II: Origins (WWI France)

I understand why this is an expansion, but it would've been much more tempting as a standalone product for lapsed Call of Duty players like me who are curious, but not that curious. Maybe one day.

The post Come see the Zombies C??hronicles expa??nsion for Black Ops III appeared first on Destructoid.

BlOps! BlOps! BlOps!

While Call of Duty originally launched as a PC exclusive, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who associates the series with computers. Most people either know of the franchise from its Xbox 360 heyday or are familiar with the intrusive NFL cameos.

For a long time, Call of Duty hasn't really been worth pursuing on PC. The ports have been regularly shoddy and the games are locked out of modding. While I can't justify having cheating on servers (Call of Duty 4 is just loaded with hacks on PC), at least give pl??ayers th?e chance to create levels! I guess that would cut into the extra $50 a year Activision gets from season passes.

Low and behold (and to my astonishment), Call of Duty: Black Ops III has received modding tools on PC. Now, players will be ab??le to build new levels, tweak any assets, and generally alter the game how they see fit. This will be locked to custom lobbies and unranked servers, so you won't see any Prestige 10 hacking.

If you own the game on Steam, you just need to look under the tools tab to find the pr??ogram. If you don't intend on creating anything, you won't need to grab the download. Any custom maps can? be played by everyone, regardless of your curiosity in tinkering with game files. That sure sounds great.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 gets mod tools in latest update [PC Gamer]

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The places you'll go

I had the chance to attend Activision's XP event last weekend, and man did I play some Call of Duty. The publisher had everything from the upcoming Infinite Warfare to COD4 Remastered to the Black Ops III DLC, and my playtime wi??th the latter really caught my eye the most.

Treyarch still has it, and ou?tside of one weak map, the fourth add-on closes out the saga in a more than sufficient manner.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III: Salvation (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Released: September 6, 2016 (PS4) / TBA (PC, Xbox One)
MSRP: $14.99 ($50 Season Pass for four packs)

Let's start with the worst of the lot -- Rupture.

Not only is it a remake (which again, I'?m fine with in theory, yet there's already another, better one in the very same DLC), but it's as stale as an unsalted bag of potatoes. As a mostly outdoors map with lots of funnels from tall outposts, matches tend to favor boring open chokepoints, with the surging core in the background serving as its only distinguishing characteristic. The story of a "futurist?ic preservation society" is intriguing but never explored, and the mechs that litter the map are slow and boring.

If Rupture comes up in the ro?tation, I usually cringe.

Switching gears by quite a bit, Micro is one of the craziest maps Treyarch has?? ever crafted.

For some unknown reason (it doesn't really matter to be honest), players have shrunken down to the size of ants, a?nd are battling it out across a gigantic battlefield filled with solo cups, empty pizza boxes, fizzing soda two-liters, and various "gamer" paraphernalia. It's bright, it's silly, and it's hilarious.

The attention to detail is?? commendable too, like the mist coming from the ice or the "water" that's actually a caffeinated beverage. It plays well on just about every mode and has plenty of opportunities for wall-running finesse. Micro is a new favorite of mine, and although DLC isn't played at the pro level, I'd love to see some competitive matches with this? map in tow.

Here with are with another remake, but this time it's warranted. Outlaw is a re-imagining of Standoff from Black Ops II from the ground up, and alth??ough my warning bells went off when I heard they were remaking a map that's barely four years old, after actually playing it, I ended up getting used to the idea. Plus, I'll always make an exception for "Old West" settings -- what can I say, it's a not-even-guilty pleasure of mine.

I couldn't resist the urge to bust out hand cannons and go at it with all the close-quarters situations, and like Micro, it works on pretty much all levels from a gametype standpoint. Buildings along the perimeter have a sort of "pop-up" feeling to them, an unfortunate cheapness to their design, but the cen?ter -- where most of the action is -- feels more than fleshed out. (I still can't believe that the team manages to put compelling artwork and props in to this extent.)

The movement system of Black Ops III also makes for some mean back-alley brawls.

Citadel brings me back. I have vivid memories of playing Unreal Tournament OG on my PC and PS2 for practically days on end, and this new addition really captures the essence of that era of arena shooters. It strikes a great balance of corridor ?combat with expansive towering buildings that just...look cool, all of which lead to some exciting outdoor en??gagements.

The lush green theme also does a great job of staving off the "brown palette" criticism many shooters have these days. I think a little more effort could have gone into the "story" of the map; the tower where a "Warlock" once resided looks awesome, but the rest doesn't?? really augment the concept. Still, it rounds out the other three and helps dilute the taste of Rupture.

The zombies narrative (so far at least) closes out with Revelations, which provides all the same chills and thrills you'd expect from the mode so far. Although the settings have started to gravitate towards overly-gothic setpieces in Black Ops III, they're all sound, and I can't comprehend how Treyarch ??can keep packing in Easter eggs like this. Revelations breaks that convention though w??ith an almost fairy tale-like (but still dark and gothic) level and an admirable likeness of Malcolm McDowell.

The way you're basically tricked into a story in what is essentially a horde mode is masterful at this point. If you don't care about zombies at all and want to just blow stuff up, arcade style, you can do that. Or, you can listen to the various vocal queues and discover the map's endgame and secrets organically. Even some of the most ardent Call of Duty opposition has found themselves enamored by the mode, and for good reason -- it feels like a completely differen??t game.

Yet, as I told several Infinity Ward developers last weekend, I'm a little over the original World at War zombies cast. Their quips are predictable, as are their adventures, and I hope that Activision as a whole (within the confines of the three Call of Duty developer stables) doesn't return to them. I get that it can be expensive to pony up for a Hollywood voice cast that includes the likes of Seth Green and David Hasselhoff -- but it would be great if they could lock them up for future DLCs and have a cohesive story to tell without having to rest on the laurels of Tank Dempsey and crew. It hurts having to look at the Shadows of Evil cast on the loading screen? and know they only get one map.

When the zombies mode returns, it'll be in Infinity Ward's capable hands with the Spaceland storyline in Infinite Warfare, and I just might get my wish. But for now, the book on Black Ops III has been closed. Although it had one bumpy DLC chapter, things are pretty encouraging overall. If you want ??to grab the season pass or the inevitable Game of the Year Edition, you can do it wit?hout shame.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Call of Duty: Black Ops III: Salvation appeared first on Destructoid.

Slow decline

The last time we checked in with Black Ops III's DLC, Treyarch started to slouch a bit. Eclipse was a great add-on all things considered, but it didn't shine in comparison to Awakening, which had some of the br?ighter maps in the entire series.

Descent, the third part of the Season ?Pass, is an even steeper decline.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III: Descent (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Released: July 12, 2016 (PS4) / TBA (PC, Xbox One)
MSRP: $14.99 ($50 Season Pass for four packs)

Rumble (pictured above) is a noble idea, and I'm sure during?? a pitch?? meeting it was all the rage. It's based on some sort of robot monster truck rally/fight, and based on the screens, you'd think it follows through on this conceit. Nope.

Instead, it features a really lame tunnel-based layout that forces cramped indoor firefights, which is sort of summed up by the fact that only half of the actual robot "arena" is playable. It's probably one of my least favorite DLC maps in Call of Duty's history, and although it's clear the team tried (hype posters for each side is a nice to?uch), it just isn't well-executed.

Empire, on the other hand, is probably the best part of the four traditional maps. That's partially because it's a remake of Raid from Black Ops II (the posh mansion compound), but in a remarkable turn, it looks nearly indistinguishable from its counterpart. Whe??reas you can easily tell with a lot of other remakes in the past, even after playing hundreds of matches on Raid, it was hard to pick up the similarities.

This is coupled with a fantastic backdrop of the Italian countryside, and my eyes light up whenever this map goes in the rotation. They outdid themselves with this one, and shuck the idea that a remake map is a "wasted slot" for a Call of Duty DLC.

From there it goes back downhill.

Berserk, like Rumble, is another map that sounds cooler than it actually is. When I read the description and expected to jump into a viking village ravaged by time, I was pretty excited. My hopes were dashed immediately after spawning in. It just feels far too by the books, and outside of one chokepoint on a bridge, none of the zones feel compelling enough to play on a consistent basis. The side roads are painfully gen?eric, with almost no detail present in them, and the sub-zero theme feels like a wasted opportunity.

The avenues are just far too vanilla with high walls to block off unique tactics (invisible walls galore), and the cookie-cutter houses have all been don??e to death and to greater success. I like the weapons strewn about ??the ground and the pools of blood scattered across the floor, but they can't elevate it past its fate as an average map at best.

It's even worse for Cryogen, which feels like a rejected Advanced Warfare level. There's one massive set piece in the middle that looks very impressive and even tells a bit of story, but the rest (inclu??ding the boring, static?? background) feels phoned in.

At times I feel like I was playing an amalgamation of different maps from the series (most notably Bio Lab), which is not a compliment. Again, I see what they were going for,?? but when the core game has maps that are more inventive and interesting than a paid DLC, you have a problem.

Zombies of course swoops in and saves the day, making Descent a much better proposition overall. Gorod Krovi takes place in Stalingrad, where dragons have torched the place -- it's a real Reign of Fire vibe and I dig it, as the dead dragons give it a more macabre and dire flavor. The great vertical layout is also more interesting than a lot of the flat zombie levels, and somehow, it manages to add in mystical elements while meshing wonderfully with giant robots and other technological (but not too far future) advancements. Treyarch is at its?? best when conventions are thrown out the window, and this gametype allows the designers to do just that.

At this point, I'm starting to grow tired of the cast that's been there since World at War (I still want to see more of Goldblum and company from Black Ops III's packed-in map), but the voice actors still give it their all and sell it all these years later. Dempsey is one of Steve Blum's best bit roles to date. Still, if you aren't keen on zombies (and many of you aren't, after nearly 10 years of it), you can probably stay away from Descent.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Haha, Treyarch

Damn I love Treyarch, especially its DLC packs.

Call of Duty is generally known as a somber, serious "hold X to pay respects" kind of series, but Treyarch games are often loaded with silly things like human on chicken love, and now, dragons. In the debut trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops III's "Descent" DLC, we see a new zombie map, Stalingrad (Gorod Krovi), which features bone/dragon weaponry and a giant beast. The multiplayer maps (Berserk, Cryogen, Empire, Rumble) look pretty cool too, with Empire serving as a remake of the Raid level from Black Ops II. 

Descent will drop on July 12, 2016 on PS4. It will come to PC?? and Xbox platforms a month after that.

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Beyond Bonzaidome

Call of Duty continues to be a cultural phenomenon, but often with a negative connotation. It sells like hotcakes sure, but I have trouble tracking down people in my actual life that play those games. At this point, the series has started to overstay its welcome with previous hardcore fans that were hooked by Call of Duty 4, and the fatigue and general awfulness of Ghosts didn't help matters.

But I constantly hear the same thing from people: "Treyarch's still got it." Whether they still play the series or not, reverence for one of the three Call of Duty studios is palpable; that couldn't have been more evident with Black Ops III, which packed in a Jeff Goldblum-ridden Cthulu zombies mode and an old school arcade shooter with chicken love.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III: Eclipse (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Released: April 19, 2016 (PS4) / TBA (PC, Xbox One)
MSRP: $14.99 ($50 Season Pass for four packs)

Much like the first DLC's "Sp?lash" map, Knockout is a visual feast. Looking off int?o the distance, players can see islands and birds flying about, and even the dock below is visible. Cherry blossom petals dot the arena on a vibrant map that eschews the typical shooter-brown hues.

As a mostly outdoor affair, the layout is a tad scrunched, and sadly, the indoor areas are too tight-knit for their own good. Having said that, there's plenty of character afoot, including a Bruce Lee Game of Death nod and a funky disco room.

Rift, on the other hand, is the obvious weak spot of the Eclipse DLC as it feels like a map that's already packed into 2014's Advanced Warfare (specifically, Horizon). It's your typical symmetrical layout packed with horizontal tunnels, despite Black Ops III's general focus on verticality.

There's still some semblance of effort here, because despite the generic layout, it has a cool theme. As a giant raised platform over a hellish landscape, it's neat to look do?wn at the impending lava below and watch the trains go by on the sides. In other words, it's not a complete disaster.

With one of the wildest layouts to date, Spire is amazing to walk around and look at. An airport that is housed entirely above the clouds, it's littered w??ith futuristic paraphernalia like suitcases and even departure and arrival interfaces. It's very sleek, almost like it belongs in a sci-fi film. 

The layout consists? of a series of high walls that lead to chokepoints, making it perfect for objective-based games. I'm not crazy about it now that the wow-factor of fighting in what is essentially an azure Bespin is gone, but it's a great level that I'm happy to play when it comes up in the rotation.

Then there's Verge, which is a remake of Bonzai from World at War. Where bringing back maps as part of a $15 DLC is usually a punch in the gut, the game is nearly 10 years old at this?? point, and this one was worth re-creating as it's near unrecognizable.

Treyarch went all out here, framing the level around two tribes that fight over a single water source, Mad Max-style. I love that there's even a tiny hint of story involved, as you don't typically see this sort of effort put into say, Halo maps. There's also a lot of cool artwork in the form of tags across the arena, and? a central cave that makes for some tense firefights.

And what would a map pack be without a zombies stage? Zetsubou No Shima steps up to the plate here, a??s a "myste?rious ??island off the Pacific." Stop me if you've seen this before, but Shima really deserves credit for committing to the jungle theme. Players w?ill have to slash through webs and cut through vines instead of merely opening doors, and a weird bucket filling/seed planting mechanic will keep you invested beyond seeking out the drive of exploration and combat.

It's not as impressive as Der Eisendrache or the aforementioned Shadows of Evil though. This is mostly due to fatigue from the same cast that has been around since World at War, as there's only so many times you can hear Steve Blum call a zombie a "freakbag" before your eyes start to roll in the back of your head. I really liked seeing Heather Graham kick Lovecraftian ass in the base Black Ops III map.

Let's see more of that Treyarch.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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CoD Japanese publisher rep-resent, rep-resent

Fun fact I realized during my first Tokyo Game Show: Square Enix publishes Call of Duty in Japan. Or at least did, until Sony ended up publishing Black Ops III in Japan on PS3 and PS4 (Microso?ft did the same on Xbox in Japan).

And whatever deal Sony brokered to make PlayStation the official console of Call of Duty means it makes a weird kind of sense that Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and Asia President Atsushi Morita challenged Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda in Black Ops III.

Unfortunately, the new Japanese Call of Duty publisher was trounced by spurned Square Enix. The proceedings were live streamed on Nico Nico and uploaded by Dual Shockers. The two execs lead their teams in the first two matches. Morita went 4/21 and 5/21, Matsuda went a slightly more admirable 6/19 and 13/21. The two then le??t their underlings play four more matches with Square taking three of four and one draw.

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Four maps and some zombies

It's still crazy to me that I'm loading up a Call of Duty DLC pack first on PlayStation 4. After years of Microsoft-dominated timed exclusivity Sony finally has its shot at heading it up, and it has perfect timing with Black Ops III.

