REVIEW

Call of Duty: Black Ops III Descent DLC Review

by Ford James, August 3rd, 2016

Descent is the third of four DLC map packs released for the ever popular Call of Duty: Black Ops III. With a £12 price point however, is it worth it just for a few extra maps and another Zombies experience?

Rumble is the first multiplayer map in the pack and by far the coolest looking. Giant robots are the spectacle in an enormous arena just off the coast of Brazil, while the announcer’s booming voice reverbs through the hallways backstage. Multiple corridors and rooms are located around the vast sandy battle arena in the centre, meaning all playstyles are suited with the exception of shotguns. Snipers with quick reflexes can prosper across the field while those wielding assault rifles are often better holding down the wide open corridor adjacent to the chaotic robot pitch. Run ‘n’ gunners will impress by sticking to the smaller corridors that are strewn across the map, including a small area underground directly in the middle of the arena; but whatever you do, don’t pop your head out for too long lest the wrath of scouring snipers be your demise. A solid map for all game types, with Hardpoint being particularly enjoyable.

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Ancient Viking villages aren’t your typical Call of Duty battleground, but that’s exactly the setting for Berserk. Quite literally frozen in time, it looks like it was lifted straight out of Bethesda’s Skyrim; jetpacks and flamethrowers seem out of place but how does the map actually play?

Being a relatively small map with a lot of winding paths, shotguns and submachine guns flourish in the snowy village while you will often find snipers set up in the one hut overlooking the central bridge. Assault rifles will often struggle due to the close quarters combat unless you’re playing a relatively slow mode like Team Deathmatch or Kill Confirmed. Berserk is a much more traditional three lane map, with a wallrun connecting one side to the bridge and the other side having a path that runs underneath. Uplink tends to be a lot of fun when utilising the paths and juking out the enemy team, while Domination is a constant battle for the B flag on the bridge. Unfortunately, with so many winding paths and routes, it becomes a haven for corner campers in slower modes like Search and Destroy so UAVs can be crucial here.

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Cryogen is a large facility with a whole range of playstyle options. The centre of the map is a fairly open area with constant firefights over the central hardpoint or B Domination flag, while one side is outside and features a lengthy road to the enemy spawn with a few rooms and route variations, while the opposite side of the map has three enormous pillars that can be used for wallrunning across to get behind the opposing team. As the central area is such a hotspot, flanking behind the enemy can often tilt the game in your favour if they don’t have anyone watching the outside routes. Depending on the game mode, it’s possible to find success with pretty much any weapon. The 205 Brecci with a Long Barrel attached is a personal favourite when playing Domination or Hardpoint.

Empire rounds off the list of multiplayer maps for Descent, and is a reimagining of Raid, the fan favourite from Black Ops II. Rather than a modern day mansion however, Empire is an authentic Roman villa in some grassy valleys with a gorgeous view from the swimming pool. Long sightlines are prevalent in each of the three traditional lanes, but pacier players won’t suffer too much as there’s a lot of connecting paths that allow you to get up close and personal. One of the few maps where Safeguard works well as a mode due to the amount of choke points and teamwork required to push through to the final goal when you’re attacking. Not a bad map, but the weakest of the four as the spawn points often seem wonky and nonsensical in relation to map control.

Gorod Krovi, also known as the City of Blood, is the fifth Zombies map in Call of Duty: Black Ops III and follows the Origins crew (Richtofen, Dempsey, Belinski and Masaki) on their hunt to kill the original Belinski and preserve his soul in the Summoning Key. Now I’m by no means a Zombies expert; I’ve played every single map since the original Nacht der Untoten in World at War, but I don’t know all of the routes, easter eggs and strategies, I play it to have fun. And in terms of enjoyment level, Gorod Krovi is by far the most entertaining Zombies level I have ever played. Floating War of the Worlds-esque machines, giant mechanical zombies and mother f*cking DRAGONS that you can summon and fly to other parts of the level make Gorod Krovi a hell of a good time. If Treyarch manage to make the final Zombies map in the fourth DLC pack more enjoyable than Gorod Krovi, I will be thoroughly surprised. Grab three mates and you’ll have a great time with the Origins crew.

Descent is the best piece of DLC for Black Ops III so far; all of the multiplayer maps are enjoyable and look impressive, while the latest Zombies experience is a joy to behold.