Call of Duty is still a juggernaut of annualized game franchises. Outside of the sports titles, it is the series that still gets major recognition outside of the core gaming group and sells great numbers year after year. In this transition to the latest console generation, however, the heights the series has enjoyed in the past have yet to be realized. Fans thought Ghosts wasn't fun, and Advanced Warfare was polarizing since fans either loved the jetpack or wished for a return to the classic play style. Black Ops III is the first attempt by Treyarch on the new hardware, and the result is a game that tries to aim for as many things as possible instead of focusing on one specific thing.

Campaign mode starts as a very loose continuation of the series. Thanks to advances in drone technology and the anti-air weapons created to counteract this threat, warfare has focused once again on the ground game. You play as a black ops soldier who, after rescuing an Egyptian official from a terrorist group, succumbs to a robot attack that leaves you dismembered and barely breathing. In a hospital, you find yourself outfitted with tons of robotic parts and after some training, you're sent back on the field only to discover a plot involving rogue operatives, cover-ups, and a security threat to the free world.

No one expects a masterful plot from the Call of Duty franchise, but when compared to the conspiracy theories in earlier entries, this is a pretty dull, by-the-numbers tale with themes that previous entries in the series have already covered: technology running amok, the government participating on unethical activities, and allies turning against you. By the time the story takes a turn into strange territory, it is late in the game, and the tale feels rushed and forced. You'll still be compelled to play, but as you do, you're only reminded of the series' stronger campaigns.

While the run-and-gun nature remains the same, the new twist is in the power cores that accompany your robotics. Each mission lets you choose your starting weapon loadout as well as your cybernetic powers. Your powers are split into three different categories and range from releasing special fireflies that take down human foes to hijacking turrets and other robotics. You won't have all of these abilities from the outset, as the developer has taken a page from the multiplayer and attached an XP system to control the flow of upgrades. The good news is that the abilities are different enough that you might be encouraged to replay levels to see how each set of powers plays out.

The bad news is that while the powers can add excitement to the missions, they follow too closely to some of the series' annoying tropes. Each of the stages is meant for big spectacle, but they're so long that the action begins to dull and some big set piece explosions feel pedestrian. It also doesn't help that there are more cut scenes invading each stage than ever before. There are also loads of scenes where you can't progress to the next area until your AI partner activates a switch or gets into position, and while there aren't any pathfinding issues, they sometimes move so slowly that you spend a lot of time waiting instead of fighting. The game also has an issue with turning enemy bots into bullet sponges, and the idea of facing these enemies multiple times, sometimes in succession, quickly loses its appeal. Finally, some areas are infinite enemy spawning grounds, so if you try to clear an area before moving on, you'll wonder why fights go on forever, especially with no indication that you should move forward.

Completing the Campaign unlocks a new one called Nightmare. It turns out that the events in Singapore released a deadly airborne virus that turned much of the population into zombies. That is a nice start to the tale, but the cut scenes are recycled from the campaign with new audio dubbed over it, so it feels a little lazy. The environments are also all recycled with the same enemy beats, and the only change is the addition of the flesh eaters. Though the presentation is lazy and zombies are passé now, it does make the game feel a bit different.

What's more interesting is the return of the Dead Ops Arcade minigame. Accessed via your safehouse computer terminal, Dead Ops Arcade 2: Cyber's Avenging brings a level of intentionally lighthearted silliness to the package. It starts off with a funeral sequence as Cyber the cybernetic gorilla looks at the grave of his lost love (who has a companion chicken in her photo). Wracked with anger, he goes to an island via robo suit to interrupt your character, who is about to reach a relationship breakthrough with your own flightless bird. The chicken is subsequently kidnapped, and you make it your mission to get it back.

Behind the silly story lies an arena twin-stick shooter with the undead as your primary source of cannon fodder. Eliminate all of the enemies, and you can move to another arena to repeat the process. Along the way, you'll pick up coins to bolster your score and acquire new guns, bombs, and a speed dash. Your gun has unlimited ammo and you don't need to reload, so you can fire away with no penalty. There is a power-up that allows you to shift the perspective from top-down to first-person with all of the rules intact. The minigame has a ton of levels, so the gameplay length easily rivals full titles. Throw in bonus stages, where you can go around a track in a truck while running over enemies, and you've got something that can stand on its own as a downloadable title. The fact that it's just an included bonus game is astounding in a good way.

