So now we have some insight into just what kind of crazy new zombie splattering madness Treyarch have been fitting together for us, and I don’t think anyone was expecting this. The official trailer went live a couple of days ago and gamers were shocked and delighted to learn that the new characters are a team of Hollywood ass-kickers.
The new cast is populated by the famous faces of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Robert Englund, Michael Rooker, and Danny Trejo. With such a dramatic change in the characters, we can expect a vastly different and very fresh dynamic to the zombie butchering banter. No doubt it’s all going to be hilarious. But this step away from the original zombie team creates a pattern (Kino- traditional characters, 5- new ones, Ascension – traditional, Call Of The Dead – new ones) which could indicate that the next DLC will offer a map starring the grizzly four who started the original zombie mode.
So what can we decode from the footage Activision have so kindly given us? The most obvious thing that gamers will get excited about is the flash appearance of a new weapon. Obviously this is going to be added to the ‘wonder weapon’ family and will boast some special voodoo to aid you survive the horde. Rumours on the Black Ops forums whisper that it will enable players to zap zombies back into their human form (but will also presumably kill them) in a creative twist to the arsenal.
Naturally we must ask whether the additional perks and grenades featured in Ascension will make a return in Call Of The Dead, and there is no guarantee that they will. I’d say it’s more likely the new perks will be included but not necessarily the special grenades, but that’s just my gut feeling. If they have chosen to keep the Ascension stuff corked, then we might even discover brand new machines.
It’s obvious from the trailer that we will be running about and blowing heads off on a frozen island (in Siberia…typical), but it seems that the zombie crowd are going to be getting a new ‘pirate/sailor zombie’ member to try and tear your limbs off. Lovely. The map will probably start with players somewhere on the anchored ship at the shore (judging from the amount of footage on the actual ship in the trailer) of the mysterious and icy wasteland (currently looking like an abandoned research station of some description).
We can also see glimpses of caves, spring platforms, and zip lines all of which support the suggestion that players will be able to get off the ship and onto the island itself. Just how big either of these are, is unclear, but at least we know the double tap root beer is on the ship (cue weak applause)….does anyone actually use it, just out of interest?
So we can confidently say we will get to play around with totally new mechanical functions within the zombie cannon and that the new mini boss (Hellhounds, Pentagon Thief, Monkeys) is none other than the mentioned George Romero. The famous director seems to rise out of the sea when the tide is right and presumably hunts down the player for stompy-killy purposes – whether or not he will require some special tactic to defeat, or whether he will cause anything odd to happen is currently unclear, but he looks big. Oh and he seems to be wielding some sort of electric hammer, hmm.
As always this map will be hiding many secrets; there is almost certainly a song players can somehow activate, a narrative driven Easter egg and maybe even a few more unique surprises. It’s not long now till Xbox 360 owners can purchase the map along with the 4 new multiplayer maps – but I somehow think that this icy swirl of blood and blue will be the selling point. Until then we can try and figure out how big Call Of The Dead is, what that Portal-esque gun does, what else besides the perk machines does the power turn on, and um, pretty much everything else.
Check out our infamous library of Black Ops Zombie guides for all manner of slaughtering DIY tips.
‘Five’
