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Should Black Ops 3’s DLC Be Free?

Should Black Ops 3’s DLC Be Free?

When Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 launched in late November of last year, it was a breath of fresh air from an already exhausted franchise. Everything from the upgraded shooting mechanics, to the futuristic character abilities, to even the meticulously refined sightlines are a solid improvement. Heck, even Black Ops 3 ’s most recent DLC Awakening was a small step forward in revitalizing the franchise. That progress, however, has seem to come to a screeching halt with Eclipse . Sure, the additional maps are always nice to see and ultimately provide a few additional arena for gamers to extend their gameplay. Unfortunately, that’s all they seem to offer in this latest download, not to mention they’re only available on the PS4 for the next 30 days.

Eclipse , just like the previous DLC, includes four new multiplayer maps in Knockout, Rift, Spire, and a remake of Bonsai from Call of Duty World at War in Verge. The second DLC launch also features the second chapter of the four-part Zombies adventure in Zetsubou No Shima. My initial reaction to the content as a whole was a mixture of intrigued excitement that quickly fizzled into feelings of indifference. Yes, new maps are always awesome, but I need a little more than just a few extra places to pump rounds into my fellow gamers to dish out another $15.

It doesn’t help that the four new maps just aren’t up to the standard of their predecessors. Knockout’s layout is much too condensed for the Black Ops platform and becomes more of a spawn killing bloodbath rather than a tactical game of shooting chess. Verge is the best of the four, but still lacks a certain punch you’d expect from a Treyarch offering. Spire wants you to make use of the game’s wall-running feature, but I found myself falling into the deadly abyss below more times than actually being engaged in combat. The concept is good, but the execution is clearly lacking. Finally the lava flowing beneath the Rift map isn’t enough to prop up this flimsy trap of generic design. It’s literally a rehashed version of just about every basic Halo and Destiny map ever created.

The last component from the Eclipse DLC offering is the second chapter in the zombies saga, Zetsubou No Shima. I usually leave the story-centric components of a DLC until the very end of my playthroughs. Thankfully I did with the zombies offering as it certainly redeemed some of the initial distaste. The Pacific island backdrop was a perfect setting to dump our gun-totting characters back into. The visuals are beautiful, the storyline is fresh and intense, and the zombies are just as impressive as the last chapter. I’m normally not a huge fan of the zombies offering as I feel it been redone way too many times. However, chapter 2 pulled me right back in and nearly makes the DLC a tempting buy at $15.

Should Black Ops 3’s DLC Be Free?

When all is said and done, Eclipse just doesn’t cut it for me at the price point. The maps are lackluster, which is a shame because the visuals just keep getting better, but the zombies chapter makes some serious noise. If you purchased the season pass then you’ll be happy with a new round of maps to continue your gameplay. If you haven’t, do yourself a favor and pass on this one until Treyarch either drops the price or releases it for free down the road – both of which are unlikely.

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