As of yesterday Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is playable by anyone with a PS4. As the gates have opened hundreds of thousands of players have poured onto the online servers offering their first hands-on experience of Treyarch's vision for Call of Duty in 2015.
Also See: Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 E3 Preview
After several hours of action both the positives and negatives of the game have presented themselves. Some players, including myself, aren't sold on the concept. With Halo 5: Guardians releasing a week prior, it's a tough sell for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3.
The Time to Kill is Too Low
Call of Duty is become notorious for its low time-to-kill over the years, but Black Ops 3 verges near Hardcore territory. It's common to be blasted unsuspectingly without a chance to defend yourself. This has resulted in players being afraid to venture out and seek combat, instead relying on the safety of walls and cover. The low health pool of players further encourages camping, allowing those who hide a great opportunity to rack up easy kills and earn killstreaks without fear of retaliation no matter how good or bad their skill level is.
Fair one versus one battles are not common in Black Ops 3.
In contrast, Halo 5: Guardians has large health pools. If you aim for the chest, it's going to take a few seconds to bring your opponent down. While that can prove frustrating for players who miss frequently, it gives both players a chance to demonstrate their skill no matter who gets the jump. You may find yourself being pelted by a camper, only to dash and twitch shot the opponent in the head, ending their life in quick order. This longer time-to-kill means players move around more freely, and engagements are more organic and exciting.
The Servers Are Inadequate
It was a year ago that Call of Duty fans were more vocal than ever about server issues. Connection drops and lag were at their all-time worst, resulting in some players giving up altogether.
It appears that the fallout from Advanced Warfare hasn't affected Activision's server design much. During the beta lag is commonplace as demonstrated by the frequent kill trades between players, and there isn't full confidence in the hit detection, either. It becomes clear after a couple hours that Activision has stuck with its hybrid approach of delivering an online experience backed by an inadequate supply of dedicated servers and just as reliant as ever on host-based listen servers.
Call of Duty's notorious server issues are back and just as bad as ever.
Halo 5 combats the shortcomings of listen servers with an army of dedicated servers hosted by Microsoft's top-end data centers. It employed a large sum of servers for the multiplayer beta earlier this year, and it showed in the consistent experience across many systems. This is absolutely vital for a fun, lasting experience, as well as one that can be taken seriously at a competitive level.
There Are Too Many Unlockables
Black Ops 3 exerts a lot of its energy on non-gameplay fluff. Heading into the loadout screen you're instantly bombarded with a choice between nine specializations and thousands of options for how to customize what you go to war with; there are more guns, attachments, and equipment than just about any other online shooter you've ever seen.
There are so many options that it often gets in the way of gameplay. The first few times it can be enjoyable to head to the loadout screen and make equipment decisions, but it soon becomes a burden as you feel a necessary compulsion to change your equipment as you frequently unlock new items. This diminishes the value of earning new items, and you may just become numb to loadout progression, one of Call of Duty's most addictive traits.
There are so many ways to customize your loadout that your head will explode.
The sheer amount of variety has had a direct consequence in gameplay balance. There are already weapons that far outperform others—i.e. the Razorback—, leading to an atmosphere where the large number of options are only superficial if you want to compete.
Halo 5 is much more simple in this regard. It has equipment options, but only enough to give you options to adjust your style of play. You won't find yourself at a loadout screen for 10 minutes, and unlocking so much new equipment that it feels like it's raining from the sky. You also don't see weapon imbalance highlighted nearly as much as the diversity is more controlled providing an easier foundation for testing.
MOBA Style Maps Are Repetitive
During the past 10 years it's been established that three-lane maps provide the most balanced experience for players. However, Black Ops 3 makes no effort to challenge this in any way, relying on simplicity for its levels.
Frankly, it feels as though you're a minion in League of Legends, pushed down a lane to tirelessly combat foes. Terrain complexity isn't demonstrated in the maps included in the beta, which is troubling for longevity.
These cookie-cutter 3-lane maps don't deviate much.
The maps don't have to be this way while maintaining a three-lane approach. Take for example Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's Crash and Bloc. These were well-tuned maps that had a lane-style philosophy but with unique traits that made engagements feel unique on each level.
Halo 5 multiplayer beta's Eden and Truth maps were an example of great map design. Both had a satisfying blend of simple corridors and well-placed routing for a greater variety of angles.
It's Another Call of Duty
Let's not kid ourselves, Black Ops 3 is another yearly iteration of Call of Duty. It has some neat, new features along with a fresh coat of paint, but underneath that paint is the same game that Activision has been selling for over a decade. If you're reading this, you've likely spent hundreds if not thousands of hours playing games in the franchise at one time or another. They're great, there's no doubt about it, but when you're pumping out any game at this frequency diminishing returns begin to kick in.
Look familiar? It's no coincidence.
This isn't a series that takes many risks, and it's becoming increasingly clear. This franchise that once innovated and inspired all future first-person shooter releases is now a stagnant remnant of what it once was.
There are some great first-person shooter options this year, and they've been playable in Beta and Alpha form at one time or another. As much as it's easy to become invested in the hype for the next Call of Duty game as you see it blasted on social media and television, games like Halo 5 and Rainbow Six Siege offer a less overstrained delivery that doesn't feel like something you played recently. If nothing else, that's the reason you should approach Black Ops 3 with caution.
