Call of Duty: Black Ops III - XBOX 360 (2015) / F1 / Zombies Mode & Freerun Mode / Limited Online

Описание: First off (while still undoubtedly fun nonetheless), both of these inferior versions of 'COD: Black Ops III' on the XBOX 360 / PS3 are a relatively mixed-bag when it comes to playing online. Now, before diving any deeper into further explanations regarding the whole "Limited Online Functionality" ordeal, problems from these somewhat shaky ports mostly stems from the aforementioned game's lack of support from the developers - plus, the online services' aging infrastructure. Basically in a nutshell... some things still sorta' work and some things just don't - and even the aspects that do happen to function okay yet... well, still have ongoing issues.

Just a quick note to address... I haven't had enough time yet to delve / experience every last game mode & feature (both online and local) that these two console versions provide. Moreover, some of this discussion will merely be pointing-out other gamers' own personal experiences and random information that I researched on the good ol' interweb. Either way, I DEFINITELY don't have all the answers or enough personal time spent with these titles to understand everything fully.

With that being said, there's definitely some good news right off the bat. If you're simply looking to spend some time offline with the 'Multiplayer, Freerun or Zombies Modes' (sadly, no Campaign was included with these versions), most of this content will still be functional to some degree. The only sorta' caveat, is that your gamertag / profile must be signed into either XBOX LIVE or the PSN Network when initially firing-up the game to play, since a few 'Compatibility Packs' automatically force an update of sorts. Plus, these games kinda' require players to be "signed into" these online services just to even reach the 'Black Ops III Main Menu'. From there however, you can merely switch back-and-forth between the offline local play or the online section (from in-game) on the fly.

Of both the 360 and PS3 versions, the PlayStation 3 port definitely has more "Online Functionality" available between the two. While both of these iterations (at one point) had 2 DLC Packs to purchase from their respective Storefronts, only the PS3 still sells this downloadable content any longer, since the XBOX 360 Marketplace was nixxed back in summer of 2024. Furthermore, the online Zombies Mode on the PS3 still works and can be played with others - while the 360's Zombie Mode lacks any online functionality whatsoever and is basically no longer a viable option on that system.

In regards to the Multiplayer features within the two (aka Team Deathmatch, Free For All, etc.), the XBOX 360 no longer provides online compatibility. Now, here's where it gets interesting. The PlayStation 3's online servers still remain, but have been nothing but a broken mess for the last few years (since around 2022-2023 or so). For most folks looking to Prestige once last time... well, good luck.

While recently experimenting myself, the online section DEFINITELY freezes-up whenever using an 'Unlock Token' to ultimately choose a Specialist for the first time. Now, apparently this can be circumvented if you have an older account (without a name change and have already played BO3's Online Multiplayer on PS3 before), but who really knows the exact details of this whole debacle. Some people (grizzled veterans no doubt) have reported they can still play, while others (like myself) can't even create an online session from the get-go.

All in all, if you're planning on picking-up a copy of 'Call of Duty: Black Ops III', the XBOX ONE & PlayStation 4 versions are UNQUESTIONABLY the way to go if you crave the "definitive" experience. However, there's still plenty to enjoy in these rather "bare-bones" editions that were released during the tail-end of the seventh generation of consoles... despite the incessant vitriol spouted from many gamers when harkening back to this time period of BO3's release.

Honestly, both the 360 / PS3 versions are still pretty solid titles and play just fine for the most part. Unfortunately, these specific games lack any sorta' Campaign within (other than the story associated with Zombies Mode) and are plagued with technical hiccups that can obviously hinder the overall experience in many ways. But hey, for a mere $5 bucks a piece at my local 'GameStop Retro' section, they're definitely worth a glance - if only for the nostalgia alone. Sheesh, I would rather have a lackluster port of 'Black Ops 3' on these older systems, than no port at all... but that's just me and my gamer mentality.