Can Black Ops Zombies ever get back to its peak? Did the Black Ops 6 Zombies move us closer, or further away from the games so many people used to adore, and what can Black Ops 7 learn from it all?
If you’re from my generation, you were blessed with some classic maps like Call of the Dead and Origins. I could list many more amazing settings, but it would be easier to mention the flops. Yet, the Zombies mode today is a shadow of its former self. So, I thought it would be a good idea to compare the two Black Ops 6 maps of Liberty Falls and Terminus to the heyday of the past and see if we can find out where Black Ops Zombies went wrong.
It Shouldn’t Take This Long to Start a Game of Zombies!
The problems start before you even enter the map. Years ago, you started every game of Zombies with a standard pistol. Now, you must pick your Loadout, with attachments and everything.
The thrill of finding yourself lost in a terrifying setting with just a pistol to protect you is lost. Instead, you’re instantly able to massacre the zombies at ease.
Then there is the equipment. Endless options of weaponry are available for you to use in your fight for survival. Endless options are too many options. Players used to have to buy equipment like Semtex grenades and Claymores from the wall. Now they can equip them before the game has begun. And don’t even get me started on the Gobblegum. That is a concept I just can’t get my head around. The original Zombies modes were brutal. Now they’re just way too easy.
It even took me a while to pick the character I wanted to play as. This was because all my options felt bland. It feels lazy to use the same characters from the Campaign and Multiplayer in the Zombies mode as well. You lose a lot of allure by having no interesting characters to invest in. Determined, I picked the coolest character I could find and loaded up Liberty Falls.
Why Black Ops 6 is a Step Backwards for the Zombies franchise
Do I need to address the elephant in the room? How can any Zombies game be played in the daylight? That’s like accepting that Liberty Falls has been created for players just to chill and farm XP for weapon upgrades. What else is the point? The blue sky certainly takes a lot away from the terrifying environment we’ve come to expect in zombie maps.
As soon as the game starts, an army man is talking in your ear, explaining how the Exfil works. Seconds after entering my first game, I’m already being told how to leave it. I have no idea what the man said because I was too preoccupied with toggling between first- and third-person mode. Third person is an interesting perspective to play Zombies from, but I opted for the first-person view I’ve always been used to.
The next items that caught my eye were the Ammo Crate and the Armour upgrade on the wall. You can pick up ammunition from Ammo Crates, which is useful, and means that you’re not so reliant on a Max Ammo dropping from zombies at random. Armour upgrades don’t feel as necessary, and I questioned why armour was needed at all.
The original Zombies games were very difficult, so having shields would have been useful. Whereas Black Ops 6 Zombies is quite forgiving. Ok, the zombies are a lot quicker than they used to be, and there is always one behind you. Disappointingly, you can no longer board up windows.
Yet, I felt like it would take a moment of real stupidity for me to get trapped by the horde of the dead.
Liberty Falls can be Very Deceiving at Times
Some things never change. Some of the same classic Perks like Juggernog and Speed Cola are scattered around the map, while the Mystery Box is still aching to mess me around with terrible guns. Instead of having to survive an angry pack of dogs for the Max Ammo rounds, it’s now angry spiders. Yes, it’s as terrifying as it sounds. You have to Pack-a-Punch your guns at the earliest opportunity. This is because the zombies become overly powerful in the early rounds, taking your standard guns way too many bullets to kill them.
As I explored Liberty Falls, I came across a zipline. It propelled me across the map, and I was shocked when I found myself on a roof with many exits. This made me complacent about how much time I had. Zombies surrounded me within seconds, and I was down. It took me a while to clear the dead from my path, but when I finally had some space, I revived myself and made my escape.
It was time to take things seriously.
I didn’t start the next round until I’d gained the Thrustodyne M23 (Thundergun) from the Mystery Box. The Manglers and Abominations can be a nuisance if you have weak weapons, but my Pack-a-Punched Kilo and Thundergun made light work of them. When I became bored with my success, I requested an Exfil. Unfortunately, the area I was required to kill the remaining zombies in was unbelievably small. I failed in my mission, and the helicopter assigned to save me succumbed to the overwhelming crowd of the dead. Whoops.
Why Terminus is an Improvement on Liberty Falls
Frankly, Terminus has a bit more of a story to it. You must follow instructions to turn the power on, meaning that you can’t instantly access the perks. Black Ops 6 is a major upgrade to the Zombies gameplay. It certainly wasn’t bad before, but everything does feel a lot faster and smoother than the original games. Even the Gobblegum came in handy when I’d run out of shields. A common problem in the modern game.
There were a few occasions where the sheer volume of zombies put me under severe pressure. ‘Oh no! What am I going to do?’ If you’re in any doubt, just throw yourself into the water. It works every time… until the water becomes toxic! Buying Speed Cola was pointless. I should’ve spent those points Pack-a-Punching my Kilo, as it was starting to feel like a BB Gun. Under great stress, I finally managed to upgrade one of my guns, and it was lethal. The only problem was that I never found a decent secondary weapon, so I was overrun in the end.
One thing I do love is how graphic Black Ops zombies still are. I choked on my own saliva when I witnessed a spider emerge from a dead zombie. Yuck! Then I was introduced to the terrifyingly named Nathan. The beast repeatedly pulled me towards it, inflicting agonising pain every time it touched me.
There was nothing I could do, and my game ended when he tore my limbs from my body. Oh, the trauma.
So, how do the Black Ops 6 Maps Compare to the Past? And what can Black Ops 7 do in the Future?
Liberty Falls and Terminus aren’t terrible maps; they just lack the personality to be considered good ones. You can certainly have fun playing Black Ops 6 Zombies, but you won’t be talking about the game ten years from now. It won’t even cross your mind because there is no interesting story to follow. Everything just feels stale.
Black Ops 7 could change things, though. To do that, the game must make some drastic changes. Without a rich narrative and interesting characters, you’re left to wonder what the point of the mode is. The gameplay has improved, but the game’s lack of personality means that any other improvements are meaningless.
Then there are the smaller details. Simplifying the game will stop players from being overwhelmed before they’ve even begun. Removing Armour from the game will increase the feeling of achievement. Lastly, the setting must be in the dark.
There is still so much potential for Call of Duty’s Black Ops Zombies, but if they don’t address these issues, then the amazing experiences of the past will stay in the past.
Verdict
My overall rating for Call of Duty’s Black Ops 6 Zombies is 5/10.
Thank you for reading my examination of a game mode I’ve always loved. Let me know in the comments what you miss about the original Zombies games, and let’s see what Black Ops 7 brings to the table.
The video for this review is on YouTube now. To watch:
If you enjoyed this blog post, why not share it with someone?
For more Gaming Reviews: