iGamerz – XGE

Oh yea!!! Der Riese! THE ZOMBIE MAP! This is the one that basically transformed zombies into what we have today. Der Riese (or The Giant,) was the first for many many things that wound up continuing in recent zombie maps. To this day, Der Riese is STILL a fan favorite, and hardcore fans consider this to be the best zombie map in existence. I’ve been waiting to do a review of this map ever since I decided to post reviews on zombie maps. So here goes.

Der Riese introduced us to teleporters, monkey bombs, major Easter Eggs, radios with hints, an in-depth story line, the Bowie Knife, and the much loved Pack-a-Punch Machine. Hell Hounds return along with the Wunderwaffe and our four main characters Dempsey, Richtofen, Nikolai, and Takeo. And as opposed to Shi No Numa which had Japanese zombies, Der Riese returned with Nazi Zombies.

The setting is a factory near Breslau Germany in 1945 (during an eclipse no less) which Element 115 was being tested and experimented on by Nazi scientists to weaponize and create super soldiers. The Nazi’s created a branch of Nazi scientists to do the experiments on the element. This group of scientists were called Group 935. Group 935 successfully created powerful weaponry, as well as teleporter devices and other things. In Der Riese we find out how all these things came to pass. Element 115 was the tool necessary in many things…including bringing the dead back to life. During tests with the teleporters, subjects would teleport but return as zombies making the teleporters still in their testing phase.

During Group 935’s experiments, a break out occurred causing a large amount of deaths. Nobody made it out alive. Nobody except Dr. Edward Richtofen who was the apprentice of scientist in charge of Group 935, Dr. Maxis. Dr. Maxis had a daughter named Samantha, and Samantha had a pregnant dog named Fluffy. Dr. Maxis was using Samantha’s dog Fluffy in his experiments with the teleporters. During one experiment, Samantha walked into the lab to find her father using her dog as a guinea pig in his experiments. In her desperate attempt to save her dog from her fathers twisted experiments, she ran into the lab where the tests were being conducted. Fluffy had teleported but upon return was now zombified. Dr. Maxis frantically tried to get his daughter out of the lab when Dr. Edward Richtofen betrays Dr. Maxis, locking the door to the exit killing both Dr. Maxis and Samantha at the hands of her own pet dog.

There are many things learned throughout this map. First of all, we learn that Dr. Edward Richtofen is under orders by a shadowy society called “The Illuminati.” The reason Richtofen killed Dr. Maxis was because of an order by the Illuminati, as we see in symbols throughout the map. When translated, we can see the messages clearly.

Richtofen now needs to return to Der Riese for unknown reasons (as of yet) and uses the help of the other three characters Dempsey, Nikolai and Takeo. Some think he was sent back by the Illuminati to retrieve items left behind during the break out. Some think he went back to retrieve the remaining Element 115 that was left behind. Either way, there’s much to learn about what Richtofen’s true goals are.

In later maps we find out that Dempsey, Nikolai and Takeo are nothing more than pawns being used by Richtofen, and that they are being experimented on using Element 115. There memories have been wiped clean and they only know that they’re under attack by a horde of zombies. By finding the radios throughout this map, the story begins to unfold and some questions are answered. Unfortunately, more questions are left unanswered than answered.

This map has it all and is still fun to play no matter how many times it’s been played. I must admit that even with all the Black Ops zombie maps already finished, this one is still my favorite to play. It has a dark atmosphere that is lacking in the Black Ops maps. Der Riese hasn’t even been touched by the maps that came after it in my opinion. Of course, there are still more zombie maps to come including the Moon map which is set to release August 23rd for XBOX 360 and probably a month of PS3 and PC.

Indeed Der Riese is my all time favorite zombie map and will continue to be until a better one is released. Out of 5 severed fingers, Der Riese gets all five.

