Review: Call of Duty Black Ops III: Eclipse DLC

It’s time, for PlayStation fans at least, for the second Black Ops III DLC pack, ‘Eclipse’. After ‘Awakening’, Treyarch’s first drop of the year, the general consensus was focused on the sheer size of the initial four maps, they looked great, but often conformed to one extreme, be it either too large or too small. Eclipse hopefully might change that up a little due to the stronger emphasis on its medium sized arenas.

As per usual, we’ll get four multiplayer maps, including a remake, and of course, a zombies offering too. The first map, Spire, sets the aesthetic bar high. Set in a futuristic airport above the clouds, you’ll of course notice the clean, modern styling above all else. Filled with open courts and with little room for verticality, venturing through the obvious wide openings is nothing short of suicide. Take the roundabout route however, and you’ll be navigating wall-runs that inevitably lead behind some of the more powerful cover positions. There’s nothing too memorable about Spire besides the arresting visual appeal; yet it’s simply a solid, mid-range, map featuring a constant battle for the higher cover.

 

If wall-running, relentless flanking and modes like Uplink or Capture the Flag tickle your fancy, then Rift is certainly for you. As a stark contrast to Spire’s cleanliness, the raised, dark military compound plays host to a grimier setting and overlooks running lava. When your attention isn’t drawn by the map’s myriad of moving parts, you’ll generally be funnelled down narrow deathtraps/corridors. Once again, the outer portions of the map are where you’ll get the most usage from your thrust packs, and are generally where the sneakier routes lie. The layout itself is a little on the bland side, particularly for gametypes such as Team Deathmatch, where people’s main concern is to get themselves into (somewhat cheap feeling) head-glitch spots. If you’re not playing a fast paced, hunting/evading type mode such as Uplink, I could see this being the weakest map of the pack.

Knockout is likely going to be a fan favourite; its Shaolin inspired temple approach caters for all types of play. The prominent Oriental exterior sections offer great mid-range battles, whilst the fantastically decorated interiors are deadly tight and very much in favour of close quarter bouts. A few tricky wall-runs are dotted around, as are also (surprisingly) some spike pits in which to avoid. Unfortunately there can be a fair amount of shotgun camping whilst attempting to navigate the brutal interiors, but sadly that’s to be expected.

 

As is the standard, Eclipse features a remake of a ‘popular’ classic map from the bygone era. This time we get Verge, a complete overhaul, and in fact almost unrecognisable from its inspiration; World at War’s ‘Banzai’. The key bridge is still the main focal point of the map in terms of gameplay and visuals; only times have changed a little in the near decade it’s been since WaW. Instead, there’s very much a Mad Max feel, what with two factions warring it out over the last source of pure water. It’s not just the unexpectedly pinned on plot either that resonates with this; the art style is very reminiscent of the pop culture legend, especially when venturing indoors. Whilst the shrinking and shortening of the bridge does downplay its previous importance, the map also features caves, tunnels and a large body of water to help try and escape the torrential madness that playing Domination gives.

For a lot of people, the prospect of a new zombies experience is enough to warrant the entry fee alone. Zetsubou No Shima hopes to deliver on this with the returning ‘Origins’ characters being stranded on a lush, remote island somewhere in the Pacific. Eerily overgrown facility aside, you’ll be dealing with zombies, path blocking spiders, ‘roided Venus flytraps and generally catching up on some horticulture. It might lack the initial visual appeal of the two previous zombie experiences, what with neon lights and Wolfenstein-esque castles being somewhat of a rarity in the jungle. But the claustrophobic funnelling through the murky undergrowth does bring a certain level of apprehension to the table. Needless to say, there’ll be many secrets and easter eggs to hunt out and keep you occupied too, provided you can comfortably navigate the maze-like warren that is…

 

If there’s one thing that Eclipse certainly has going for it, then it’s the amount of effort gone into the visuals. It’s host to by far the most vibrant and appealing settings we’ve seen yet, and despite some shortcomings in playability for one or two maps, I’d say it’s a success. Whilst some are much better suited to specific, objective oriented game-types, it’s still great to have fresh content. Zetsubou No Shima will no doubt go down well with fans of the zombies mode; its unnerving setting is a welcome change of pace too. The lack of any new weapons or other content, besides those only attainable through supply drops, is still a little disheartening however, especially considering the price of the individual DLC packs/season pass. Overall though, if you plan on playing Black Ops throughout the rest of the year, the Eclipse DLC will undoubtedly be something for you to consider.