Is Cold War Zombies good? The past, present and future of Call of Duty‘s iconic co-op mode explained

As both a long-time fan and expert on Call of Duty Zombies, this is my in-depth guide on whether Black Ops Cold War Zombies lives up to the high expectations. I‘ll provide context on Zombies‘ origins, evolution across games, community reception and analysis of Cold War‘s additions. Read on to see my verdict on this legendary PvE franchise within Call of Duty!

A brief history of Call of Duty Zombies

It all started back in 2008 with Call of Duty: World at War and the map Nacht der Untoten which kicked off the Nazi zombie craze. No one expected this bonus mode to gain widespread popularity and lay the foundations for an iconic game mode.

Treyarch built substantially upon the core Zombies formula with the Black Ops series. Call of Duty: Black Ops in 2010 brought the fan favorite map Kino Der Toten and introduced the Mystery Box weapon system. The DLC maps like Ascension and Call of the Dead are also classics, starting to hint at a deeper narrative.

Black Ops 2 in 2012 featured an ambitious campaign with diverging story outcomes. For Zombies, it delivered huge maps like Tranzit and added buildable equipment. Easter eggs required teamwork and rewarded the Ray Gun Mark 2. Buried introduced a friendly AI companion and remains a highlight.

In 2015, Black Ops 3 represented the pinnacle of the original Aether story with Shadows of Evil and eight diverse DLC maps. It expanded customization via Gobblegums, added female characters and featured star-studded musical Easter eggs. Gameplay innovations like gumball machines and alternate ammo types added further depth.

Other Call of Duty developers also tried their hand at Zombies modes with mixed success. Infinite Warfare had spacious maps but a generic soundtrack, while WW2 nailed the atmosphere but lacked standout maps. Ultimately Treyarch remained the masters of weaving an engaging Zombies narrative across multiple memorable maps.

What‘s new in Cold War Zombies?

After concluding the Aether story, Cold War kicks off a new Dark Aether saga with our intrepid Requiem agents. The core gameplay remains familiar – survive endless hordes, unlock new areas, Pack-A-Punch weapons, uncover secrets and exfil. However, Cold War adds and improves upon existing systems in key ways:

Cross-play support – For the first time, Zombies fans across PlayStation, Xbox and PC can team up regardless of platform. This makes finding matches quicker and improves coordination for Easter egg quests.

Custom loadouts – Now you can enter matches with your preferred guns, equipment and perks instead of relying on RNG. This lets you optimize builds around different roles and playstyles.

Support streaks – An awesome new addition that rewards progress. Call in devastating chopper gunners or sentry turrets for some clutch plays!

Exfiltration – The option to extract via helicopter after round 10 adds a natural endpoint instead of only aiming for high rounds. It‘s a welcome alternative game mode.

Skill Tiers – XP now unlocks permanent upgrades for you and your weapons like ammo mods and field upgrades. Great for progression.

These enhancements modernize Zombies while retaining its classic high stakes co-op flavor. Now let‘s examine the maps themselves and see how they stack up.

Cold War Zombies Map Design, Visuals and Audio

Die Maschine kicks off Cold War with a medium sized map featuring classic Zombies areas – spawn yard, crash site bunker and underground labs. It‘s not too complex with clear routes between sections. Defending the Pack-a-Punch is challenging with multiple entry points to cover.

Firebase Z takes place in a military base in Vietnam with more verticality. Clearing the barracks and command center buildings with randomized item spawns tests your adaptability. Holding down the helipad area gets frantic! The Mimics are lethal new enemies that keep you on your toes.

Mauer Der Toten is my personal favorite as it brings the dark history of Berlin to life impressively. The streets are packed with atmosphere and the hidden side areas offer surprises. Escaping the subway to reach the safe house as the exit gates close is intense! This map shows how far environment design has come.

The visual and audio overhaul powered by the new engines makes Cold War one of the best looking and sounding CoDs. Ray tracing enabled reflections and enhanced lighting make Zombies look appropriately spooky. The guns sound meaty and reload animations have improved. The classic Zombies ambient tracks build up tension nicely.

Gameplay – Challenge, Depth and Replayability

Cold War retains the intense core loop of fighting zombie hordes that made the mode popular, while adding new options. The default difficulty provides a fair challenge – normal zombies move at a balanced pace and elites bring the heat in later rounds.

Loadouts enable diverse playstyles – take a sentry gun for defending areas, a chopper gunner for attacking or support equipment to help teammates. Coordinated groups can pull off complex flanks and strategies. The improved movement and mantling also make training zombies more dynamic.

The new large-scale Outbreak mode adds side objectives like escorting rovers and defending zones. It provides a nice change of pace from survival maps when you want more free-roaming action. Onslaught contains the chaos nicely for 2 players with its rotating orb zones.

There is plenty of replay value across traditional round-based maps, Outbreak and Onslaught. Uncovering all the secrets and mastering the Main Quests takes multiple attempts. Of course, chasing high rounds or speedrun times will keep veterans engaged for countless hours.

Playing Solo vs Co-op

Cold War Zombies scales well from solo playthroughs to 4 player co-op. When playing solo, the reduced zombie health and support streaks are a godsend. The Sentry Gun can lock down areas and the Chopper Gunner finishes off elite enemies.

However, coordinating with a full team unlocks the mode‘s full potential. A balanced squad can optimize their loadouts and cover multiple angles to reach much higher rounds. The camaraderie and banter alone enhances the experience! Once your team internalizes the layout and each player‘s role, Easter eggs become achievable.

Outbreak truly shines with a 4-man squad driving across the maps in tricked-out vehicles mowing down the undead. Solos have more limited options but it‘s still exciting exploring the large spaces. Onslaught provides fun 2 player mayhem with its constantly moving orb. Overall Cold War accommodates both lone wolves and packed teams.

Post-Launch Support and Content

Season 1 added the excellent Firebase Z map and new weapons like the Wakizashi. Support continued through Season 2 with the action-packed Outbreak mode, the sophisticated new operator Rivas and more. Mauer Der Toten in Season 3 brought back the original crew. