iGamerz – XGE

Word is spreading fast of the new zombie map for Black Ops about what’s new and what will return. I’ve been checking the forums constantly finding out new things. First of all, we’re on the moon of all places, and there seems to be a change in control mechanics. There is going to be a new feature that changes the gravity, this means that all the old ways of playing (the zombie train, camping, etc.) will be of no help in this map. There are friggin astronaut zombies for Pete’s sake! But the big thing that everybody wants to know is…what are the new weapons and perks that will be available in Moon. So far we’ve gotten a hold of a new pic of the supposed “Wave Gun.” Here are some quotes from the official site.

“Old school Zombie strategies get blown out of the airlock in “Moon,” where armed with new perks and a space-age arsenal of weapons, our heroes must overcome undead astronauts and fluctuating gravity as they unearth conspiracies that began in 1943.”

“Arm yourself with a space-age arsenal of epic proportions, including the Wave Gun, capable of cooking zombies from the inside out, as well as the Quantum Entanglement Device, which taps into the theories of quantum mechanics to bless (or curse!) your battle against the undead. Along with new equipment and an all-new Perk for thrice the zombie-slaying fun, you’ll have the tools you need to turn back the undead tide once and for all.”

It says we’ll have a new arsenal of weapons as well as new perks. That’s plural for “more than one new perk.” This could also mean that the old perks may not return. Think about it… will we even need a perk like Stamin-up when (which makes you run faster and longer) there’s no gravity? Unless of course, it makes you float faster which doesn’t sound bad considering the zombies probably float too. A new arsenal of weapons could possible mean that we won’t be using the weapons from the previous Black Ops zombie maps. I honestly think that Treyarch wouldn’t take all our favorite things away, they may change a few things though. The Wave Gun cooks the zombies from inside out? Sounds like some sort of Wunder Weapon that shoots microwave energy.  It says “the Quantum Entanglement Device taps into the theories of quantum mechanics to bless (or curse!) your battle against the undead.” Quantum mechanics has to do with particles and matter, so I’m assuming this will have something to do with element 115 and how it affects the host. It goes on to say “Along with new equipment and an all-new Perk for thrice the zombie-slaying fun, you’ll have the tools you need to turn back the undead tide once and for all.” Sounds like we’ve got some new equiptment too. Not just spike-more mines (which are actually pretty cool piece’s of equiptment) and maybe new melee weapons. This new perk sounds like it may allow the player to handle 3 guns at a time. Having three guns during a game of zombies would be pretty boss, but I’m sure the challenge will even out the odds.

It also says that we’ll be unearthing conspiracies that began in 1943. The first zombie map that we ever saw a date in was Verruckt. The date shown was September 1945 in Berlin Germany. I have a feeling that the zombie story is going to finally break itself free from it’s egg shell, and reveal many things to us. We’ve been waiting and waiting for some answers to questions like…

Why does Richtofen need The Golden Rod and the Focusing Stone?

What is he planning on doing with these items?

What happened to Samantha, and is Dr. Maxis and her still locked away in the Aether?

Who’s Peter and H. Yena? And who’s the man hanging by the neck in Shi No Numa?

These questions are merely the tip of the ice burg. This is one complicated story line. It goes so deep that most people don’t even try to figure it out. Of course, I’m the kind of guy who keeps digging until he finds out what’s going on.

I’d like to hear some feedback so if you have any good ideas, sign up post them. All theories and ideas are completely welcome. Any information you come across regarding Moon or Map Pack 4 “Rezzurection,” let us know. We want the entire zombie fan community to come together and try to figure out the mysteries in zombies. And lets hope that Treyarch really comes through with this story line in this (probably) final map pack for Black Ops. I just hope this isn’t the end for zombies as a whole. But I truly think Treyarch will be including a zombie mode in their next Call of Duty title for 2012. Theres no way they can pass on that. The fans would…well, they’ll break through their windows and swipe at them until they fall on the ground in need of Quick Revive.

If your into zombies, then you’ve already heard the news about the 4th map pack coming out for XBOX 360 on August 23rd (and probably a month later for PS3 and PC) called Rezzurection. It has the 4 classic zombie maps from World at War: Nacht Der Untoten, Verruckt, Shi No Numa, and Der Riese, and it also contains the brand new zombie slaying experience called “Moon.”