As one of the best Call of Duty games in years, it allows Awakening ple??nty of room to breathe, and lets Treyarch be its unconventio??nal self.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III: Awakening (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Released: February 2, 2016 (PS4) / TBA (PC, Xbox One)
MSRP: $14.99 ($50 Season Pass for four packs)

When it comes to map design, Treyarch is one of the best in the busi?ness. One of its go-to staples is the three-lane approach, which allows for all sorts of interesting firefights and strategies throughout every game type. It takes it to an extreme here with Gauntlet, as it hosts three unique themes in each lane -- tropical, ??arctic, and industrial.

Each area evokes feelings of the past Black Ops maps, Jungle, Discovery, and Kowloon respect??ively, which is good company to be in. Gauntlet is instantly recognizable, and really feels like three maps in one. If anything it's a bit too tunnel-oriented as folks will no doubt have issues with a lack of elevation (especially in the arctic and jungle themes), but it gets t?he job done and I'm glad it's in the rotation.

Splash (pictured up top) is typical Treyarch at its finest. It's an absurd water park map that wouldn't feel out of place at Disney World's Caribbean Beach Resort. It's bright, it's littered with shops and rides, and even has a Main Street area. Water slides dot the landscape, as do cute mascot signs that top the previous meta Burger Town franchise -- it would feel right at home in the wackier Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare games.

It's crazy that you can consistently read the detail on individual si??gns now ??as well (a few of which made me laugh, like the "no self??ie stick" one), instead of haphazardly trying to read blurry scrawls. It's one of my favorite maps in years, with a wide array of open areas and indoor close-quarters combat sections.

Skyjacked, quite simply, is a remake of Hijacked from Black Ops II. This map was a bit divisive in the community due to its close-quarters focus and propensity to promote camping, so most of you have already made up your mind on it. Pe??????????????????????????rsonally it was one of my favorites, so I'm glad to see Treyarch bringing it back here, and ??was happy to play it again.

The new theme isn't a? half-measure like some past remakes, as the entire affair now takes place in a floating fortress, set to the backdrop of an ongoing city battle. It's a remake of a good map that's made even better due to? jumpjet and wallrunning capabilities.

There's usually one map that I outright dislike in a?? pack, and this time it's Rise. It's fa?r too gated and familiar for my tastes, and is nearly indistinguishable from a few industrial levels included in the base package (namely Exodus). There are times where you'd think a cool new area is just waiting around a corner, but then the game doesn't allow you to actually go there due to invisible walls.

It's almost like they spen??t too much time building the other three to r??eally put the proper amount of care in here. If it comes up in the rotation I usually cringe.

Der Eisendrache (The Iron Dragon) caps off the DLC, which immediately adds more of an incentive to pick up Awakening. Peppering in one zombie (or alien) map is a strategy the other Call of Duty developers (Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer) have adopted for good reason -- the sheer amount of depth in these things keep people coming back for more. I really dig the whole castle theme, which basically goes full Wolfenstein from the start.

I'm sad to see the Jeff Goldblum crew seemingly isn't returning for more, but the original cast is iconic enough to last, spearheaded by Steve Blum's Dempsey. The animated intro certainly helps give the level a different feel as well, and it's crazy that Treyarch is still building upon the lore it created so many years ago in World at War. Der Eisendrache surprised me as?? well with its open layout, with plenty of room to move, lots of teleporters, and tons of secrets that pl?ayers will be tracking down weeks after launch.

As Nikolai even remarks during Der Eisendrache, "will there ever be an end to this nightmare?" Not as long as Activision keeps selling DLC, there isn't! But one man's nightmare is another man's video game, and the good news is that each Call of Duty developer has been pushing itself harder in recent years to justify the price. If you still play Black Ops III, you can't really go wrong with Awakening -- especially since the new maps are now built into normal playlists from the get-go.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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'The Replacer'

Peter Stormare has entertained me for years, and is one of the greatest character actors of our time -- Fargo, Big Lebowski, Bad Boys II, Until Dawn, hell, even Prison Break -- classic performances. Now he's back to promote Call of Duty, returning to his character "The Replacer" in this newest trailer for Black Ops III.

In addition to a few amusing sketches there's also a decent amount of footage for the Awakening DLC, set to debut on PS4 next week. Skyjacked looks particularly interesting, poised as an inventive remake of Black Ops II's Hijacked.

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Non-neon orange edition

It looks like retailers may have overestimated the popularity of Black Ops III bundles, because Antonline is now clearing out some PlayStation 4 units at $329.99. This is of course the "Jet Black" edition of the bundle, aka the regular PlayStation 4 console that's uh, not ugly.

This bundle comes with the popular Nuk3town DLC and you'll be?? saving on sales tax if you grab from Antoline... so long as you don't reside in California or Georgia. ??Note that Antonline is an authorized Sony retailer, so you'll be good on the warranty front.

Given we're no longer in the holiday season, this is a decent price all things considered. If you must have a PlayStation 4 under normal retail p?rice, a $330 price range i?s probably what you can expect in the near future.

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Racking up quite a phone bill

Call of Duty: Black Ops III launched November 6. That means that is was for sale for less than two months in 2015. Despite this, Black Ops III was the best-selling video game of 2015 according to NPD data. While NPD data only accounts for physical releases in the states, Call of Duty general manager Rob Kostich said the latest release was the best-selling globally by a "wide-marg?in in both units and dollars."

The continued success of the franchise, which didn't really dip or fatigue after a particularly tepid Call of Duty: Ghosts before getting super futuristic with Advanced Warfare and 12th main entry in the series, Black Ops III, has lead to the series selling over 250 m??illion copies to date. 

"This also marks the seventh year in a row that Call of Duty has been the #1 selling franchise in North America, according to NPD," Kostich said. "In fact, Call of Duty has ?surpassed 250 million units sold life-to-date worldwide."

The series had sold 175 million copies in Nov??ember 2014.

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Subverting spoilerphobic safeguards

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has officially hit theaters, which means everyone who cares a modicum about popular culture is booking to the theaters to experience this sweeping cultural moment before some jerk spoils the film's major twists. I come here not to impart judgement on spoiler-phobia (it's not every day real, honest-to-God Star Wars&nbs?p;comes back from the dead, so I kinda get it), but to? deliver a warning.

According to NeoGAF user Xaero Gravity, certain Xbox Live users have been combing through their 'recent player' lists and delivering the spoilers like a TIE Bomber. Their advice is solid: don't open messages from unknown players until you see the movie. Another GAF user names one of the culprits, but I won't start a witch hunt without first-hand information. The post isn't d??ifficult to find if you decide on a pre-emptive block, though.

If you're playing Star Wars Battlefront on PC, avoiding spoilers might be a shade more difficult than simply opting out of a message. A second NeoGAF thread warns of Battlefront players changing their avatars to custom-made spoiler rundowns, which has been corroborated by a reddit thread. The OP has provided proof by way of a screenshot, but even th?eir valiant blurring attemp?ts don't quite hide everything -- don't click if you have any working theories.

The avatar scourge continues into Call of Duty: Black Ops III, according to a post in the Battlefront GAF thread and a video from Call of Duty YouTuber HoneyBadger (which, as of writing, has spoilers lurking in the comments). Both advocate disabling user-generated content in Black Ops's options menu, which is a great idea regardless of how you feel about Star Wars spoilers.

As the week goes on, it becomes exponentially more and more unlikely you will make it to The Force Awakens with fresh eyes, so you should get on that ASAP. More jerks will see the movie, and they'll ?find new ways of spoiling it for everyone else. Maybe one day we'll all look up and find that an entrepreneurial asshole has hired a skywriter to ruin the secret of John Boyega's bottomless charm.

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Plus, a Nuketown playlist

I'm still enjoying Call of Duty: Black Ops III,? mostly due to the fact that there's so many game modes in tow. If I ever get bored of one gametype I can move on to the other, but the general multiplayer element is so strong that I usually gravita??te towards that.

For everyone else out?? there, Activision is having a double XP event this weekend. It kicks off at 10AM?????????????????????????? PST today, and will run throughout Monday morning. The Chaos Moshpit playlist will also be replaced with the Nuketown only playlist. My schedule is pretty full going into the holidays, but I'll carve out some time to play this!

Call of Duty [Twitter]

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Two weeks and counting

You typically don't see first-person shooters topping the Japanese software charts, but that's exactly what Treyach's Call of Duty: Black Ops III has done since its launch two weeks ago.

The first-person shooter moved 187,446 units since November 6? (143,817 in the fist week) on PS4, accordi??ng to the latest information compiled by Japanese sales tracking group Media Create.

Per the same data, the title sold 32,022 additional copies on PS3 over the same period, and outsold other new releases like Project X Zone 2, Assassin's Creed Syndicate and Need for Speed.

In comparison, last November's Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare topped Japan's charts in its opening week with 79,586 sales on PS3, plus 64,060 more on PS4, and 3,370 on Xbox One. The previous year, Call of Duty: Ghosts played runner-up to God Eater 2 with 190,631 sales on PS3 and 12,950 on Xbox 360. Ghosts released on PS4 in February 20??14 a??nd sold 13,701 in its debut.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the aspect of the data is how country's platform preference has changed over the past coup??le years. Despite initially struggling to sell in Japan, the PS4 has become the leading platform of late,?? even outperforming the long-popular portable systems.

In its opening weekend, Black Ops III generated over $550 million worldwide.

「プロジェクト クロスゾーン2」「アサシン クリード シンジケート」「ニード・フォー・スピード」がランクインの「週間販売ランキング＋」 [4Gamer]

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Spooky scary mannequins

People are saying Doctor Whom and that's fine, that's fine -- "Angels," innit, governor? -- but it still reads Silent Hill to me because they're like mannequins (by way of I, Robot), even if Super Mario Boos might be closer. Also, the I, Robot director's got his first film since 2009 Nic Cage flick Knowing and it looks terrible.

The point is: shoot off all the robot arms in Call of Duty: Black Ops III's Nuketown in under two minutes and you'll have a swarm of (suddenly re-armed) robots after you when you'r??e not looking, and, yes, they can kill you.

Shooting the heads off, meanwhile, just turns them alive a??nd after you, which is less cool.

