Black Ops Escalation “Call of the Dead” What to Expect

Treyarch recently showed off what they’ve been working on with their new zombies portion of the Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation Map Pack.  The zombies mode in the game titled “Call of the Dead” will be taking alot of what Treyarch has built over the years and seems to be parlaying it into a bigger and more robust experience than ever before.  This time around it seems that our favorite heroes of games past will be gone with Dempsey, Takeo, Richtofen, and Nicholai taking a back seat to a new cast of characters.  Normally fans would be extremely upset about this type of drastic change to the wildly popular game mode in the worlds most popular game, but the newcomers are a cast of all-stars.

The new cast is an iconic ensemble of characters from Hollywood’s most prolific horror stories of all time.  Danny Trejo, Robert Englund, Michael Rooker, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and George Romero will all be making appearances in the game with the first four being the main “survivors” that we’ll control.  The four will be fighting for their lives amidst an army of bloodthirsty Russian zombies.  From what we’ve seen so far in the trailer that was released just days ago, there are quite a few new things to be excited about in the game.

As the game has grown from its roots in Call of Duty: World At War game back in 2008, so have the maps in terms of size and scope.  This latest map, “Call of the Dead”, looks to be one of the biggest yet.  With multiple areas to explore and fight back the zombie horde, you’ll be defending a deserted lighthouse, a frozen and also deserted ocean liner where zombies will rise from the icy depths with scuba gear on.  There’s even a zip line in the new game mode that will allow you to move between areas more quickly and is a throwback to the First Strike Map Pack’s Kowloon.  You’ll also find in the trailer a hydraulic lift of some sort which propel players in the air between segments of the map.

After doing some careful trailer analysis it’s safe to say that many of the mainstays are back in “Call of the Dead”.  You’ll find throughout the trailer for the game that the core gameplay mechanics are likely not to be altered too much.  You’re still going to be progressing through the level in the same fashion that you are accustomed to.  First looking to open new areas, find the power supply, and then upgrade weapons for increasingly difficult waves of zombies .  It also appears that Perk Colas have returned, as you can see many of the game’s familiar vending machines throughout the trailer.  It also appears that the pack-a-punch add ons are making a return as the weapons that are shown in the trailer seem to have modified results when shown in different frames.

One big addition that has been seen in the game is the dual weapon wielding of Call of the Dead.  You’ll notice at multiple times in the trailer that the characters are dual wielding weapons.  Whether that be 1:08 where Michael Rooker is seen dual wielding sawed offs or later on in the trailer when Danny Trejo is seen dual wielding a melee weapon, the machete.  It looks like each character has a signature weapon.  Not all were shown off in the trailer, but from what we’ve seen Robert Englund has a pitchfork in multiple shots, Trejo machetes, and it appears that Buffy even has a stake although it wasn’t actually seen in the trailer and at one point she’s seen doing a leaping kick.  So it’s kind of hard to tell where they are taking these signature moves for each character, if anywhere.

Alongside the signature weapons, dual wielding, and possible melee attacks, there will likely be some new additions to the game as far as the mystery box is concerned.  Trejo is seen in the game using The Death Machine, a killstreak unlock from the Black Ops multiplayer.  There’s also a mystery weapon shown briefly that appears to alter the appearance of zombies in the FR-11.  There’s no telling what the Fr-11 does in “Call of the Dead” but it will likely fill the shoes of the infamous super guns of previous incarnations of the game.

Last but not least we’ll see George Romero featured in the game as a powerful “boss like” zombie with his own unique set of weapons.  Will he be taking the place of the hell hounds?  Or will he be an even more imposing figure in the game?  There’s still plenty of questions to be answered when Call of the Dead launches with the Call of Duty Black Ops Escalation Map Pack on May 3rd.  You’ll be able to pick up the content first on Xbox 360 and at an unannounced date in the future for all other consoles.