A gamer website called “ONE of SWORDS * http://oneofswords.com/2011/08/all-zombies-rezurrection-dlc-coming-for-black-ops-and-jimmy-z-talks/” was given the opportunity to have an e-mail conversation with Treyarch’s creative lead for Zombies, Jimmy Zeilinski. Here’s what they said…

1ofSwords: Will we learn any new tidbits of backstory from Moon? We already know Der Riese is where they come from, but is there more to tell?

JIMMY ZELINSKI: If your question is to ask me if our zombies are from Der Riese, this would be a good opportunity to re-explore the WAW maps to search for further clues as to the truth behind the origins of the zombies. As to Moon specifically, of course there will be clues to the past and other story elements, but don’t be surprised to discover a few hints as to what may be coming in the future.

1oS: What’s a “phasing Zombie?”

JZ: I don’t know. Where have you seen a phasing zombie? Who have you been talking to? What’s this word “phasing” you’re using…?

1oS: How does the Quantum Entanglement Device work?

JZ: The answer to what the QED can do can be found in the research of Einstein, Kaluza, Plancke and Klein. That would suggest the possibilities are limitless. Get in the game, throw it out there, and see what it will do FOR YOU.

1oS: Are there other new weapons this time around? Any new gameplay mechanics?

JZ: This game mode is all about discovery. Whether our characters discover new weapons in the various places they visit is dependent on where they go. Same can be said for gameplay mechanics — the location dictates how you play. Ever been to the moon?

1oS: Why is Rezurrection misspelled? Is there significance to that?

JZ: You never know where hints and Easter eggs may appear in Zombies. What looks like a typo may be a typo…but it might also be the hidden truth behind everything.

1oS: What’s your weapon of choice for the inevitable zombie apocalypse?

JZ: A high capacity, accurate, high caliber, and high rate of fire weapon. That’s what I would choose.

1oS: Space – the final frontier. Is this the end to the Zombies storyline?

JZ: [No answer to this one, but a friend over at Treyarch said they saw him storm off to get a breath of fresh air.]

So it appears that the answers we were all looking for have been answered…kind of? Jimmy Zeilinski has a pretty cryptic way of communicating to the zombie community. We’re a bunch that likes our clues, but we don’t like it when things are too obvious. Jimmy Z knows how to deal with us. And it looks like Treyarch has been listening to the community for a long time as we’ve seen some of our very own ideas come to pass in little ways. In my own personal opinion though, I think zombie mode is here to stay. Just remember Treyarch’s new Call of Duty title is due in late 2012. Plus who’s to say that Treyarch don’t have a full-on zombie game in production? I guess we’ll all just have to wait and find out. Stay right here to get the latest news and views on these topics. And please discuss, I’m very interested in what the community has to say and what theories people may have.

The web is buzzing with new news about Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack 4 entitled “Rezurrection” and yes it’s spelled with a “z.” I personally think the Z stands for zombie, but who knows. This map pack has all four classic maps from Call of Duty: World at War. Thats right, the remakes of Nacht Der Untoten, Verruckt, Shi No Numa, and Der Riese will now be available for everyone. For those who don’t know, the remade classic maps were only available for those who purchased the Prestige or Hardened editions of Black Ops.
Not only are the classic zombie maps available in map pack 4, but a brand new zombie map called “Moon” are also included. The zombie community has been talking about this map ever since Der Riese and now we finally get to see it with our own eyes. Of course as usual, the map pack will be available on XBOX Live first on August 23rd and probably a month later for PS3 and PC.
The good news for people who already own the classic maps on Black Ops is that they will be getting the Moon map for free. Stay with us for the latest news and reviews. I’ll be posting everything as I see it.

*FROM THE OFFICIAL BLACK OPS WEBSITE  FOUND HERE: http://www.callofduty.com/intel/490 *

This all-Zombies content pack hurls players into orbit with “Moon,” the climax to the Zombies saga, as well as the most challenging and thrilling adventure yet. The undead shift in and out of sight, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Undead astronauts easily shamble toward their next meal, unaffected by the base’s fluctuating gravity.

Arm yourself with a space-age arsenal of epic proportions, including the Wave Gun, capable of cooking zombies from the inside out, as well as the Quantum Entanglement Device, which taps into the theories of quantum mechanics to bless (or curse!) your battle against the undead. Along with new equipment and an all-new Perk for thrice the zombie-slaying fun, you’ll have the tools you need to turn back the undead tide once and for all.

In addition to the final chapter, Rezurrection also includes:

- Four re-mastered levels from Call of Duty: World at War: “Nacht der Untöten,” “Verrückt,” “Shi No Numa,” and “Der Riese,” where it all began.

- An enhanced Zombies soundtrack including, three tracks never before available for purchase.

- A new Zombies “Moon” theme.

Those of you that purchased the Black Ops Hardened or Prestige Editions and already own the four re-mastered maps, the other contents in the Rezurrection content pack will be free, including Moon, the soundtrack and the theme.

For players that haven’t purchased the Hardened or Prestige Editions, Rezurrection will be available for 1200 Microsoft Points. To commemorate release, we’ll be hosting Double XP over Labor Day weekend. The Call of Duty: Black Ops Rezurrection downloadable content pack will launch worldwide, first on Xbox LIVE on August 23rd, 2011.

Shi No Numa or “Swamp of Death” is the third installment in the Call of Duty: World at War zombie series. This map is a change from the rest in that it doesn’t have Nazi zombies. This map takes place somewhere in Japan and is the beginning of the zombie storyline. The setting is a swamp with 5 huts scattered throughout. Shi No Numa introduced us to our four main characters Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Brezinski, Takeo Masaki, and Dr. Edward Richtofen. There is a man hanging by the neck in the room where you spawn. Nobody knows for sure who he is.
Unlike all the other maps besides Nacht Der Untoten, this map has no power switch that needs to be turned on. It’s the first map to add radios and the first time we saw a zip line added. Also unlike its predecessor Verruckt, it’s perk machines spawn randomly instead of being in the same place all the time.

We’re familiar with traps already but Shi No Numa added a new trap called the Flogger. The electric traps return also and like Verruckt, the Mystery Box moves from location to location. But the biggest change in this map isn’t the location and the randomly spawning Perk Machines, it’s the Hell Hound rounds. Hell Hounds are vicious dogs that spawn at round 5, 6, or sometimes 7, and they come every 4-5 rounds afterwards. So if round 5 is a dog round, expect the next dog round to be at round 10 or 11. If you successfully complete a dog round, you are rewarded with a max ammo.

Also new to Shi No Numa is a fan favorite weapon called the “Wunderwaffe DG-2.” This gun looks like it belongs in the year 2131. It was created by Dr. Maxis and is powered by Element 115. The DG-2 is a serious piece of weaponry, and if handled the wrong way it can be more dangerous than useful. If you shoot a zombie or a dog too close, it will zap you causing damage. If it’s used correctly, it can be a life saver. It shoots an electrical beam that electrocutes the zombies and bounces from one zombie to another, then to another. It can clear out a hourde of zombies in one shot if the zombies are close enough together.

Theres a lot of doors in this map so it’s important to get a lot of points to progress. And with the randomly spawning Perk Machines, you have to get lucky if you want a certain perk. Most people always go looking for Juggernog first, but in Shi No Numa you may have to open all the doors before you find it.

There are 4 areas that can be opened. The Com Room, the Storage Room, the Doctors Quarters, and the Fishing Hut. This place was a Japanese testing site for scientist experimenting on element 115. It’s supposed to be where one of the comets containing the element landed. If you look closely while in the storage area, you can see one of the meteor pieces sitting in the forest outside of the map. This is where our story starts getting more interesting. I’ll make a post about the zombie story at a later time.

Shi No Numa is definetely one of the greats. Out of 5 severed fingers, this one gets a 4 straight up. I’ll play this map whenever I need a change of scenery and when I’m in a classic mood. Stay tuned, we’re just getting warmed up here. Theres many more maps to be discussed so don’t miss out.

Easter Eggs:

In the Comm Room there is a telephone. Press reload on the telephone 3 times to start the Elena Siegman and Kevin Sherwood song “The One.”

In the spawn room there is 3 radios. If you activate all three of them by pressing the reload button on all of them, a series of numbers is spoken by a deep voice. The numbers spoken are the lattitude and longitude degrees of Area 51 in the Nevada Desert. A lot of people think that Area 51 will become a zombie map one of these days.
In the Storage Room area, there is an Element 115 comet sitting outside of the map. If you shoot it, the character you are playing as will make a comment about it.

In the spawn room there is a man hanging by the neck. Some people say this is Peter, a secret operations marine sent in to gather information or rescue hurt scientist or marines.

There are also radios found in some of the other huts which don’t necessarily have anything to do with the story, but play rather creepy sounds and voices when activated.

The second zombie map to ever exist was a giant step in the series. Verruckt is the German word for “crazy” or “psyco.” This map added so much to zombie mode and is widely known as one of the hardest zombie maps in existance. With its narrow halls and small areas, it’s difficulty level is high. There is little room to run a circle strategy and makes for a good camping map.
Verruckt was the first map to introduce Perk-A-Cola machines. The four main Perk machines are Juggernog which gives 2x the health, Quick Revive which helps revive teamates in half the time, Double Tap which allows 2x the shooting speed, and Speed Cola which gives you 2x the reload speed. These perks are vital in your survival. Well, some more than others. For instance, if you don’t have Juggernog you’ll go down in two hits from a zombie. With it, you can withstand 4 hits from a zombie and sometimes more. Personally, I must have Juggernog and Speed Cola. Double Tap is a waste of ammo for me unless I have a slow shooting gun, and Quick Revive doesn’t do anything in a solo game. However, it’s a good perk to have while playing a co-op match.
Verruckt was the first and only map to start a co-op game with the players in different rooms. This was a clever thing added by Treyarch and was never done again for some reason. There was a big metal door separating the players which needed power to move. So usually players would choose a player or group to get to the power room first, then they would return to their main goals…slaying puss bags. I was kind of hoping that Treyarch would do this again in future maps but as of yet they haven’t.
Traps were introduced in Verruckt also. These traps can stop a hourde with the flick of a switch by causing a virticle stream of electricle current that sends the zombies into a high voltage spasm killing them almost instantly, no matter what round it is. The traps come in handy for the later rounds and cost 1000 points to use which isn’t too bad.
The Mystery Box returns in Verruckt with some new features. It moves from place to place after it’s used a random amount of times making it important to work as a team. You know when the box is moving when you use it and a teddy bear comes up. The good part of it is that when you spend your 950 points to use the box and you get a teddy, you get your points back. The only bad thing is that you may have to go looking for it when it moves, and if your not familiar with the map this can be deadly. The Mystery Box always starts in the power room and then moves all around the map to random locations.
Nacht Der Untoten introduced us to zombies. Verruckt however, introduced us to sprinting zombies. These zombies are fast. And when I say fast, I mean FAST!!! With the lack of room to run around, these suckers can end it all for a player. Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of these bad boys is to get rid of them the old fashioned way…a few rounds to the head. Of course, thats how you end all zombies so thats not really good advice. Just try to stay far from these guys because they are much faster than the normal zombies.
There wasn’t too much added to Verruckt and the differences between it and Nacht Der Untoten basically stop at the things I listed above (traps and Perk Machines.) And since Treyarch still wasn’t sure of the success of zombie mode, the story was still in it’s infant stage. They did however add some creepy little easter eggs though. And a good song.
This is one of my favorite maps to play solo. It’s difficult and it takes a lot of luck (as well as a good amount of skill) to get to later rounds. I enjoy co-op also. The problem with co-op is that it’s not easy to find a match where people aren’t glitching or have a hack going. I once got into a match where a person was outside of the building, shooting the zombies as they were rising from the dirt. Needless to say, I ended that game in a hurry. Out of 5 severed fingers, Verruckt gets a whopping 4 1/2 severed fingers. Like I said earlier, it’s one of my favs.

