JUICY GAME REVIEWS
  • Welcome
  • Video Game Reviews
  • Retro Game Reviews
  • Game Shops
  • TheGebs24
  • Bio

video game reviews

ANything from Xbox 360, Playstation 3, playstation 5, xbox series x and Nintendo Switch

Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Awakening DLC review: Should you buy it or wait?

8/2/2016

0 Comments

 
By Gemma @Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
Awakening DLC Maps
Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Awakening DLC. Should you wait to buy it?
My experience of playing every Call of Duty game has always been dominated by playing multiplayer. Whilst I am far from the skill level of Optic Pamaj or Optic Scump (or in fact any of the Team Optic members) I have been enjoying various grinds on Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed. That enjoyment level peaked again last week with the release of the Black Ops 3 Awakening DLC on the Playstation 4 which includes four new maps and one new Zombie map: Gauntlet, Skyjacked, Splash and Rise. If you’re in to Zombie mode then you’ll know that Der Eisendrache is the new map there. But is the Awakening DLC worth buying yet? I have not played the new Zombies map yet so I cannot comment. One thing is certain with any Call of Duty DLC and that is that it reignites my passion to play. Anything new will always do that to a game.
Gauntlet 
Now this map intrigued me. Gauntlet is probably the largest map in the Awakening DLC and offers the most unique versatility of the entire pack. There are three areas: jungle, industrial and snow and there is a subtle bending of how these areas are threaded together. It might sound a little far fetched but it works very well. What does this mean as a player? Firstly, I found myself approaching Gauntlet with different playing styles. I usually run and gun all over the map but I changed it up with some sniping action for Gauntlet. The jungle area seems very dense which created excellent opportunities to camp with a sniper. When I say dense I mean dense beyond anything we’ve every seen on the rural Call of Duty maps. This is something the Predator could lurk in without ever being seen by Arnold Schwarzenegger! Joking aside Gauntlet provides a welcome break from the monotony of other maps and is a stark contrast from the bland realms of Skyjacked. Having spent a few days playing through the Awakening DLC I feel that I know Gauntlet’s geography the least. What does this mean? It means that Gauntlet is by far the most interesting Map bundled in the Awakening DLC.

Overall, Gauntlet’s corridors, rooms and hiding spots seemed well spaced out and not too claustrophobic so spread your wings and get out there.

Skyjacked
Okay so straight of the bat we know that this map has been tailored from Hijacked in Black Ops 2. The setting of Skyjacked is slightly more interesting than the boat of Hijacked. We are now high up in the underbelly of the clouds running around a Sky Barge. At first I felt disappointed that the developers had hijacked yet another map from their previous game and tarted it up to seem new and bold, especially as I never really enjoyed the first version (Hijacked). Naturally, Treyarch altered the sizes of certain walls and the heights of certain ledges to cater for wall runs and boost jumps but the fundamentals of Skyjacked are the same. The hot spot of the map is fairly central with high and low level sniping spots that face out in to open space. The closed quarters of Skyjacked often make for very fast paced action on Skyjacked but you already knew that right?! 

My overall feelings of Skyjacked are that it is nothing special. It’s a cop out method that we have seen time after time with  Treyarch and Activision recycling their maps to give the illusion of new. I often wonder; are they out of ideas? 
Water Park Splash - Black Ops 3
Splash Map - Awakening DLC, Black Ops 3
Splash
Splash is set in an abandoned water park. It’s packed full of colour, wonder and is aesthetically pleasing all around. What Splash did so well is something that wasn’t overtly apparent; it connected with the child in me. I’m sure we could all remember that time at a water park as a child right? Running through the slides of Splash is the trigger to remembering that time at the water park. Genius! 

