Black Ops 3

Treyarch · Activision

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is Treyarch's 2015 shooter set in the year 2065, and it holds up remarkably well for an older game. It came out on PS4, Xbox One and PC, so at a cafe you will mostly find it on PS4-era consoles or PCs through Steam. Black Ops 3 is remembered for three things. The first is its movement: thrust jumps, wall-running and power slides give multiplayer a fast, almost parkour feel. The second is Specialists, characters with signature weapons or abilities that charge up during a match. The third, and the reason many people still return to it, is Zombies. Maps like Shadows of Evil and, through the add-on packs, Der Eisendrache are some of the most loved round-based Zombies maps in the series, packed with secrets and Easter egg quests. Something often overlooked is that the campaign supports four-player co-op. It is a strange, ambitious story about cybernetic soldiers, and playing it with friends turns it into a lively mission-by-mission session. On PC, Black Ops 3 has a strong custom Zombies modding scene through the Steam Workshop, which means a cafe PC may give you access to fan-made maps. That depends on what the cafe allows, so ask first. Getting started: Use the wall-run to flank, but remember you are exposed while airborne. Pick a Specialist that matches your style; Ruin's Gravity Spikes are an easy, powerful pick for beginners. In Zombies, always repair the barriers in the early rounds for extra points, and hold off on opening doors until everyone has enough points to keep up. Time needed: Multiplayer matches run around ten minutes. A Zombies game can go for hours if your group is good. A co-op campaign mission takes 30 to 60 minutes. An evening of two hours fits a few rounds of everything. Who should play it: Fans of classic Zombies, groups who want a shooter that runs on older hardware, and anyone who misses the jet-pack era of Call of Duty. It is rated M.