Black ops 2 koop modus: Optimus — Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (PC) Co-Op Information

Universal Soldier

Cataclysms of a planetary scale, destroyed and abandoned cities, secret CIA experiments and crazy computer intelligence that has seized control of robots and cyborgs — there is nothing in the world of a wonderful future. The plot of Black Ops III isn’t that bad. He’s overloaded. On the one hand, we’re being told the standard «that never happened» story about how one man uncovered hard-hitting information about past CIA operations and made the whole world go crazy. On the other hand, cataclysms, robots and Skynet, seasoned with cyberpunk and mind games. The Balck Ops III campaign runs for seven or eight hours, the information is chaotic, the hero catches glitches and periodically falls into an alternate reality. Therefore, you approach the finale in a slightly bruised state, trying to comprehend what it was, ***, it just happened. nine0003

The overloaded plot is not the game’s biggest problem. Call of Duty has never been known for its storytelling or its fascination. They rolled us on roller coasters, surprised us with falling helicopters and skyscrapers, impressed us with the scope of conflicts, did not forget to kill heroes in time and with particular cruelty, so that there was, so to speak, someone to avenge. In Black Ops III, the former perky attraction has turned into a simple shooter, where little time is devoted to staged segments, and most of the time you have to endure the same bobbleheads in arenas. Yes, there are robots, big and small, flying, running and jumping. However, the enemies do not press, do not move forward, do not attack. In certain scenes, where their flow is endless, this is especially noticeable. You shoot them from afar, ten after ten, hundred after hundred, but they do not end. nine0003

To some extent, this problem is offset by a cooperative passage for four people (split screen, home network or online). Colleagues are not attached to the plot in any way, they are not just absent in the commercials — the plot excludes the very fact of the existence of partners, everything revolves around one hero. But the four of us shoot enemies not only easier, but also faster. The unpretentious process even captivates, which is largely facilitated by the protagonist’s leveling system.

Our hero is an ordinary operative, a simple guy, homo sapiens made of bones and meat. But as a result of a meeting with a military robot, his arms and legs were torn off. The good doctor attached mechanized prostheses to the stumps, and at the same time connected the brain to a computer. The result is a versatile soldier capable of jumping high, running on walls, remotely hacking into electronic systems, and falling into virtual reality without warning. Thanks to this, the campaign periodically presents surprises: from surreal paintings to unconventional opponents. Well, for exploding a flock of crow robots — a special thank you. Nice. nine0003

The hero gains experience, gains levels and special points, for which he unlocks weapons and cyber abilities in the Vault, collected as many as three branches. They allow him to take control of drones, change the system of recognition of robots, remotely explode their batteries, release a swarm of killer insects, break the exoskeletons of soldiers (yes, the action seems to take place in the world of Advanced Warfare). Cyber ​​abilities can be additionally enhanced, so that our soldier eventually becomes akin to a comic book superhero, at the wave of which the enemies themselves die or start killing each other. And, what’s nice, after the end of the campaign, pumping is preserved, you can frolic further, trying to beat the game on a «realistic» difficulty, the highest one, where you die from one hit. nine0003

In the Vault room, you can display the trophies found at the levels, delve into the computer, listen to music, change into new costumes that open as you progress through the missions. There is even a virtual combat simulation, in the manner of Metal Gears Solid, where you dive in to try out weapons on bots.

The idea with the Shelter and leveling is excellent, cooperative passage really has a positive effect on the perception of the campaign, only there are a lot of videos here, only the host can skip them if he wants, and then not immediately. As a result, rollicking shooting with hacking everything that is possible is constantly interrupted by tightened rollers. The Russian version comes with inexpressive acting, poor diction and speech desynchronization as a bonus. Voices sound normal, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud. It’s embarrassing to hear this for the first time. On the tenth, the lack of the ability to switch to English (applies to the console version) and check the “Skip all videos” checkbox in the menu starts to piss off not so weakly. nine0003

Another oddity concerns saves. The game does not require a permanent connection to the internet and allows you to play the campaign without an internet connection. This creates separate save files, and when you reconnect to the Internet, you will see no progress, as if nothing had happened.

Zombieland

Surprisingly, but the fact is that Black Ops III is more about zombies, and not about the bleak future of humanity. There are already three (!) games about the living dead that are independent from each other. One of them opens at the terminal in the Vault, called Dead Ops II and is a top-down shooter in the style of Crimsonland with a huge number of zombies, weapons, locations, unexpected bonuses (one of them includes a first-person view). After clearing a level, a map of the «world» appears, like in the good old arcade games, which shows progress. In other words, how much is left before the cave of the gorilla who stole his beloved chicken from the hero. Entertainment is dynamic, fun and very bloody. Meat-meat-meat. nine0003

After completing the campaign, the second zombie mode opens — «Nightmares», or rather, it’s not a mode at all, it’s a separate, independent campaign about the walking dead, and even with its own plot! The action takes place on familiar levels, we are shown videos we have already seen, but the voice-over tells a completely different story, about a terrible virus that can turn all people into zombies, and about brave operatives trying to prevent hell on Earth.