Splash is spread over a much smaller map than Gauntlet but is slightly larger than Skyjacked. There’s a nice balance between open space and tight spots with a key area of the map being centred where all of the water slides meet. I’d say I’ve been killed the most around this central area so approach it with caution if you haven’t played the Awakening DLC. My one criticism of Splash is that physics do not apply when on the water slides which is a damn fine shame in my opinion. I would have much preferred to slide down the declines than walk at the same pace as I do on a flat surface. Nonetheless, this is a minor complaint considering Splash does so much and so well. There are some beautiful sniping spots and ground level and at higher ground too. If sniping is not your thing then you can run around the map until your stamina drains. I believe it suits all kinds of players. Splash makes the Awakening DLC really worth it. Without it, I would not have bothered.

Rise
Or should it be ‘Fall?’ From that you may denote that Rise is the least enthralling map of the Awakening DLC. It’s set in an overly familiar, ’seen it before’ industrial looking yard. The map size is a mid to large (wish) sized area and no matter which way you turn it seems that there are no distinguishable features. Rise doesn’t offer the payers anything new. There’s an overall lack if innovation. 

Is The Awakening DLC worth buying now?
If you have a spare £11.59 in your bank and want a change of pace for a few days then I recommend buying The Awakening DLC. Gauntlet and Splash are worth it alone make the new DLC pack worth it. If you’re content with the base maps then stick with them. You aren’t missing too much
Subscribe to thegebs24 Youtube
Subscribe to Thegebs24 now for awesome videos
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Video Game Reviews for the PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch

    Join the Community:

    Thegebs24 youtube
    Click me

    Latest YouTube Videos:

    Video Game Shops:

    entertainment station logo
    Retro Games across TWO Stores
    Forgotten Worlds retro games, arcades and toys
    Forgotten Worlds retro games, arcades and toys
    Kenny's buy sell trade
    Kenny's - Buy, sell, trade
    doorway to dorkness
    Doorway to Dorkness
    Super Game Shack
    Super Game Shack
    Vintage Gamer
    Vintage Gamer
    Picture
    Check out Warner's Retro Corner
    Picture
    Game Smart Yardley
    Tweets by @JuicyGameReview
    RE3 Remake review
    RE3 Remake review
    days gone review
    Days Gone Review
    198X The Game Review
    198X The Game Review
    world war z review
    World war Z review
    Resident Evil 2 Remake review
    Resident Evil 2 Remake review
    Yakuza: Dean Souls Review
    Yakuza: Dean Souls Review
    Detroit Become Human review
    Detroit Become Human review
    Sega Mega Drive classics review
    Sega Mega Drive Classics Review
    Super Mario Odyssey
    Super Mario Odyssey Review
    Resident evil VII review
    Resident Evil VII: Biohazard - 3 reasons we love it
    Dark Souls 3  - 3 Tips to early success
    Dark Souls III - 3 Tips to early success

    Categories

    All
    3DS
    Alan Wake 2
    Alien Isolation
    Amiibo
    Assassin's Creed
    Batman Arkham Knight
    Bloodborne
    CoD
    Destiny
    Diablo III: Reaper Of Souls
    Doom
    E3
    Eurogamer
    Fallout 4
    Far Cry 4
    Far Cry Primal
    GTA V
    JRPG
    Just Cause 3
    Majora's Mask
    Mario Kart 8
    Metal Gear Solid V
    Microsoft
    Minecraft
    Next Gen Consoles
    Nintendo
    Nintendo Switch
    PC
    PS3
    PS4
    PS4 Slim
    PS4 VR
    PS5
    Resident Evil
    Silent Hills P.T Demo
    Tales Of Xillia
    The Division
    The Evil Within
    The Last Of Us
    Turtle Beach
    Uncharted 4
    Until Dawn
    Wii U
    Wolfenstein
    Xbox 360
    Xbox One
    Xbox One S

    RSS Feed

Juicy Game Reviews

About
TheGebs24
thegebs24
thegebs24
thegebs24
thegebs24

Get Involved

Affiliates
Retro Gaming
Juicy Game Reviews 2023 ©
Privacy Policy
Social Media Icons License Creative Commons 3.0
  • Welcome
  • Video Game Reviews
  • Retro Game Reviews
  • Game Shops
  • TheGebs24
  • Bio