4. Tranzit shares maps with Survival Mode
In a sneaky bit of cost-cutting, Treyarch has adapted areas from Tranzit to serve as maps in old-style Survival mode. They're not one and the same map, mind - in the words of lead designer Jimmy Zielinski (via G4) "the play spaces... have been retooled with new layouts and features sets that create a unique experience from the story mode."
5. Giving them Grief
Black Ops 2's Zombie Mode is the first supernatural offering in Treyarch history to run on the multiplayer engine, and thus supports far more players and zombies per match than its predecessors. Treyarch's taken advantage of this in the form of Grief, an asymmetrical match type which sees two four-man teams competing to last the longest. You can't shoot members of the other team, but you can trigger "Grief Events" to send more zombies the other side's way. Exactly what these events consist of has yet to be aired, but we're imagining a mix of actual terrain dynamics - gates which funnel the undead to different parts of the map - and global powers like reduced aiming speed or clip size.
6. It supports Theater Mode
So by all means re-enact the collected works of George Romero and Edgar Wright, if that's your bag.
7. Past Black Ops experience affects the storyline
Sounds like there's some Mass Effect style import action going on in Black Ops 2. According to Zielinski: "in the Zombies story mode, let's just say that if you joined us for [Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombie map] Moon, you'll find that a number of decisions that you made in the past will follow you into the apocalyptic setting you find yourself in here." As long as it doesn't involve corrupted face data, Jimmy, we're delighted with the idea.
8. There's a secret fourth game mode
Watchful types alert us to the presence of a telltale pie chart in this Call of Duty: Elite screenshot, showing how the player has spread his or her time between each Zombies Mode. The pie has four segments, but only three Zombie Modes have been announced. Blatant.
9. The guns will span time periods
Zielinski says we can expect "new near-future weapons, some faithful stand-bys and a few wunderweapons" in Black Ops 2's Zombies Mode. Here's hoping our old friend the Gersch Device from Black Ops: Rezurrection makes an appearance.
10. There's more to the ranking system than meets the eye
A final fanfare of intrigue to play us out. Treyarch has thrown together a new take on player ranking for Black Ops 2's Zombies Mode - ranks will serve as a "live reflection" of your ability rather than the sum total of your achievements, which "allows us to match-make based on skill and create better teams, which means better more consistent games". There's more to ranking than pairing people off with people they'll get on with, however. "With everything Zombies, there is also a bit of mystery embedded in the ranking system so fans might discover something extra as well." Keep an eye out.
13 comments so far...
Thane64 on 29 Oct '12 said:
This is the first time i've been excited for a CoD game
RetroDad on 30 Oct '12 said:
Ditto.. Also, the first time I'm buying one!
bamozzy on 30 Oct '12 said:
I must admit I have been excited by the annual release of a CoD game before. However this is the first time I have been excited by all aspects of a CoD game. ALL previous CoD Games we have known what to expect (in general) with a few new additions - mainly to the MP part. The campaigns have always been a linear, cinematic experience but now has a branching storyline and the Strike Force Missions look like an interesting addition giving us more freedom in how we play. Multi-player has been updated too - perks now affect the player ONLY and Attachments improve the weaponry. There is more focus on Objective based play (which suits me). Zombies has also been improved and expanded on - now on the MP engine allowing more game modes, zombies and players.
In recent years, I would never have thought a CoD game could challenge for a GOTY game (due to the lack of any real advancement) however Black Ops 2 to me has that potential. Granted it may not be the best graphically (however I do think it is the best looking CoD game and running smoothly at 60fps) but it is one of the few games this year that I am really looking forward to playing all aspects. Other top games excel in one main are (SP or MP - not usually both!). Black Ops 2 has me excited to play all aspects - SP, MP and Zombies - the hardest decision will be what to play first when I get my pre-ordered Hardened edition!
left4bread93 on 30 Oct '12 said:
The only COD game I played was blops and i only really enjoyed playing the zombies mode so is great to see that they've expanded on that
EdDeRs1 on 31 Oct '12 said:
look, just announce that Bruce Campbell will lend his awesome manly voice to this game and you've got another per-order right here
RpiesSPIES on 2 Nov '12 said:
o.o A possible 4th game mode? I'm even more interested now
and I didn't even think I COULD be more interested... So glad that there's a rating system, though. Tired of being set up with people that only survive up to round 8.... and not because the leaderboards are bugged or because of being screwed over by teammates. /excited
Tayla on 15 Nov '12 said:
I went to the midnight release of this game. I was so stoked to play it. I loved the first zombie mode in black ops and I just couldn't wait to play this. And then I did. I really, really wanted to like this game, I wanted to love it. But in all aspects of it, it just disappointed me. Everything that was good about the first one, they destroyed in this new one. The movements are stiff. There's about half as many guns then what was in the first one, and they put in the shittiest guns. You can't find a gun off the wall to save your life. The level design is just so pathetic. I loved the themes in the first game. Now each of the levels are exactly the same. A farm on fire, a city on fire, some lab thing on fire. They all look the same and are incredibly tiny. And since when did human bodies explode? It's a challenge to get past level six just because the game is rigged towards the zombies. I want to use skill in this game but it's removed that aspect of the game and turned it all towards luck. I was very disappointed -_-
Burn on 15 Nov '12 said:
Uhhh, why wouldn't these places be on fire? Who are you Frankenstien? "Fire bad!"
angsetts on 28 Nov '12 said:
I'm in total agreement with Tayla.. I'm disappointed with this edition of Zombies. The constant fire really irritates me. Would have been much better for it to somehow be random instead of constant.. Plus, selection of guns off the wall is LAME. You make it really hard for people with great skill to survive!!!
Make on 6 Dec '12 said:
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xChrisx on 7 Jan '13 said:
I would like to say...Those are the most retarded reasons i seen all day. The level design is perfect, i mean, when a zombie Apocalypse comes.... i wanna see you survive for 10 years and see lava everywhere....it's called a end of a era. If you can't get past Round 6 then you must really suck at zombies because you are a noob just like the others who sucks at the game. I'm not trying to sound like a jack ass, but i'm just saying that that's complete bullshit reasons. Nazi zombies are gone now . The guns aren't really that shitty, The MK14, SMG, And Olympia are the same guns from the first that are still on the walls, so really i don't know why your complaining about the weapons on the walls. The only gun in the mystery box that is truely shitty is the single fire guns (not the FAL).
FishyGinger on 7 Jan '13 said:
Frankenstein was the creator - not the monster. It's a common misconception, held by all truly stupid people.
Tech7Journalist on 9 Jan '13 said:
I have to agree with Angsetts and Tayla. I was very excited about Zombies, but was let down badly. I can play BOPS zombies all day, but BOPS2 version can barely get past level 6... shotgun just doesn't cut it, and that MK-14 EBR doesn't do crap unless you are going straight headshots, which to be fair in the Walk Dead you have to shoot the head, I got it...and if that's the case, don't put like 15 zombies running at me , can't shoot all in the head. If they were to move slower, perhaps it'd be easier, let you explorer the world with zombies...but not so damn many, atleast not with shitty weapons that suck after level three. I even got some weird alien gun, shot green blobs, real nice, but still wasn't powerful enough. All i want to do is get that damn lawnmover, and build a gun turret....