'Black Ops III' campaign is a strange trip

Call of Duty: Black Ops III takes mind games to the extreme.

The newest installment in Activision's multibillion-dollar video game franchise still leads players on an exhilarating international escapade. But some of the most intriguing sections in the game's campaign story mode take place in the main character's mind. Or do they?

Black Ops III is set in the year 2065, 40 years after the events in Black Ops II, released in 2012. The repercussions from the attack that occurred then — the U.S.'s own high-tech weapons were turned against it — have led to a pendulum shift towards boots on the ground as opposed to eyes in the skies.

But these futuristic black ops soldiers have some onboard upgrades that include super-powered limb replacements and implanted direct neural interfaces (DNIs). This DNI connects to the brain and spinal column, transforming troops into Wi-Fi fighters who can connect to each other wirelessly and share information about the battlefield, as well as interface with computer systems.

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Your unnamed character gets a DNI after being severely wounded in an early battle. (Note to parents: at the outset of the game, you can opt for a less graphic version of the game, which is rated "Mature" for ages 17-up.)

Subsequently, your squad is sent to a CIA black site in Singapore, the last location that another team of cyber-soldiers checked in. Your mission is to discover what happened to them. Subsequently, you discover that the network connecting DNIs has been corrupted and, along with your squad mate Hendricks, try to figure out who is at fault.

A wide variety of targets await you. Human battlefield foes are tougher to bring down than in previous games.

So too are the ever-present Terminator-like droids that often sidestep your weapon fire; flying rapid-firing drones also buzz in 360-degree patterns to avoid being targeted. And you may learn to dread the electric shaver-sounding whrrr of the rolling RAPs (Robotic Anti-Personnel Sentry), circular drones that explode on contact. Beyond that there's several tough giant mechs and airborne ships that prevent your passage.

You quickly learn to outfit your combat kit with appropriate powers in the new safe house, a place where you can return between missions. There you choose your weapons and cybernetic powers that let you disable enemy robots and turrets with electric charges and energy waves. You can also stash collectibles you've scavenged along the way.

I played the game solo and in chronological order on the regular setting (there's five difficulty levels to choose from). But you can play the story mode in any order and cooperatively with another player. A player, if they have gone farther in the game, can share weapons with the other, helping them progress.

I also chose to play the story as a female soldier, an option available for the first time in a Call of Duty game. I customized my character to look a bit like battle-worn Uma Thurman. She looked as realistic as did the main characters based on actors Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: SVU), Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), and Sean Douglas (Days of Our Lives).

Development studio Treyarch had three years to build Black Ops III and it shows. Beyond the smarter AI enemies, the environments are sharp and scintillating with striking depth and detail amid mood-setting atmospherics.

Storm clouds ominously hang in a Singapore sky as dust and other scraps blow past in near typhoon-strength winds. Rampant overgrown greenery overtakes a massive abandoned laboratory that you infiltrate. Vibrant street fires illuminate battle-torn streets. Visibility is hampered by the sandy skies when you enter the cockpit for a whirling air assault of a monolithic military installation in an Egyptian desert. And the brain-twisting finale could serve as the setting for a black metal album cover.

Characters move fluidly and the sound envelops and adds to the experience.

Despite Black Ops III's blockbuster settings, players who are fans of intricately-plotted TV shows such as The Blacklist and Homeland will feel right at home here. An overarching issue that plays out: the ethics — and repercussions — of embedded and networked technology.

At a certain point in the game, rather than worry about the intentions behind the characters and entities, I just went with the flow, focusing on objectives and zeroing in on targets.

Head games have been among the devices used in previous Black Ops games but here the writers at Treyarch push toward an especially surrealistic conclusion. I happily went with them down the rabbit hole for a rousing thrill ride.

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Treyarch

Platform(s): PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Xbox One, PCs

Price: $59.99 and more for limited edition versions

Rating: M for Mature, ages 17-up

Release Date: Nov. 6

Score: 3.5 out of 4

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider