Black Ops 2 Zombies Mode - 10 things you need to know

Map counts, secret modes, item-crafting and more

You're looking a little tense, Call of Duty. Like you're sitting on a secret of some kind. I think I can guess the nature of that secret. Oh, your close-cropped scalp and rifle-mounted PDA scream "military shooter", but is that a touch of gangrene I notice hanging off your ear? A peppering of large intestine around your mouth? And what's this pressing, inescapable stench of decay and pestilence? Come to think of it, why are you eating my leg?

Treyarch's Black Ops 2 is a welcome refresh for all sorts of reasons. The new multiplayer Wildcards, for instance, are designed to play havoc with the class system handed down from Infinity Ward. The presence of bonkers-sounding real-time strategy missions, meanwhile, should make for a more replayable campaign. But it's the new, improved Zombies Mode which promises to really blow the competition out of the water, smearing sizzling hot undead action across an apocalyptic open world. Here's some more info to chew on.

Update: The latest Call of Duty is now on sale. Read our Black Ops 2 review, and commit these Black Ops 2 Zombies tips to memory. Here's a guide to regular Black Ops 2 multiplayer, too - Treyarch helped us write it.

Click to view larger image

1. The bus is your fortress

Black Ops 2 Zombie Mode's centrepiece is Tranzit, the aforesaid open world mash-up. It breaks down into five maps - a bus terminal, a roadside diner, a farm, a power plant and a city - linked by roads which can be traversed on foot (if you're feeling adventurous in a suicidal kind of way) or by way of a roaring great rust-covered bus, bristling with makeshift defences. I'm not sure you'll be able to drive the bus, but you sure as hell can defend it - zombies will clamber up the sides, break through the windows and even stand on the roof. The hope is that you'll be able to customise the vehicle, spending cash on things like barricades, as you would a Black Ops map.

2. You don't have to be where the action is (but you probably will be)

We're told that players will be able to roam freely across the world of Tranzit, regardless of what their comrades are doing. Splitting up could be to your team's advantage at times, as it's suggested that returning map fixtures like the weapon-randomising Mystery Boxes will move around, even jumping between areas.

3. Building for a better tomorrow

There comes a time in any post-apocalyptic scenario - a time to declare an end to all the shooting and stabbing and melting, a time to rebuild. If it helps, you'll be able to shoot/stab/melt things by building in Black Ops 2's Zombies Mode. Treyarch has expanded the map unlock system of prior Zombies Modes into what smells strongly like a Dead-Island-esque crafting system. You can rip the doors off cars, for instance, strap them to a frame and use the results as a riot shield (by the looks of the video below, the services of a workbench of some description will be required). Some of these "buildables" will be portable, some won't, some are for zombie-bopping and some aren't. It's all pleasantly mysterious.

1 2 Next page

Comments

13 comments so far...

  1. This is the first time i've been excited for a CoD game :D

  2. Ditto.. Also, the first time I'm buying one!

  3. 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! :twisted:

  4. 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 :)

  5. look, just announce that Bruce Campbell will lend his awesome manly voice to this game and you've got another per-order right here

  6. o.o A possible 4th game mode? I'm even more interested now :D 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

  7. 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 -_-

  8. Burn on 15 Nov '12 said:

    Uhhh, why wouldn't these places be on fire? Who are you Frankenstien? "Fire bad!"

  9. 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!!!

  10. love this app http://bit.ly/TGFu5G if your fan of black ops 2 you need this app trust me

  11. 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 -_-

    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).

  12. Uhhh, why wouldn't these places be on fire? Who are you Frankenstien? "Fire bad!"

    Frankenstein was the creator - not the monster. It's a common misconception, held by all truly stupid people.

  13. 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!!!

    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....