Call Of Duty: Black Ops IIII
Official Xbox Magazine|Christmas 2018

COD Targets Pubg In Uneven, Campaign-kiboshing Package

Callum Hart
Call Of Duty: Black Ops IIII

Are you the sort of player who still has daydreams about All Ghillied Up? Hey, we don’t blame you. Modern Warfare’s sensational stealth mission is one of the best shooter levels ever. How about World At War’s Stalingrad corpse crawl. Chillingly memorable, no? Oh, and remember the very first COD’s rousing Red Square mission? We still get goosebumps thinking about it 14 years on. Well, the latest BLOPS has none of these classic moments.

Actually, Call Of Duty: Black Ops IIII has no single-player story mode. Period. While Activision was upfront about its latest shooter being campaign-less, it still stings. Though it’s become trendy to bash COD’s increasingly trite use of scripted setpieces, the series could still cook up shock and awe like few other franchises. The lack of a traditional solo mode may not bother those hooked on Call Of Duty’s twitchy brand of online slaughter, but for those of us who cherished the campaigns of the Modern Warfare trilogy and last year’s WWII, it’s a bitter body blow.

With story mode now a casualty of war, BLOPS IIII has to rely on other ways to serve crunching shooter thrills. As such, the game is neatly split into three different sections: the series’ traditional suite of multiplayer match types, the returning COD Zombies, and its own take on the battle royale genre. Let’s dive into the relentlessly competitive first option, shall we?

Online assault

This story is from the Christmas 2018 edition of Official Xbox Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Christmas 2018 edition of Official Xbox Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINEView All
Why I love... Roaming the post-apocalypse
Official Xbox Magazine

Why I love... Roaming the post-apocalypse

How modern releases are continuing to find creativity and beauty within gaming’s most prevalent setting: the end of the world

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
10 Best Multiplayer Games
Official Xbox Magazine

10 Best Multiplayer Games

From shooters to kitchen chaos, these titles are best played with friends

time-read
6 mins  |
April 2020
Revved up and ready to go
Official Xbox Magazine

Revved up and ready to go

EA hands the wheel of Need For Speed back over to Criterion Games

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2020
The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor
Official Xbox Magazine

The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor

Return to Tamriel’s frigid North this summer Chris Burke

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2020
Remothered: Broken Porcelain
Official Xbox Magazine

Remothered: Broken Porcelain

We’re going potty for this cult classic survival horror sequel

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2020
Yakuza 0 Yakuza Kiwami Yakuza Kiwami 2
Official Xbox Magazine

Yakuza 0 Yakuza Kiwami Yakuza Kiwami 2

Triple trouble: Sega’s crime drama trio brings glorious thug‑thumping action to Xbox

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2020
Mosaic
Official Xbox Magazine

Mosaic

ALL AROUND ME ARE FAMILIAR OFFICE SPACES

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2020
The Falconeer
Official Xbox Magazine

The Falconeer

Savouring the joys of flight with an indie that’s living on a (gigantic) wing and a prayer

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2020
10 Best Examples Of Great Architecture On Xbox
Official Xbox Magazine

10 Best Examples Of Great Architecture On Xbox

Games are crammed full of gorgeously crafted designs and architecture. From gables to gargoyles, we look at the best building designs on Xbox One

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2020
THE PROMISED 'LANDS
Official Xbox Magazine

THE PROMISED 'LANDS

With so many great games competing for our time, how do you keep gamers locking and loading? Gearbox’s looter-shooter, Borderlands 3, knows how…

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2020