It should be noted that while those three modes can be played solo, they can also be played in multiplayer co-op, both online and locally via split-screen, marking the first time the series has attempted such a thing. For Dead Ops Arcade 2, it makes a fun mode even more desirable, since co-op has always worked well in a twin-stick shooter. For Nightmare and the main campaign, it makes taking down the bigger enemies more enjoyable, since you have smarter allies that will do something and you'll have all of the different loadouts represented. It also explains why the stages are much longer than before, but considering how the sequences that require NPC interaction are still prevalent, that isn't much of a positive point.

A large portion of the intended audience only cares about multiplayer. As far as modes go, the selection remains the same as before, and nothing new has really been added. The gunplay remains quick, as it only takes a few shots to down you. Perks for killstreaks are still present, so only good players can play with the toys that give their team a bigger advantage. Loadout customization is still a big part of the strategy, as is grinding away, win or lose, to level up yourself and your gun with more abilities, accessories and perks. The new additions enhance what's here, but veterans won't feel alienated by the new tricks since their old tactics will still work.

Having said that, there are two big changes to the formula that should please fans of the traditional formula as well as those who liked Advanced Warfare. The first has to do with movement, which is more kinetic than ever. It's easier than ever to clamber and perform jetpack-assisted jumps, and while you can't perform side dashes anymore, you can slide. Wall runs are also at your disposal, and while the maps keep the series' traditional style with loads of choke points and open areas, they also let you use your new abilities at almost any time without penalty. Your gun is always out, so you can pull off a shot while sliding; you don't need to sacrifice movement for attack opportunities.

However, some of the maps have odd choices when it comes to determining which moves can be performed on which surfaces. It seems like you should be able to climb on the van in the middle of Nuk3town, for example, but you're prevented from doing so. Meanwhile, you'll discover that an uneven row of trees makes for a perfect wall-running surface. While there aren't a lot of areas where movement rules are questionable, you should double-check things in local multiplayer with bots before going online.

The other big change is with the characters. Though you still have some customization options for things like armor color and weapon camo, you're limited to selecting one of a number of Specialists. Aside from their mostly static look, Specialists have specific abilities that can be activated for a limited amount of time once a meter is built up, either over time or by amassing kills. Reaper, for example, can produce three clones that run forward in tandem or transform his arm into a minigun with a tight cone of fire while Nomad can fire nano swarms at enemies or revive themselves when killed the first time.

The powers are helpful, but they don't greatly offset any skills you've acquired with the game over the years. During several matches, players were able to easily tell when someone was going to use an ability, and more often than not, that tell caused them to get killed quickly by someone who's running around and fired a few well-placed shots. This is still a game where twitch reactions and focused fire are greatly favored, a formula that has contributed to the large fan base. Still, it seems like the purpose of the Specialists is to make it more appealing for an eSports crowd; it's evident in playlists that ban certain weapons and Specialists in the name of fairness.

Zombies mode makes a return to the series, and like before, it comes with some star power and a self-contained story. Set in the roaring '20s in the fictional Morg City, you are one of four characters, each with a sordid past. Officer Jack Vincent, played by Neal McDonough, is a crooked cop who is out to silence everyone who wants to rat him out to a mayor who's vowed to clean up the city's corruption. Jessica Rose, played by Heather Graham, killed a photographer for trying to reveal that she had an affair with a producer to land a film role. Jeff Goldblum plays the once-famous magician Nero Blackstone, who prepares an accident to kill his wife and use her life insurance money to pay off their collective debts. Then there's Floyd Campbell, played by Ron Perlman, a boxer who cheated to get one last shot at a championship match. One night, with all of them gathered in a nightclub, they fall into a mysterious sleep and wake up in a city overrun with the undead. With no one else to turn to, they team up to try and find a way out of the living nightmare.

