Does Black Ops 3 really look that bad on Xbox 360 & PS3?

Much has been made of the differences between the current and last-gen console versions of Black Ops 3, from the performance variables, concerns over DLC, and the entire lack of a campaign mode in the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.

But in the last few days it's emerged that the last-gen versions may not look the part either, even when compared with other Call of Duty titles on the same platform: early leaked videos appearing to show a game that looks far worse than its predecessors. Some have suggested that the footage - taken from PS3 and 360 - may be of a pre-release version, or captured without the day one patch installed. But with the final game now here and the 1.8GB day one 'Compatibility Pack' installed, does Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 really look that bad on last-gen consoles?

After testing the Xbox 360 version's multiplayer mode, initial impressions point to a quick and dirty port, with an inconsistent framerate that, while appearing to stick to 60fps for the most part, can tumble when emerging into open areas. Some maps appear to be more prone to performance issues than others. For example, heading into a funnel area built for mid-range engagement on Fringe saw the framerate dip considerably. Performance problems can occasionally rear their head even when nothing particularly taxing appears to be going on at all. At one point during our testing, simply looking at a wall caused the framerate to dive.

Please note: Our embedded videos are capped at 30fps and are not illustrative of Black Ops 3's performance. They are best used as a reference point for the game's lighting and texture work. The 60fps videos will be on our YouTube channel tomorrow.

While these issues are perhaps more infrequent than expected given Activision's earlier dialogue, the frame drops will be immediately noticeable to fans used to the slick, consistent framerate of earlier Call of Dutys, and can be off putting enough to detract from the gameplay.

Given the game's overall look, though, it's surprising to see any performance issues at all. Maps can often seem dull and washed out, with flat, low-res textures and bad lighting amounting to an underwhelming experience, even for last-gen. Combine, for example, a map current-gen players will have seen during Black Ops 3’s beta earlier this summer, looks particularly poor on Xbox 360, as highlighted in the video above. Animations, too, run at a curiously slow speed, with reload animations and ragdoll deaths looking out of place with what players may have come to expect from Call of Duty.

It all amounts to an aesthetic that makes the last-gen version of Black Ops 3 feel disappointingly cheap, far removed from the blockbuster production values of earlier games in the series. These versions were never expected to hit the heights of the PS4 and Xbox One offerings, but neither would we have reasonably expected them to look quite this bad.

To make matters worse, the last-gen versions of Black Ops 3 also come bundled with a digital copy of the original Black Ops, a five year old game that actually looks and performs far better than this year's offering. Firing it up for a brief comparison highlights how well Treyarch's original game still holds up on Xbox 360, with superior textures, improved lighting effects, a greater sense of ambience and a slick 60fps framerate. You can see how it compares in the video below.

That said, the last-gen version of Black Ops 3 remains entertaining, and if your only option is to pick it up on Xbox 360 and PS3, you're still getting a familiar, perfectly playable experience - however compromised it may be. It's hard to see players being satisfied with what's on offer here, though, and with the Xbox 360 rapidly approaching its 10th birthday, the last-gen version of Black Ops 3 serves as a stark reminder to players that now really is the time to make the jump to next-gen, and for publishers to stop cranking out underwhelming last-gen ports.