Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Zombies Review

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Zombies Review

 

 

Black Ops 2 Zombies. A very interesting topic. I must start by explaining that there are things I absolutely love about Black Ops 2 Zombies, but there are things that everybody seems to hate. Zombies has come a long way since the debut of Nacht der Untoten in World at War, and become more and more popular as it continued. Personally, I originally planned to get Black Ops 2 simply because of the Zombies, as I was extremely impressed by Black Ops 1 zombies, I thought that Black Ops 2 zombies would be even better. Whether it is or not is debatable.

As far as I am aware, Black Ops 2 zombies leads directly onwards from the Black Ops 1 Moon Easter egg, which was where two missiles were directed towards Earth to destroy it from the Moon map, which was included in the final map pack. This is why all of the non-DLC maps in Black Ops 2 consist of lots of Lava and fire on the ground. I'm sorry to say that I found this to be the first negative point for Zombies. I think that the creators of the new batch of Zombies maps were trying to give the players a different feel to the setting - to create a more apocalyptic atmosphere. I actually found the atmosphere quite effective, what I find most unsatisfying is the cracks of lave on the ground of the maps. When walked on, the cracks set you on fire and injure you, and even set the zombies on fire, so that when you kill them they usually explode and damage you further! This is extremely irritating and has been the cause of death many times during the game. However, this definitely should not put you off it, because once you move past the initial irritation of it, you get used to it and can become a fun challenge during gameplay. They have also reintroduced some beloved Black Ops 1 guns such as the Galil and the raygun, which are all time favoutires, as well as adding some new guns like my two new favourites, the RPD and the HAMR, although sadly the RPD is not available in the rest of the game. However, I would have loved to see some more of the old guns like the AK47 or the Famas. Maybe these will be in a map pack at some point? Developers have also added different game modes such as Turned, which was included in a DLC, and allows a player to become a zombie! Very cool, but for those who prefer original zombies, there are original modes.

 

Tranzit/Bus Depot:

Tranzit is basically a new game mode created in Black Ops 2 that actually allows you to travel through all three of the maps in the game, plus a few extra ones specifically for Tranzit. You start in the Bus Depot map, which is a small but effective map to play on it's own, probably meant for solo play. You begin in the building and discover a new addition to zombies gameplay: parts. There are hidden parts to collect throughout all of Tranzit, and can be built at particular table. For example, in the Bus Depot, you find parts to build a turbine which, when activated, can be used to open doors. There are also parts that can be added to other things, like the bus you get on to travel to other maps. If you find the parts for it, you can open the hatch to the roof or add a ladder to get to the roof. I think that this is a very clever addition to the gameplay, which can give the player other focuses than just killing zombies. Very clever. Between the maps, they have also added a new kind of creature to fight, which spawns out of the ground behind you and clings to your head while tearing at your face. You must knife the creature to be rid of it, which again I think is an interesting feature. Overall, Tranzit is a very compelling game mode which is the best when playing with friends, and Bus Depot is a fun little map to practise your skills on.

 

 

Town:
Town, at this time, is my favourite map. I see it as the main map of the game, as it seems to be the centre stop in Tranzit. It is the largest single map of the three, and contains a good amount of perks, which include Jugganog, Speed Cola, Double Tap, Quick Revive, Stamin-Up, and Tombstone, which are very useful. I love the layout of the map, and the whereabouts of the Random Box, and I also love the structure of the building, because there is always a gap that allows you to jump back into the town, so this provides a good spot to sit and shoot. The very worst bit about the map - as with all of them - is the extreme amounts of lava in the ground. Town probably contains the most, with huge puddles of it in certain places, with the Pack-A-Punch right in the middle of one (Thanks Treyarch!).
However, lava aside, Town is a very effective and addictive map that engages the player and is great fun with a friend or two. Ibrahim and myself have just completed a gameplay video of this map (whith more soon to come) which will be on the website shortly. Or just go to TheTechnoiders on youtube.

Farm:




 



Farm is a very interesting map that you will definitely need help with by friends. It is a very small map, although bigger than Bus Depot, in which you can go into a house to get a random box or buy Jugganog or use the fridge, which is another feature added by the developers that allows you to store guns in the fridge so that you may use them in another game. This is similar to the bank in Town on Tranzit, where you can deposit money to use in another game. I think that this is a very clever idea that can really help players who are trying to reach the higher levels. In Farm, you can also go into a barn to buy another perk, or just to fight off zombies at the barriers. Disappointingly, Farm also has lava, but not nearly as much as town, which is quite helpful. Because it is a small map, the player must be very skilled at manoeuvring through rooms and hordes of zombies and be very quick to escape some spots, which I think makes Farm one of the biggest challenges of the game. Some may like this, some may not.

Overall:
I think that it is clear that the developers of Zombies have put a lot of effort into the new batch, and that the game has very well designed and challenging maps with clever new features like parts or the bank. I think that Black Ops 2 Zombies is definitely for parties of players that want to have good fun and challenge themselves in the different maps. However, I personally think that at this time, Black Ops 1 zombies is still the best (mostly because of the amazing maps) and that Black Ops 2 zombies is slightly ruined by the excessive amounts of irritating lava that can affect your score. However, the Upcoming DLC maps could change everybody's views...

Don't forget to check out TheTechnoiders on Youtube which has some great Black Ops 2 Zombies gameplay that will be on here shortly, and many other gaming videos.