Horror fact: t?hings that only move around when you're not paying attention are scary. Especially Furbys and your pr?iorities.

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Until Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Call of Duty: Black Ops III made a lot of money in three days. And while that's not surprising, it is notable, given that the series sales had been in a bit of a decline with Ghosts and Advance Wars: Days of Ruin.

I guess the return to the familiar, well-received Black Ops sub-series worked.

Activision says "retail sales up significantly over last two years" and that digital sales are double those of last year (it's also the best selling day-one digital PS4 game). The three day opening weekend sales total over $550 million. Black Ops III even managed to move 164,716 copies in Japan, mostly on PS4, making it the top-??selling Japanese title for the week.

Call of Duty: Black Ops ??III Scores Over Half a Billion Dollar Opening Weekend [Activision]

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You know, for the veterans

The United States of America, right? Where our burgers are big and our guns are big??ger. And our he?art failures are spectacular. Or something. Let's start over.

Carl's Jr. (also known as Hardee's) is teaming up with Activision in a very "U-S-A! U-S-A!" cross promotion. The basic gist: buy a burger in a Call of Duty-themed package, get a chance to win an in-game cosmetic item for Black Ops III that makes it look like you spilled ketchup, mustard, and pickles on your weapon. It's for those who like guns and burgers so much they want their guns to be burgers (b??ut ??not vice versa, probably).

To be honest, I'm surprised Carl's Jr. is advertising the Tex Mex Bacon Thickburger for this promotion and not the Most American Thickburger. Perhaps that would be too on-the-nose?

In all fairness, some good can come out of this media marriage. Proceeds from sales of the Ultimate Care Package on Veteran's Day will go toward the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit organizatio??n that works to place military veterans in high-quality jobs. So hey, if you want an excuse to eat this burger, do it next Wednesday and some of your money will go toward charity.

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Zombies...uh...zombies, find a way

Call of Duty campaigns are some of the most inconsistent storylines in all of gaming. While some entries are content with wowing you on a constant basis with new setpieces and unique sequences, a number of them (Ghosts and later Modern Warfare games especially) have dull narratives with uncharismati??c leads and boring, samey levels.

Black Ops III unfortunately is the first of its s??ub-franchise to join that negative trend, but it has a killer zombies mode and a strong multiplayer base to help elevate the overall package.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III (PC, PS3, PS4 [reviewed], Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Developer: Treyarch (PC, PS4, Xbox One), Beenox/Mercenary Technology (PS3, Xbox 360)
Publisher: Activision
MSRP: $59.99
Released: November 6, 2015

I'm just going to get right into it -- this is the weakest camp????aign yet from Treyarch.

Right from the start you can see what it's going for, and things get way too heavy-handed and exposition-laden without actually saying anything. There's lots of talk about a "new Cold War" in the future, and after rescuing an Egyptian minister after an uprising in Cairo, it's off to the races. There's plenty of Terminator-esque "Man vs. Machine" going on w?ith the 2065 backdrop and a touch of surrealism, but all of it has been seen before ??and done better.

To boot, none of the characters are memorable or compelling in any way, and the dialogue is the most generic it's ever been. Part of it is because you're now "The Player" (male or female) instead of someone like Modern Warfare's Soap MacTavish, a character you can somewhat connect with while you're playing. You're kind of just there, and the relationships with each cast member neve??r really have a chance to flourish across all 11 missions. Treyarch seems to have a knack for historical narratives, but I'm not really buying its grimdark sales pitch here.

Now, that doesn't mean that the campaign is all bad. The powers that be have now implemented a system where you can choose any mission you want, right from the start, without having played any prior stages. That way if you get bored and want to see the ending, you can skip right to the end. Additionally, the hub center where you can switch your abilities, weapons, and loadout around is convenient, as is the progression system with full XP rewards to encourage multiplayer playthroughs. There's also an arena-based "combat immersion" center to test weapons out in, which looks a lot like Metal Gear's VR missions.

Split-screen play (for two players) is also in, as is online play for the story, on top of a "Nightmare mode" that remixes every level with undead foes. With the recent removal of split-screen from Halo 5, support for multiple players on the same console is a breath of fresh air. Yes, the framerate does suffer as a result of playing couch co-op, ??but I'm very glad it's there, and that Treyar??ch is still actively pushing for it. Hell, LAN play is even supported on consoles -- in 2015, that's pretty damn rare.

Now, we get to the good stuff -- all the other modes besides the campaign. Although light, the Freerun gametype is a cool way to show off all of the new mechanics (wallrunning and the toned-down jetpack). It's only playable solo and has a scant four maps, but it's really reminiscent of Mirror's Edge's abstract DLC packs, which were my favorite part of the game. Plus, it has leaderboards, which are a major plus for a mode like this. I don't want to spoil much, but the Smash TV-like Dead Ops Arcade is back, and it's better than it was before.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Treyarch game without zombies, and I think it's assembled the best cast, alongside of the most interesting setting to date. I'm talking Jeff Goldblum, Heather Graham, Ron Perlman, and Neal McDonough in a Lovecraftian noir city unique. Seeing Goldblum play a washed-up scumbag magician is a treat, and the actors really give it their all for this new chapter of the zombie saga, "Shadows of Evil." While I did appreciate the campaign tie-in for Advanced Warfare's zombie mode??, I like wher??e this particular setting is going, and I hope it can keep this same cast going forward.

