Call of Duty Black Ops Rezurrection [360, PS3] Review

Posted by Trace Aber on 09.02.2011

The Zombies story is completed.


Game: Call of Duty Black Ops: Rezurrection Map Pack
Genre: First Person Shooter
Players: 1-4
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Rated M for Mature

Most people have a love/hate relationship with the Call of Duty franchise, with the debate growing stronger on both sides with each iteration of the series released. One of the major arguments you hear against CoD is the frequency of downloadable content and, more importantly, the price point. Many people feel that $15 is not a good price for five maps (four multiplayer maps and one zombies map) with no extra bells and whistles. The latest game in the series, Black Ops, just released its fourth DLC package, though this time they switched things up: for the first time every map included in the DLC would be a zombies map.

Whether or not the value of this package is solely based on your love for zombies. When the mode debuted as an award for defeating World at War my friends and I were instantly hooked. Treyarch would then go on to release three other maps through DLC, Verrückt, Shi No Numa and Der Riese, each one being better than the last. On the surface the mode offered little more than “shoot zombies until you die,” but it was actually much more than that.

With the addition of the new maps, Treyarch was able to turn a bonus addition into a full-fledged mode worth advertising. There’s a story arc seen throughout the levels that is revealed through Easter eggs and tiny, often hidden details. The four zombie maps mentioned above lay the foundation for the story, while the pack’s only new content, Moon, finishes the story.



If you plan to last for any decent length you’ll have to work together as a team. There is a solo mode option, but you’re cutting yourself short. Ideally, you’d like a team of four smart players who have a basic understanding of the map, or at the very least are willing to learn. Zombies come at you in waves entering through various weak spots that you must protect and board up to keep them out. Once the zombies inevitably break in you and your team must maneuver around the map, opening up doors and clearing debris. This grants you access to power ups and more space, but also more zombies.

For those of you who haven’t played the original World at War maps, I highly suggest picking this up. Shi No Numa and Der Riese are two of my favorite zombie maps of all time, and being able to play them again was great. Players who are used to or have only played the newer maps may find these to be a bit simplistic, but that’s why I love them. Sure, you have traps and tricks you can use, but it’s basically just you, your friends and unlimited zombies wanting your brains.

From the cramped hallways of Nacht der Untoten to the haunted halls of Verrückt, from the muddy swamps of Shi No Numa and the secrets of Der Riese, each zombie map is entirely different and yet has a strange sense of familiarity. It’s also a great way to see how the series has progressed, starting with the near feature-less Nacht der Untoten to what is perhaps the final zombies map, Moon.

Moon may be, for all intents and purposes, the greatest zombie map Treyarch has ever produced. You start out in Area 51, directly in front of a Pack-a-Punch machine. Instead of upgrading your weapon, however, you’ll want to rush to the teleporter that, you guessed it, takes you to the moon. My first few times playing I actually died in under a minute – I wasn’t aware I should have ran up to the teleporter, nor was I aware that I needed to put on my space suit so I could breathe. Yeah, it makes sense in retrospect, but the best part of zombies is they rarely hand-hold you, and instead expect you to figure everything out for yourself.

As one would imagine on the moon there is zero gravity. Running for two long will cause your character to lunge forward, sometimes directly in front of a pack of wild, flesh-eating zombies. The zombies are also affected by the lack of gravity and will sometimes float in the air, and in a kind of beautiful moment, you’ll shoot their brains out and watch them fly backwards. Don’t get too comfortable in the beauty though, as the zombies come from everywhere – the ground, the walls, the windows, even the ceiling of some parts.



You’ll have plenty of room to fight the undead on Moon, as it is easily the largest zombie map yet. There’s a biodome, a receiving bay, a maze of tunnels and the moon itself to explore in your quest for survival. Along the way you’ll find two new Wonder Weapons. My favorite is the Wave Gun, which causes the zombies to cough up blood, inflate and explode in a mess of red up in the air. There’s also the Quantum Entanglement Device, or QED for short. Throwing this grenade results in one of 23 random events happening, ranging from a point reset to Ray Gun turret.

Also new to the series is the Astronaut Zombie, who may be one of the most deceiving zombies of all time. He randomly appears on the map and, as you would guess from the name, is dressed up in a space suit. At first glance you might think it’s one of your friends since a random friend of the host’s name will be placed above his head. Even though it looks like he’s trying to give you a big old space hug, what he really wants to do is headbutt you to another part of the map, typically in the worst place possible. You can kill him but beware there are consequences to doing that.

Finally, there’s the Phasing Zombie. These are similar to the Crawlers from previous levels, except they have the ability to teleport randomly around the map. Even worse, they tend to travel in large packs, making locating them extremely difficult. This means at any given time you may have a pack of phasers, a headbutting astronaut and a slew of normal zombies after you, all while in zero gravity.



Pros
-Moon is the best zombies map to date
-Classic maps allow for a complete collection on one disk
-Great, addictive gameplay


Cons
-Good chance you already purchased the classic maps before
-Only one new map


The 411
Your mileage may vary with this DLC. If you have never played the original zombie maps or are a diehard zombie fan, this pack is a no-brainer easily worth the $15. If, however, you’re looking for new content, it’s hard to justify $15 for Moon alone. It’s an absolute gem of a level, but if you have no interest in the classic maps you won’t get your money’s worth. Being the zombie fan that I am, however, I would still recommend this pack.

Graphics	8.0	The older maps got slight graphical upgrades, but nothing too amazing.
Gameplay	9.0	If you're looking for a team-based survival game that is both addicting and challenging, Zombies is right up your alley
Sound	8.0	There's a ton of musical Easter eggs to find, and there's nothing more terrifying than the sound of an approaching horde
Lasting Appeal	8.5	As long as you got a decent group of players you'll never want to put this down
Fun Factor	9.0	If you're getting tired of Black Ops' multiplayer mode this will give you a nice, long break from killing the living.
Overall	8.5   [ Very Good ]

Screenshots
All 20 Call of Duty: Black Ops Screenshots