Hello, there. Zack here, and I don’t know if you realised, but there has been a Call Of Duty Beta on the PS4. Aaron (he is new) and I managed to get some hands on and we had a little discussion about what we thought of it.

 

Z. I guess the first question should obviously be: did you enjoy the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta.

 

A. Very much so! I’m not a massive fan of beta gameplay as I find the finished product can be drastically different, but Call of Duty tends to be consistent with their pre-release gameplay. I was very impressed with what I experienced. It felt like the real Call of Duty was back, not the next-gen imitations we’ve been met with so far. Don’t get me wrong, Advanced Warfare was good fun at times, albeit slightly gimmicky. The less said about Ghosts, however, the better. When a game forces you to use thermal sights in order to distinguish grey character models and even more grey backgrounds you know you’re in trouble. At least Treyarch add a touch of vibrancy to the experience.

 

Z. I also really enjoyed my time with it. It felt somewhat fresh, and I am a big fan of Treyarch. Black Ops 2 was a fantastic COD, and they have really upped their game (heh heh) since Infinity Ward fell apart a few years ago.

 

In my eyes, the most obvious change, since last year’s Advanced Warfare is the change of pace. Whilst Black Ops 3 is still about fast paced run-and-gun gameplay, you can't boost around the map anymore. The jet packs are not quick bursts of speed, but slow elevators to move around the map with. It’s kind of ‘Old School’ COD. Did you like that the pace has slowed down?

 

A. You’re absolutely right when you say that it’s more like old school COD. I know is often divided between fans of the Modern Warfare and Black Ops series but COD4 aside, I haven’t enjoyed a shooter as much as I had with Black Ops 2. While I would prefer if exo-like boosts were removed altogether, it’s certainly a step in the right direction by nerfing movement speed. Gameplay is as sleek as ever without ever allowing you to feel ‘over-powered’ within the context of the game. It’s as pure a Call of Duty since the pinnacle of Modern Warfare. The over-the-top double jumps are replaced with far more subtle hops and the ability to ‘wall-run’ never feels like a necessity unlike the parkour of its predecessor. Simply put, the new movement style is a massive upgrade and returns to the purer feel of a COD game.

 

Z. Another change is the addition of the new Specialists. Instead of the customising your own soldier to send into battle, you are given a choice of characters with unique abilities that unlock sometime throughout a match. My favourites were a bow that fires explosive arrows and nano machines that eat your enemies alive. The latter is a horrendous thing to watch, as the sound of torn flesh is met with panicked screams of your victims. I really like these additions as they add something to look forward to mid-match. They also unlock even if you are not playing well, which gives less skilled players a chance to actually have fun. How did you like them and do you have any particular favourites?

 

A. I must admit I wasn’t sold on this part of the game while reading about the Specialists. However, from my experience on the beta, there does not appear to be any sign of unbalance across this addition (that one-shot pistol aside). That’s pretty good because this feature is horrendously tricky to get right. Just ask Bungie.

 

You’re also correct by pointing out that it’ll allow lesser skilled players to access something similar to high-level killstreaks, making a more fun experience across the board. I only tried a handful of these specialists as I was more interested in spending my unlock tokens on guns and perks (by the way, Man o’ War? Best gun in the game). I’d go with the vision pulse depending on the game mode. It could certainly open up a tense game of Search and Destroy. Outside of that, the ‘glitch’ specialty offers the chance to get out of danger quickly by returning the player to a previous position on the map.

 

Z. The one thing I am still not a huge fan of is the maps and I haven’t liked a lot of them since Modern Warfare 2. Even though they can be quite complex, I feel bored in a lot of them. I am always being funnelled through a corridor or bottlenecked into a courtyard. They feel very similar under the huge amount of settings they are based in and I don’t think Black Ops 3 changes that. How do you feel towards the maps that COD has used over the years?

 

A. I would agree that the maps have been in steady decline since COD’s prime but if those in the beta are anything to go by I don’t think there’s much to worry about. There appeared a good mix of tight corners and open spaces that should suit all play styles. I’m a massive fan of the smaller maps and the beta provided us with access to Evac and Combine, both filled with close encounters. I think what we’ve got to realise as a fanbase is that COD will never return to Crash and Terminal, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still have fun.

 

Z. Black Ops 3 is shaping up to be a very good COD, and I also really liked last years Advanced Warfare. It re-awakened the sleeping titan of a franchise that COD is and has made people remember that it is actually fun to play. This no doubt has to do with the new three year development cycle. Do you think COD can relive its glory days of COD 4 and Modern Warfare 2?

 

A. It’s difficult to say at this early stage. The reason I prioritise the Black Ops series is largely because of zombies but we’ve seen relatively small amounts of this year’s instalment in that respect. What I will say is that the gameplay is as refined as ever and that can only be a positive. Shooting is sharp and responsive, there is a level of sleek authenticity that only a COD game can produce and most importantly, I didn’t completely suck when I played online. I haven’t been getting close to 40 kills regularly in nearly half a decade so that can only be a good thing.

 

And that is the end. Aaron is seems a little more reserved than I was. Maybe I am jumping the gun a bit, but being excited about Call Of Duty is something that hasn’t happened to me in a long while. Black Ops 3 has impressed me and Aaron so far, and there is plenty to look forward to if you are a Call Of Duty fan.

   OUG Discusses: Call Of Duty Black Ops 3
 

Zack Garvey