Easter Eggs:

Der Riese has many Easter Eggs. There are 7 radios found throughout this map that clue us in on certain happenings in the storyline. One is in the spawn room, one is in the lab, one is in the teleporter A room, one is in the room right above the steps in the furnace room, one is in the teleporter B room, one is in the teleporter C room, and one is in the little cave like part  under Dr. Maxis’s office.

There are several writings found throughout this map. Some are on walls, some are on the ground, and some are found behind the windows. Some of them must be decoded using the chart above.

There is a brick in the room with the furnace that can be removed using the reload button. Under it is a note.

The Fly Trap is an achievement but also considered an Easter Egg. If you pack a punch a weapon (besides the Flame Thrower) you can activate it. It’s right outside the map behind one of the windows on the Trench Gun side of the map. You must shoot the fly trap with a pap’d gun and you’ll find that 3 teddy bears are located on the map afterwards. This is a game called Hide and Seek that is played with Samantha. You must find and shoot the 3 teddy bears to hear Samantha say “You win, GAME OVER!!!”

The song “Beauty of Annihilation” by Elena Siegman and Kevin Sherwood is activated by pressing reload on the 3 spinal chords found on the map. One is in the small room next to teleporter B and 2 are in the lab.

Hell Yeah!

Call of Duty? Check!

Nazi Zombies? Check!

Online Multiplayer (WiFi)? Check!

This game has it all! Excellent graphics, excellent controls, multiplayer, and most importantly its a shit load of fun!

I didn’t even realize this was headed our way on the iPhone and I was quite surprised when I found it while trolling the App Store. I immediately picked this one up and gave it a go…

Game Play

Call of Duty Zombies offers two modes of play. You can play the single player campaign or you can join up with four team members (two if you are using Bluetooth). One down side here is currently you only have one map to play on. According to the developers new maps should be on the way soon. We are not sure if it will be free or purchased DLC but either way I am looking forward to some additional maps.

The single map available does provide for some interesting strategizing on your part though. As you kill the zombies you will earn points that you can use to either purchase new weapons or open various pathways throughout the map. You can use this to your advantage to control the paths available to the zombies as they begin to over take you in later rounds. Each entrance the zombies can utilize are boarded up with the exception of a tunnel that will open up once you unlock the door to the second room on the bottom floor. The zombies must breakdown the barrier before the can enter the building.

Head shot coming right up!!

The game play is divided into rounds. Each round will increase the amount of zombies that want to eat your brain. You will have a little breather between each round to restock ammo, repair barriers, or try your luck at the random weapon box. The weapon box also adds some excitement to the game. For a cheap price you can grab some pretty decent firepower or you may get lucky and score some hardcore firepower. I highly recommend opening the clock on the second floor and picking up the flame thrower. Roast Zombie meat for all!!

COD Zombies also offers an achievement system which provides some interesting goals to achieve like blowing your self up with a grenade and taking three zombies with you!

Ahhhhhh!

Controls

The controls all seem to work well although, I have spent the most time playing with the Dual Stick configuration. I found the controls smooth and responsive in the Dual Stick configuration. I have had an issue a few times getting the flame thrower to fire though.

Braaaaaiiiiinns

Graphics & Sound

The graphics are nicely polished and smooth. On my iPhone 3GS the frame rate has been consistent regardless of how many of the undead are running after me. Atmosphere is perfect for scaring the hell out of you especially when things are getting crazy. Creepy noises, moaning, and screaming zombies all add to the atmosphere of the game. Which sounds awesome when you have your earbuds strapped to your ears. The heavy music just adds to the excitement.

Closing

We have seen a few issues where shooting the zombie does not inflict any damage and repairing barriers does not give you any points but don’t let that stop you from making this most excellent purchase. Hopefully those issues will be fixed in the next version. Also, I think this game would benefit if they enabled Voice Chat. Working out strategies with your team members would make this game even better.

Also don’t forget to setup an account on codwaw.com and link it to your iPhone COD user to track all your zombie killing stats!

Please stop by our forums to discuss strategy or setup private games.

iGamerz Recommended!