What military-style shooter is not complete without DLC? And what Call of Duty game is not complete without a DLC map pack? Thus, is the case with the most recent release of the of the Eclipse Map pack for Black Ops III. It should be a known fact that I have not played any of the other DLCs for any of the Call of Duty games, ergo any form of critical evaluation will be relative to the default maps in the game.
Let’s start off with Rift – a military complex situated right above molten lava (someone got the raw end of that deal). The beauty of rift is its intricacy in pathways, I’m not saying it’s the equivalent of Pan’s Labyrinth but it allows for some great firefights. It has a good blend of cover-rich indoor spaces and vertical outdoor zones. By vertical, I’m referring to the many wall-running spots it has littered around the map which allow for some great cinematic-esque gun-totting moments as well as tactical maneuvering since it’s a fast way to get behind enemies that are too close to your spawn points. It definitely was a point to note that, more times than not, the wall-run type of gamer was always the one dominating as this map thus subtly hint at the use of using that verticality as much as possible.
Spire was one of my personal favorite maps on this DLC. Going with the sub-theme of awkwardly placed locations, Spire is an airport located high up in the earth’s atmosphere. The indoor portions were oddly-reminiscent of the Terminal map from MW2. The most noticeable trait of this map is its open spaces, which would any sniper’s killing ground. There were plenty of times when half-way through a round, half of the players on the map would switch to snipers and all you could hear was boom of the rifle as the headshot count on your HUD would skyrocket. This would be considered a drawback but the map flowed so well that it still was accommodating to other types of players. There are plenty of ways to sneak up on the sniper nests, and plenty of ways to duck out of their cross-hairs. Another interesting bit about this map was its fluid incorporation of tight corners, which makes the player have a sense of urgency and focus because turning around those corners callously could be the end of your kill streak.
One of the most visually appealing maps on this DLC was Knockout. Its fusion of oriental elements with vibrant colours was nothing less than eye-catching. Chances are that while you’re running around the map trying to find a player to kill, half the time your eyes would wander to the peripherals just to soak in the detail and hues. This map espouses maneuverability with plenty of spots to wall-run and slide under, this complementing the fact that the firefights do tend to take place out in the open. There are indoor spots but those would be the map’s low point for they feel too cramped and narrow to allow for any real skill in gameplay, rather it just comes down to the luck of who got the most bullets embedded in the other person’s cranium while they flayed their weapon around frantically.
Verge is one of those maps that works great in some game modes and fails miserably in others. The map layout was very reminiscent of Borderlands with its use of junkyard themes and crumbling dusty debris lying everywhere. The beauty of Verge lies in that its focus is on close quarter’s battle. Many of the pathways did not allow for other routes of traversal, so it became common place to run into enemies down narrow cave tunnels and it all came down to who took the first headshot. It does incorporate some underwater bits but the majority of fights took place on solid land. Though the map is rich in cover, they are still open from many other sides, which is good because it makes the player become more aware of their surrounding when in the midst of a full-on assault. As mentioned earlier the only drawback is that this map has way too many chokepoints so it almost would disadvantage some teams depending on the game mode – this was especially true for the defending team in Escort.
The eclipse map pack also featured the next bit in DLC for the zombie mode for Black Ops III. Zetsubou No Shima sets you on an unknown island battling hordes of zombies. The map was much more eerie than its predecessors, it felt like an unholy amalgam between the first Predator movie and the Island of Dr.Moreau. As I explored the map with a sickening curiosity there was always this daunting feeling that something big and evil was lurking amongst the bushes.
All in all, with only the downside of one map that felt incomplete (Verge), this DLC is definitely a must try for any hardcore or casual Call of Duty gamer out there.