On the surface, this is pretty much like the rest of the Zombie modes in the series. You have endless waves of zombies coming after you from every corner of the map, forcing you and your team to survive for as long as possible. You earn points for killing the zombies, and you can use the points to buy new weapons or power-ups for temporary boosts. The points can also be used to open up new paths as the waves increase in size and strength. At the end of each round, you earn XP that can be used to unlock more weapons for future matches.

There are a few additions that make this more interesting. Aside from regular zombies, you face giant behemoths, flying bugs, and flaming balls that can run you over. The Perk-a-Cola machines have a new flavor that allows you to temporarily trap zombies in webbing, and the gumballs power-up is more powerful but lasts a limited amount of time. One of the more interesting new features is the ability to temporarily turn into a beast that exchanges guns for grappling and electrical attacks, which are good at dispatching zombies and activating traps and other helpful items for the party to use.

The mode expands greatly on the zombie mythos the series has built up over the years, and this entry goes into somewhat surprising territory by incorporating other horror legends. The lament is that you only have one level at the moment. The end of the match teases a new stage coming soon, but for now, you'll toil away at the same one with the same starting points. It doesn't help that the wait between the end of matches and the lobby for the new one is rather long when compared to the wait in standard multiplayer. The mode remains fun, and you wish the developers would break this mode and Nightmare from the main series and start a stand-alone entry.

Rounding out all of the modes is a new one, Free Run, which is only available for local play. You're given one of four courses to run through, and you use your new traversal moves to post the fastest time. There are also a few areas where your accuracy with guns is tested. It'll remind you of the challenge levels from Mirror's Edge, especially since it has the same angular look but is suspended high in the stratosphere. It's a nice diversion if you tire of the combat, and though there aren't many stages, the presence of leaderboards gives you a reason to repeat the courses.

Graphically, Black Ops III isn't bad for something built on the bones of a previous-generation engine. Most of this is helped by the heavy use of effects, like mist and smoke and rain as well as much better use of light and shadow. The levels may all be bombed-out environments in Campaign, but the multiplayer stages have a much broader use of the color palette and much cleaner textures. That texture clarity definitely comes through, especially when the more famous actors can easily be recognized but not to the point of reaching uncanny valley. The big advantage of using a heavily modified engine is in the frame rate, which maintains a solid 60 fps, even when scenes are heavily encumbered with soldiers and gunfire. The only time this doesn't hold true is during pre-recorded cut scenes, which ruin the immersion since you're easily clued in about whether you should take control of your character.

As expected, the sound in the game is strong. The lines of dialogue may vary in quality depending on the mode you're playing, but the delivery is strong thanks to some good acting. Your character in Campaign starts off with a low delivery volume, but it gets better as you progress. The effects are as bombastic as ever and further amplified by the use of the DualShock 4's speaker. This is especially noticeable when you die and hear crackling sparks. Some other scenes, like hanging onto a ship as it hurtles through the environment, sound more immersive when the controller speaker is combined with a good surround sound system. The music goes largely unnoticed in a good deal of the firefights. The change to a semi-chiptune style for Dead Ops Arcade 2 and the noir style in Zombies is a nice break from the norm, and the quality of those tracks is also high.

Taken separately, the modes of Call of Duty: Black Ops III vary in terms of enjoyment. Campaign fans will enjoy the game the least, since the story is rehashed from past games and there aren't any memorable battles or set pieces. Dead Ops Arcade 2 and Nightmare even things out if you can stand slogging through the main story first. Multiplayer fans will like the balance between old and new player expectations, and the new character classes make up for lack of new modes. Zombie players will hate that there's only one map, but the expanded mythos and new enemies and powers make things enjoyable. Finally, Free Run is simply there as a functional afterthought. If you're not immediately drawn to bashing on the series, you'll like the game based on the offered number of modes, and that is enough to make it a recommended title for fans, especially lapsed ones. Compared to past entries, keep in mind that Black Ops III falls squarely in the middle of the series in terms of overall quality.

Score: 7.5/10