Easter Eggs:
There are 3 toilets in the room next to the power room. Flush the first toilet 3 times to start the Elena Siegman and Kevin Sherwood song “Lullaby for a Dead Man.”
In one of the spawning rooms, there is a dentist chair. Point your crosshair at the wheel on the bottom of the chair and press the reload button 3 times to hear a drill and a man screaming.
This is much of an Easter Egg as much as a strategy, but if you go to the room where the Speed Cola is without openning the door to the right of the Speed Cola you can camp there without worrying about zombies coming in the window behind you. For some reason the zombies never come through that window in the little room behind Speed Cola when the door to the right of the Speed Cola isn’t opened which makes for a GREAT camping area.

Before there was Dead Ops Arcade, there was this game. The same style, and basically the same controls. I was looking through the demos on PSN and came across it. Think of Dead Ops Arcade and add in some goofy characters and a little dialog. It’s not the first of its kind, but it’s fun as hell.
From the starting screen, you choose your character and get right into it. Your character is placed on a screen of a wrecked street and a hourde of zombies. Some zombies even come out of the sewer drains. Theres a jet crash landed on the ground and fires are blaring. The weapon you have is a fully automatic machine gun…but it’s kind of slow. Luckily, drops and power-ups randomly appear that give you better weapons. After you’ve finished off the amount of puss bags the stage requires, you move on to the next one.
While fun and often funny, this game feels like it’s already been done. I’ve been here before and I’ll certainly be here again. And though it came out before Black Ops and Dead Nation, I don’t I’d buy this game…but only because I have Dead Nation and Black Ops. Still though, it may be good for a change in style since it has it own. Out of 5 severed fingers, I’d give this demo 3 1/2 severed fingers. My prediction for the game would be about the same…it’s that familiar.

Nacht Der Untoten (or Night of the Undead in English)is the first zombie map in the well known zombie series from Treyarch’s versions of the Call of Duty series. This zombie map isn’t as full of secrets and goodies as the other maps, but without it we wouldn’t be where we are today with how we see and play these games. It was an added bonus in Call of Duty: World at War, and wasn’t expected to get so big. Once Treyarch saw how big zombie mode was getting, they began to add a story line to it in later zombie maps.

Nacht Der Untoten was the start of it all. It’s got all the bare essentials when it comes to zombie slaying. There are no Perk Machines making it one of the hardest maps in the series. Nacht introduced us to the Mystery Box, which is located in the room next to the spawn room. Unlike every other zombie map in the series, the Mystery Box moves from place to place after a certain amount of uses. Nacht was the first map to give us the Ray Gun. Sometimes (if your lucky) you’ll get the Ray Gun out of the mystery box. It’s very random and you may have to use the box several times before getting it, but it’s well worth it if you do.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much to say about Nacht Der Untoten. Like I said earlier, it’s the bare minimum. There isn’t much room, and there are only 2 doors you can unlock with your points. There aren’t many Easter Eggs in this map either. It’s just you and the zombies pretty much.

If you don’t work well with others when it comes to slaying zombies, this is the map you want to play in co-op. Since the box doesn’t move around, it’s not as much of a pain when people are hogging it. In other maps sometimes it can be frustrating if your teammates use up the box because it moves around a lot. Since there are no Easter Eggs in this map, you don’t even really need a mic to play with a team. Of course, it’s also a fun map to play with friends even if you do work good together. It’s all about preference.

In my opinion, Nacht Der Untoten isn’t the greatest zombie map. However, it’s not really a map you can judge because it wasn’t ever supposed to go anywhere. It was just an added bonus in World at War like I said earlier. Nacht is merely the blue print for future zombie maps and will forever remain the one that started it all.

Easter Eggs:
Shooting the radio next to the mystery box plays a tune.
There is a sniper rifle upstairs in the Grand Father Clock.
In the Black Ops remake of Nacht Der Untoten, shooting and blowing up the barrels outside of the map plays a tune.

While Infinity Ward makes the “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” series, Treyarch are the ones responsible for making “Call of Duty: World at War” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops.” That said, Treyarchs Call of Duty games come equipped with not only campaign and multiplayer modes, but a much loved zombie mode. Kino Der Toten (or “Theater of the Dead” in English) is the first zombie map available for Call of Duty: Black Ops. Unlike the other two zombie maps on the disc (“Five” and “Dead Ops Arcade,”) it didn’t need to be unlocked, or you didn’t have to complete the campaign in order to play it. It was just there. Most (if not all) people probably played this before even playing the campaign as it was an option from the main menu. It features the four main characters from “Call of Duty: World at War Zombies” Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Belinski, Edward Richtofen, and Takeo Masaki, with all new weapons and all new quirky catch phrases. Kino was supposed to be available in the 4th DLC for World at War, but never made it in because Modern Warfare 2′s release.

