While many of us were living our unrewarding lives last week, two titans of the video game industry were unleashed to the world. Each changed the pop culture landscape in their own right, restructuring the expectations of audiences for generations to come. As is common with internet society, two warring camps of fandom were established prior to release. Their vicious disagreements can be seen in millions of Facebook post, thousands of YouTube comments sections, and at least one Classmates.com profile. But most looked on in horror, knowing the potential devastation of this debate could rip apart the very fabric of society and hurl us towards a new social order.
As an objective video game writer, I must attempt to compare and contrast these two masterpieces and conclude on a superior. Though I am fully aware of the dangers, my duty to the gamers outweighs personal safety. The question must finally be answered.
Which is better: Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 or Barbie & Her Sisters: Puppy Rescue
Presentation
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
As the third entry for the current generation of console hardware, Black Ops 3 is packed with impressive visual effects and highly detailed environments. While some of the more bombastic events of the campaign do see framerate drops, the majority of the Multiplayer and Zombies modes perform at a near steady 60fps on the PlayStation 4. Expertly performed voice acting can deliver some occasionally constrained lines, but the actors commitment to the roles keep the tone consistent. Realistic textures and particle effects do a great job of establishing a recognizable, though undeniable pessimistic future. Black Ops 3’s production budget bleeds through nearly every multiplayer map, character model design, and pulse-heightening sound effect. It’s simply one of the best looking game currently available on this generation of consoles.
Barbie & Her Sisters: Puppy Rescue
3rd party games don’t often come to Nintendo’s Wii U these days, but Barbie & Her Sisters: Puppy Rescue has thankfully made the jump. Featuring the familiar face of Barbie (and her sisters), fans of the famed doll will be delighted to see her ride her pink bicycle at 24 fps. Though character models can occasionally pass through each other in a ghostly fashion during cutscenes, it’s worth it just to see the happy faces of the near identical pups. But what really separates Barbie from Call of Duty is the use of a real world pictures. Friends of Barbie will randomly text her photos of their dogs.
Winner: Barbie & Her Sisters: Puppy Rescue
As incredible as Black Ops 3’s graphics are, they can't match the fidelity of the real world. Barbie & Her Sisters: Puppy Rescue has pictures of real dogs. Enough said. Or should I say, RUFF said!
Gameplay
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
For the most part, Black Ops 3 continues the tried and true gameplay of its predecessors. Run, look down your sights, and shoot. But it’s the simplicity of the Call of Duty series that invites new concepts and mechanics. Evolving Advanced Warfare’s air jumping, Black Ops 3 allows players to wall run, slide boots, and double jump to platforms with its futuristic approach to military equipment. This results in some noticeable differences to level design such as the complete removal of ladders and far more multi-floor buildings. Treyarch’s signature take on multiplayer loadouts returns, allowing players to customize their weapons with the 10 point system. Want an extra feature on your assault rifle? Just remove your pistol from your inventory. The combination of perks, guns, and killstreaks is just as deep and rewarding as the prior Black Ops entries.
Black Ops 3 is simply packed with ways to play. The game’s campaign can be played traditionally solo or with 3 other players. Multiplayer features dozens of modes including the popular Team Deathmatch, Domination, and hardpoint . Zombies makes a return with a unique noir storyline that resembles the works of EC Comics. Taking out the undead provides players with currency to purchase weapons and ammunition during their run. If you’re still itching for more Call of Duty, Black Ops 3 one of the best in the series.
Barbie & Her Sisters: Puppy Rescue
Being a single player game, Barbie doesn’t have the robust selection of multiplayer options but it does contain up to three sisters. The initial focus of the title is for Barbie to locate lost puppies from different areas of the town. Once discovered, players perform a series of minigames such as directing pups with a flashlight or coaxing them out of a trashcan with bones. Then it’s up to Chelsea, Stacie, and Skipper to remove fleas, clip nails, and perform dental surgery before finding a new home for these playful puppies. It’s also worth noting this game is based off the upcoming straight-to-DVD film of the same name. If you’re concerned with spoilers, see the movie first.
Winner: Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
With the recent trend of many series abandoning multiplayer, it’s amazing to see an annualized franchise like Call of Duty continue to deliver such a solid package. While each gameplay section retains the core run and shoot gameplay, the variety in objective and presentation keep it from feeling repetitive.
Conclusion
Winner: The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy’s Grand Adventure
Yes, the darkhorse candidate has won and for good reason. While Barbie & Her Sister: Puppy Rescue does feature real dogs, Snoopy’s Grand Adventure stars a real cartoon dog. Black Ops 3’s bursts with multiplayer options but Snoopy allows a second player to control Woodstock. In fact, without Woodstock it’s very difficult to collect all 300 jelly beans. That’s right, there are over 300 jelly beans to collect in EVERY single stage. Plus Snoopy can use his ears like a helicopter, it’s totally crazy. And he can wear costumes to climb vines. I only played about an hour of it but I’m pretty sure it’s the best.
