With less than two months to go before Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 releases, fans of Activision's and Treyarch's forthcoming installment in the shooter series are surely ready to jump into the fray of the game's futuristic combat. Whether it's the FPS's award-winning multiplayer component, its solo-campaign's intricate dystopian narratives, or its fast-paced zombies mode, long-time fans and newcomers alike should be pleased with the results. However, Xbox owners might still be a tad miffed at the loss of their timed-exclusivity rights for the franchise.
After years of catering to Microsoft fans with first dibs on bonus content, a few months ago, Activision announced a partnership with Sony to deliver exclusive DLC to PlayStations before any other platforms. Not only did the deal offer up entry to Black Ops 3's beta to PlayStation users first, but it also went so far as to influence eSports matches to use PS4s for prospective tournaments centered around the game. Now, the association between Activision and Sony is set to bring even more materials that serve PlayStation fans, as Sony has revealed a Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 PS4 bundle with a 1 TB hard drive.
The limited edition PS4 package also offers hardcore Black Ops 3 fans the title's ember orange logo on the console's jet black case, with colored power and eject buttons, as well as three different emblems on the front. Each symbol represents a game mode — the SOG Skull is from the solo-campaign, the Winslow Accord faction logo references the title's story and one of the factions fans will represent in multiplayer, and “the mark” denotes zombies.
Plus, if fans buy the bundle, they'll get a DualShock 4 controller washed in gray and orange with a Roman numeral "III" logo painted on the right grip. Interestingly enough, should players wish to obtain the Black Ops 3 inspired peripheral separately, Sony will be selling it as a standalone item outside of the PS4 collection, but it hasn't been confirmed whether or not it will be available as an individual purchase immediately upon the limited edition console's release.
Perhaps the most appealing aspect of the bundle is its inclusion of the most popular multiplayer level in the franchise's history with the Nuketown map, which is now going by the rather contrived name "Nuk3town". Fans ought to be happy to know that the Black Ops 3 version of Nuketown isn't going to be a rote rehash of its previous incarnations, but completely re-imagined with more futuristic designs.
While the bundle is undoubtedly a great product for Call of Duty fans, its price tag is likely to give practically any gamer pause, as it's retail value is set at $449.99. However, the fee is certainly merited due to the content it's including. Not to mention, 1 TB of memory with the addition of a game, as well as a limited edition theme is a better than the Xbox One Elite console, which is $50 more expensive, and lacks a playable title. Nevertheless, it all boils down to player preference, but in terms of content in relation to cost, Sony's Black Ops 3 PS4 is clearly the better deal.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is set to release on November 6, 2015 for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, and the limited edition Black Ops 3 themed PS4 bundle will be available on the same day that the game goes on sale.