It's also the most fully-featured from a gameplay perspective, with customizable weapon loadouts, individual upgrades, and a leveling system. You can also change up your "Gobblegum Gumballs," which are like miniature $500 soda machines that grant temporary perks. It's a tiny little thing, but it really helps you play the way you want, which is only a recent concept for zombies. In terms of secrets I think this is going to be the most challenging one yet for the community, as a lot of it hinges? on changing into the "beast" (read: a Cthulian creature) to unlock specific areas and bonuses. I've spent nearly 15 hours in Shadows of Evil alone and I feel like I've only scratched the surface. What the campaign lacks in personality, zombies makes up for in spades, and that principle also goes for multiplayer.

Now players will choose a "specialist," when playing traditional multiplayer, which operates a lot like a unique character skin, with an added ability in tow. For instance, the robot "Reaper" has access to a minigun power-up that comes out of his arm, or a skill that creates non-lethal clones of himself to run around the battlefield. One dude even looks like The Fury from Snake Eater, complete w?ith a flamethrower special. They clearly had a lot of fun designing these creations,? and it plays that way.

Most of the powers feel balanced, especially when you? consider the fact that they can only be used once you earn enough meter for them, which is typically only one or two times per match. This is on top of the classic scorestreak rewards -- but since those reset your meter upon death and the specialist powers don't, it's a way ??for casual players to engage without feeling like they're never earning anything.

Wallrunning also adds a new depth to arenas (of which there are 12 at launch), where specific chokepoints can be circumvented by traversing raised platforms on the sides of some bases. Likewise, swimming, as simple of a mechanic as it is, bids a welcome return from Advanced Warfare, with a lot more freedom in terms of movement and combat. Those of you who found Advanced's crazy twitch movement system to be too frenetic will be pleased to hear that it's been toned down for Black Ops III, as the jetpack is now essentially a double jump, or a slide boost, and that's it. While I did like airdashing and all of the craziness that the last iteration entailed, I'?m happy that each game has a distinctly different feel to it.

Multiplayer has been overhauled from a features standpoint too, as there's now full support for streaming (including a cavalcade of spectator options), arena ranked playlists with seasons, and an even more convenient instant menu option for perma-muting anyone outside of your party. There have been hundreds of people populating Black Ops III's servers during this testing period without issues, but if anything changes we'll provide updates as needed on the front pag?e.

At this point, at least two of the Call of Duty developers (Treyarch and Sledgehammer), have it figured out. They now have a three-year development cycle, which means that technically, each individual game is not a rushed "annual" iteration. While the campaign could certainly be a lot stronger, Black Ops III is living proof of that concept.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Turns out Nuketown is a GAME exclusive

If you pre-ordered Call of Duty: Black Ops III in the UK, did you expect the Nuketown multiplayer map but a code hasn't turned up????? You're not the only one.

UKVGDeals.com (via VideoGamer) noticed that a recent Black Ops III trailer stated the map was exclusive to GAME, and reached out to Activision for clarification. The publisher itself didn't seem clear, and other retailers like Tesco had to clarify on Activision's behalf that they were not partic??ipating in th?e offer.

Activision has now acknowledged that only physical copies bought from UK retailer GAME -- or digital versions picked up via Xbox Live and the PSN Store -- will have the bonus ma?p. Unless you?? ordered the PS4 console bundle, or picked up one of the special editions, everyone else has to wait until Spring 2016.

Activision's marketing originally suggested otherwise, stating that "all retail pre-order copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops III will include an in-box code to redeem to download NUK3TOWN." It was not clear in this advertising that the bonus map was exclusiv?e to GAME in the UK. 

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is out today ?on PlayStation 4 and 3, Xbox One a??nd 360, and PC.

If you've been affected by ??this, vent in the com??ments below!

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Called to duty, never called home

Want to feel old? Call of Duty: Black Ops II is three years old. ??Want to feel, I don't know, surprised? Impressed? That "huh" feeling when you learn a moderately interesting but not too interesting or at all val??uable piece of information?

Buried in Activision's earnings report and overshadowed by things like the company buying the Candy Crush developer for six god damn billion dollars, Call of Duty fan site Charlie Intel found the following:

"On November 6, 2015, Activision Publishing expects to release the highly anticipated Call of Duty: Black Ops III from its award-winning studio, Treyarch. Momentum ahead of launch has been strong and engagement for Call of Duty: Black Ops II grew quarter-over-quarter again to nearly 12 million MAUs,?? an unprecedented level for a game that is three years old and only available on old-generation consoles."

No wonder Black Ops III is still coming to PS3 and Xbox 360 without the single-player. And that 12 million November is up from 11 million in August, so the upcoming Black Ops III ?is building e??ven more hype for its 2012 predecessor.

Activ??ision says Black Ops 2 has ?nearly 12 million monthly active users [Charlie Intel]

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But only if you live in a certain city

If you live in a city that supports Amazon's Prime Now app, you will be able to have another human being hand-deliver a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops III directly to you??r door when the?? game launches on November 6.

