Call of Duty: Black Ops III

With a Call of Duty game, you can generally expect fast-paced boat chases, vehicle assaults, and an air-to-air combat segment packed into a Michael Bay-style cinematic experience. That’s all still here, as Treyarch’s campaign addition to the franchise this year starts off unnervingly similar to Sledgehammer’s Advanced Warfare from last year in many ways. Thankfully, that rote ride into future-tech doesn’t last long, and the plot diverts in the most wonderfully weird way. Black Ops III has the most mind-bending and bizarre Call of Duty plot yet, taking advantage of unique settings and scenarios...

There’s a lot to experience in Black Ops III. The story, while bland, is still worth playing with friends, especially Nightmare Mode. Zombies and competitive multiplayer remains the bulk of the Call of Duty experience and Black Ops III continues this trend successfully. After several hours of playtime I still found myself going back for more.

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.

Just as sure as the Madden Curse strikes rookie players that adorn the annualized American Football franchise, a new year brings with it another sequel in the long-running Call of Duty series. This year’s iteration is a generational shift from the last World War into something far more modern, but thankfully not too modern that jetpacks once against make their appearance. Call of Duty Black Ops IIII (military hash marks, not Roman numerals, if you’re wondering why it isn’t IV) shifts gears, dropping one pillar of the trilogy of gameplay modes and trying something new and different to set it ap...

The campaign could have been so much better, but while throwaway characters and lackluster scenes hurt the single-player product, there is no denying that Treyarch did a solid job with the multiplayer options. Killing zombies will become your favorite pastime and a great change up from all those online deathmatches you'll have against players around the world. It isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it's still a good time.

Another year, another Call of Duty, Black Ops 3 is nonetheless a generous package that hits all of the right marks. Campaign is decent enough and Zombies is good fun, but it's the multiplayer that will keep you hooked.

Black Ops 7 is Call of Duty at its most obnoxious and least enjoyable.

In Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Treyarch and Raven Software are bringing players the most mind-bending Black Ops ever. The year is 2035 and the world is on the brink of chaos, ravaged by violent conflict and psychological warfare. David Mason leads an elite JSOC team on a covert mission to the sprawling Mediterranean city of Avalon. While there, they discover a sophisticated plot that won’t just plunge the world into chaos, it will pull them into their own haunting pasts. Squad up or go solo in an innovative Co-Op Campaign that redefines the Black Ops experience. Take on high-stakes challenges a...