Kino Der Toten continues the story of the 4 main characters as they travel through time, fighting hourdes of zombies. The map is medium sized and has 4 soda machines called Perk Machines sewn throughout that help give you the extra “umph” you need. The 4 Perk Machines are Juggernog (2x health,) Instant Revive (doubles the time in which it takes to revive a partner in co-op, and revives you in solo,) Double Tap (2x firing speed,) and Speed Cola (2x reload speed.)

Kino also features a new drop. Drops (for those who don’t know the lingo) are power-ups that the zombies leave randomly when killed. New to Kino is “Fire Sale” which makes all the mystery boxes appear for a limited time at a cost of only 10 points. Also new to Kino are Nova Crawlers. These little buggers exlode when shot to death, leaving a cloud of Nova 6 that blinds the character for a short time. All the weapons are new too. I always wonder what Kino would be like if it made into World at War. All the weapons would have been from the World War 2 era instead of the Cold War era. Though the map does stay true to its roots with bringing us a new wonder weapon (or wunder for Richtofen fans) called the Thunder Gun which can blow a hourde of zombies away with one shot…in my honest opinion, the Thunder Gun is the best wonder weapon on any zombie map.

Those who have played World at War are familiar with the teleporter. Teleporters were introduced to zombie mode in World at Wars final zombie map Der Riese. Actually, the crew teleported from Der Riese to Kino as we see in the starting screen. For 950 points, you can take the teleporter to the screen room of the theater for a short time. The Pack A Punch machine is in this room and for 5000 points you can upgrade a gun. The zombies always bunch up outside the window here making it easy to take out a lot of them. There are grenades for sale on the wall in there, which is why it’s so easy to take out a hourde of zombies from this room.

There is a huge story that goes along with these zombie maps and Kino added a lot to it, starting with time travel. Der Riese takes place in the year 1945, but Kino takes place in the 60′s. That means the teleporter is capable of time travel which is indicated by Richtofen via the loading screen. A lot of people think the story is getting too complicated, and I’d agree to a certain degree. Ever since time travel was introduced, it’s been hard to pin point certain dates and incidents.

Kino is a fan favorite and is certainly in my top 5 zombie maps. Now if only Shangri-La would hurry up and get to the PS3 so I can make a solid judgement on it lol…yes I’m one of the people who complain about the contract between Activision and Microsoft. You know…the one that says XBOX 360 gets dibbs on all Call of Duty DLC content until sometime in 2012. Well, anyway thats getting off topic…on a scale from 1-10, I’d give Kino Der Toten a whopping 9 1/2.

Now go slay some maggot bags. 

Easter Eggs:
There are 2 radios that have been found throughout this map so far. One is on the chandelier in the theater. You have to shoot the chandelier with any gun to hit it. It’s not easy to find but it’s there. Also, there is a radio by the Double Tap machine. If you look outside the fence by the machine you’ll be able to look across the street, where a building stands. There is an awning with a radio on it that has to be shot. It’s a pretty long shot and it’s not easy to hit, so it’s best to use a Ray Gun because of it’s ray is wider than a bullet which makes it cover more area when shot.

There are also 4 film reels that are located in the rooms you teleport to after you’ve teleported. They are in random places and you always have to look for them. They can be placed in the film reel of the teleporting room once your in there, and they play films on the screen in the theater.

Then of course there is the music Easter Egg which plays the song “115″ written and performed by Kevin Sherwood and Elena Siegman. There are 3 pieces of a 115 meteor scattered throughout the map. One is in the spawn room by the theater door. One is in the dressing room. And one is in the boiler room on a shelf. They are pretty easy to find and make a sound when your near them.

While teleporting, you can see different images on the screen. This isn’t much of an Easter Egg, but it’s cool.