With the release ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6, many fan-favorite features are making their grand return. Players are once again exploring the excitingBlack Opsnarrative, the franchise has taken a trip back in time, iconic maps such as Nuketown loom on the horizon, and everything aboutCall of Duty: Black Ops 6is seemingly a return to form for this FPS series. But perhaps the greatest returning feature comes in the form of the extremely popular round-based Zombies mode.
Introduced inCall of Duty: World at War,the round-based Zombies modehas become a staple of theBlack Opsseries. Along with that, it has also started seeping its way into otherCall of Dutytitles, with appearances in the likes ofAdvanced Warfare,Vanguard, andWW2. With the release ofModern Warfare 3, the concept was completely reinvented, but now that this version has made its return, it will hopefully never get left behind again.
Call of Duty’s Round-Based Zombies Needs to be Here to Stay
Call of Duty Has Replaced Round-Based Zombies in the Past
After the popularity ofCall of Duty: World at War’s Zombies, the studios quickly got to work trying to deliver even more exciting PvE modes outside the campaign. WithCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, that came in the form of its Spec Ops mode, which featured special missions that players could fight their way through. The feature was then expanded to include its own Survival Mode and was completely revamped for theModern Warfarereboot. But with the release ofModern Warfare 3in 2023, the mode was replaced by its own version of Zombies.
Instead of being the tried-and-true round-based Zombies that theBlack Opsseries and Sledgehammer Games-ledCall of Dutytitles offered, this version tossed up to 24 players onto theWarzonemap, split up into multiple groups. They would then complete objectives around the map, fight zombies and human enemies, and collect loot. In lieu of rounds, players would instead have 45 minutes before the map shrunk, and they were forced to extract, similar to a battle royale match. While this made for some decent fun,Modern Warfare 3’s versionwas lacking immensely compared to what had come before.
Black Ops 6 Shows That Round-Based Zombies Should Be a Series Staple
One of the biggest selling points ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6was the grand return of round-based Zombies, and it is easy to see why. At launch, players are able to jump into two brand-new maps filled with zombies to kill, power-ups to find, and high-stakes fun to be had.What ensues is classic Zombies actionthat sees players frantically fight for their lives against increasingly tough rounds of enemies, with only the strongest surviving long enough to learn more about the outbreak that threatens the world. And since the game has just released, there is likely even more exciting Zombies action in store in the future.
This return to form for Zombies seems popular so far, and because of that, this iteration needs to be here to stay. Since its inception, players have spent hours trying to conquer these hordes whenever it wasincluded in aCall of Dutygame. The titles without the round-based Zombies felt like they were lacking something, and when the studio tried to completely reinvent it, the new model struggled to reach the same heights. So, hopefully, the return of the classic version is permanent.
Of course, innovation is not inherently a bad thing. Zombies could use all sorts of changes, including new maps, weapons, power-ups, and mechanics. Regardless, though, no matter what else gets added, the core round-based gameplay loop needs to stay.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