In Nightmares, weapons drop from enemies, so you literally fight whatever you have to. Zombies here are different — slow, exploding, running. They fight not alone, but under the guise of robots, of which there are even more types, and it is no longer possible to hack them — the soldiers do not have such abilities. The result is an extremely exciting entertainment, especially with cooperative passage. Sort of like Left 4 Dead as a free add-on. nine0003

Finally, the last zombie mode is called “Zombies”. So far, it contains one Shadows of Evil map (more additions are expected in subsequent DLCs), made in the style of the 30s, with appropriate jazz music and vicious heroes. Here, too, there is a development system, represented, firstly, by gooble gum chewing gums — the same perks, only they need to be bought in special machines in order to get, for example, short-term immunity from the attention of the walking dead or save yourself from having to reload weapons. Secondly, machine guns, pistols, machine guns and other firearms are also upgraded. In the sense that before going on a mission, you can hang modules on them in order to get a slight advantage in the game itself. nine0003

The very same Shadows of Evil map is very difficult, contains a huge number of non-obvious secrets, up to the possibility of getting a personal security robot. But you still have to figure out how to open them, and then perform a sequence of manipulations under the relentless pressure of zombies. Earn points, unlock new zones, buy weapons, tonics and gooble gums, try to last as long as possible, die and repeat. Overall, fans of Trearch’s Zombie will be pleased, and the mafia style and the ability to briefly transform into a monster with deadly tentacles evokes fond memories of another action movie — The Darkness. nine0003

Terminators

The main component of any Call of Duty since the first Modern Warfare is multiplayer. It is around him that a multi-million army of fans is formed who buy a new part without looking at the ratings and opinions of Metacritic users. And, surprisingly, the multiplayer changes every year. Advanced Warfare introduces double jumps and jet dodges. In Black Ops III, unit abilities have been reworked again. nine0003

Climbing onto ledges, you can fire with your free hand. Double jumps are preserved, but they work differently. By holding the jump button, you take off high. A few short presses allow you to fly further, but lower. Finally, wall running appeared. To get used to it, it is highly recommended to complete a set of levels from the training section «Parkour». It is performed elementarily, but requires skill. Not everyone, for example, will immediately guess that you can run around the column. Inertia does not matter here, the soles and hands of cyberfighters are equipped with Velcro, which allow them to cling to the surface with any curvature. nine0003

The weapon balance is great. There is no super-automatic machine that is clearly superior to other guns here. Shotguns and machine guns, sniper rifles and pistols are used. If you don’t like something in a weapon, you can fix the flaw with modules. And this time you can hang up to six of them! True, you will have to pay for this by giving up perks and grenades. The Pick 10 system, as before, only allows you to take 10 items into battle.

Another innovation concerns the refusal to instantly kill the enemy with a knife blow. You can move him with the butt, but this will only slightly spoil his mood, for which he will undoubtedly punish you with a shot in the face. nine0003

Multiplayer maps are some of the best in the Call of Duty series. They are stylistically diverse, small, fairly simple and allow you to accurately predict the appearance of opponents, which practically excludes accidental death from an enemy who has appeared from nowhere. Two new features are optimally used — running along the walls and shooting under water, which not only opens up new routes, but also allows you to scorch.

Another innovation concerns the appearance of «Specialists» (in other games they are called Heroes). Each of them has a unique appearance and two abilities, only one is given to choose from. It can be some kind of ultimate ability (super speed, teleportation, x-ray vision) or an ultimate weapon (bow, revolver, machine gun). They are given for a short time, do not make the hero invulnerable and serve as a piquant, but insignificant addition. This is not at all the same as the class abilities in Destiny, which turn the hero into almost a god. nine0003

You can learn more about this annoying Destiny feature in the following video

The leveling system, as before, forces you to go ahead, discover new weapons and abilities, try them, get to the maximum level and take Prestige, resetting all achievements and starting the path again (fortunately, open modules and camouflages are preserved).

There are no microtransactions in Black Ops III yet, but the game is already ready for them. On the existing «Black Market» you can use earned «crypto keys» to open chests containing skins and emotions for Specialists, camouflages, and externally modified weapon modules. Here are just «cryptokeys», alas, piling up for a very long time. I’m sure when they are allowed to be bought for money, people will willingly give their hard-earned money for the chance to get an ornament. They do not affect the gameplay, a ton of content is unlocked for achievements in the game, so the Black Market can be forgiven. nine0003

Black Ops III looks quite familiar to the new generation of Call of Duty. The graphics are not much different from previous Ghosts and Advanced Warfare, except that the lighting system is slightly better tuned. But the sound design is impeccable. Weapons rattle, music fits perfectly into the gameplay, the location of the enemy is accurately guessed by his stomp behind the wall. The ears are pleased, there is no trace of the past dull rattling.

nine0175 Diagnosis

The question of whether or not to buy a new Call of Duty is stupid to ask. If you like the series, you are a fan of this multiplayer, you love to kill zombies, then you should not miss Black Ops III. Multiplayer is great, fresh, dynamic and aggressive. Considering that it was sharpened for eSports, the creators are going to support it for more than one year. And zombies are here for every taste. Three separate games, but with a co-op for four, make sure that you do not soon pay attention to other similar entertainment. The campaign is… controversial, but with good ideas that will hopefully be developed in future games in the series. nine0003

Black Ops III is a surprisingly generous set by today’s standards that has exactly one drawback — it’s still Call of Duty. There is a noticeable movement forward, but those who do not like the series are unlikely to find anything attractive here.