For those unfamiliar with Prime Now, it's an app that allows Amazon Prime users to have certain items delivered directly to their door for free. I've used it for groceries before, and the process is about as convenient as your average pizza delivery service. (Of course, that depends on your area -- pizza delivery in LA is a perpetual crapshoot.) Ads for the app make it seem more impressive than it really is, which should be a shock to nobody. It's more of a four-hour delivery time with a specific window. Then you have to contend with at least a 20% tip if you're not a jerk, and potential delivery? fees.

If you want to make a person bring a single video game to your residence, you have to make a pre-order through the Amazon Prime Now app on November 4 after midnight eastern time. And be quick about it, because there are only so many people and so many copies of Black Ops III. Based on my experience with Prime Now, expect to get your co?py between 2 AM and 4 AM.

According to the Amazon press release, eligible cities are: Atlanta, Austin, Bal?timore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Manhattan, Miami, Minneapolis, Orange County, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle. That sounds about right.

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Good show, Treyarch

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is going to look a whole lot?? different next year on PC.

Series fans have wanted robust mod support for years now, and Treyarch is listening. Players will be able to create not only maps in Black Ops III, but whole modes. Lots of potential for remixing existing content (Zombies, Freerun) or spinning it off into some??thing unrecognizable.

There aren't many specifics yet, but t??his is what we do know:

• We will include Unranked Dedicated Server Files with the tools so you can run servers with modded content anywhere you choose.
• We will provide an Unranked Server Browser so you can easily find and join servers with modded content.
• Closed Alpha target date: March 2016

That's the plan today, anywa?y. It may change, for better or worse, as we move into 2016.

Modding & Mappin?g Tools Coming to Black Ops 3 PC in 2016! [Treyarch]

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Paint it black

It wouldn't be a Black Ops release without a celebrity-laden live-action trailer to air during the sports. This times its Michael "Where's Wallace?" Jordan telling the lege??nd of Kevin, who kills people with cyber bees while eating sandwiches and shows up Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch.

Well, at least until Cara Delevingne shows up.

But man, I got to imagine there are one or two other songs with "black" in the title Call of Duty could use. "Man in Black." "Slick Black Cadillac." "Black Skinhead." Maybe be a little more subtle and take something off Black on Both Sides.

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Digging the ReBoot vibe

Nuketown is a historical map in the Call of Duty franchise. It was first featured in Black Ops, then moved into Black Ops II, where it was also a zombie map, it was remade as "Nukehouse" in the ill-fated Declassified, and finally, it's reappearing in Black Ops III under the "l33t" moniker "NUK3TOWN."

While the new name is pretty dumb the solid symmetrical design remains, and I really dig this super bright, digitized ReBoot-esque? theme -- especially the working shuffleboard at 0:50.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III launches next week.

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Not included in the standard game

Treyarch sure has made good use of its "D??er Riese??" map.

The Zombies level first appeared in Call of Duty: World at War, then it was revitalized for Black Ops, and now it's back again in Black Ops III (but only for folks who buy one of the special editions of the game or the season pass, and only? on PC, PS4, and Xbox One).

Un??der? its new form, the map is "The Giant," which is just a translation of the original name. Anyway: Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, and Richtofen are back, and so are those damned hellhounds.

I'd like to see Zombies spun off into a standalone release, but I don't see tha??t happening currently.

Earlier this month, Treyarch's Jason Blundell told Eurogamer that "while it's a lovely sentiment," the studio sees "people move between ??all three modes" and wants it all packaged together.

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Pass out

Call of Duty: Black Ops III on Xbox 360 will not be getting a Season Pass.

According to the listing on the? Xbox Store, the Season Pass -- which includes "four epic DLC map packs" -- is "not available" on Xbox 360.

'The Giant' Zombies bonus map will also not be available to Xbox 3??60 players.

There's no need to panic just yet, of course -- 360ers are just as likely to be offered al??l the same content as their current-gen buddies; you're just not able to pick it up with the convenient (and usually cheaper) pass.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is out on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on Novembe??r 6, 201?5. 

What do you think? I??s this a game changer for you? As always, let me know in the comments below...

HAPPY FRIDAY! <3

Black Ops 3 Season Pass 'not avai??lable on Xbox 360' [VideoGamer]

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With a dash of Titanfall

Don't expect Call of Duty: Black Ops III to be all killing. Well, it'll? be a fair amount of that. But there's also some running, a??nd the game's newest mode focuses squarely on that.

During a developer livestream today, Treyarch showed off the Freerun mode. It's an obstacle course designed to take advantage of Black Ops III's movement mechanics. Treyarch says that it'll be punishing on higher difficulties and that competition for leaderboard glory w??ill be tight and fierce. 

Freerun doesn't completely holster the guns, though. Targets pop up that need shooting. For every bullet missed,?? it adds a harsh one-second penalty to your time. Inaccuracy's enough to turn a great run into a bad one.

The above video shows off the new mode, and the good stuff starts at about 16:45. For once, Call of Duty chooses flight over fight.

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