The return of Black Ops is here, as Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is now available digitally and at global retailers worldwide.
Early review scores indicate the franchise continues its upward trend since Call of Duty: Ghosts first arrived on the PS4 and Xbox One a couple of years ago.
The PS4 version of the game is averaging an 84 according to Metacritic. This is up a point over Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and up 6 points over the PS4 version of Ghosts.
It appears the three years development time is paying off for Activision, so far. That said, lets see how sales figures stack up in a couple of months.
Read our official Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 review here.Â
Call of Duty: Black Ops III introduces a future where the line between man and machine is blurred, granting players with powerful abilities and an all-new momentum-based, chained movement system that completely redefines the way you play.
The title showcases the possibilities of Activision’s three-year development cycle for Call of Duty, as developer Treyarch has delivered a series of innovations across all modes of play, and the most content-rich game in Call of Duty history, including next gen features such as online play across all modes, extensive choice based gameplay, a suite of customization features, full eSports integration, bonus games and more.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III propels players forward to a future world dominated by cutting-edge technology, where bio-technology and cybernetic enhancements have given rise to a new breed of Black Ops soldier. In true Black Ops fashion, the operator of 2065, armed with an array of high-tech weaponry and powerful bio-technical abilities, is equipped to take on enemies, human and mechanical, through an adrenaline-filled narrative on next gen platforms that can be played solo or co-operatively with up to four players.  The storytellers at Treyarch have pulled out all the stops in their twisted and dark take on the future – informed and inspired by scientific discoveries and advances of today.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III introduces players to the non-stop action of next-generation Call of Duty multiplayer with the new momentum-based, chained movement system. Â Black Ops III’s guns-up philosophy for movement and combat delivers the best of the franchise’s frenetic multiplayer experience, providing a perfect blend of fluid movement, verticality and classic boots-on-the ground action.
Black Ops III also introduces a new Specialist system to Call of Duty multiplayer, which lets players choose from nine elite Black Ops soldiers, each with their own look, personality, voice and battle-hardened weapons and abilities, fundamentally changing the way players engage in combat. Â Each Specialist has a full collection of character customization unlocks, supporting the deepest player progression systems to-date.
In addition, on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, the all-new Gunsmith gives fans the ability to build weapons that support their own play styles, and the Weapon Paint Shop provides tools to express the player’s unique identity with custom paint jobs.  The Weapon Paint Shop takes Black Ops’ fan-favorite emblem editor functionality to the next level, supporting the ability to paint three sides of every gun with 64 emblem layers per side.  It’s the most robust suite of player personalization tools to date, allowing players to express their creativity with custom camos and attachment sets for every gun.
Source: Press Release and Metacritic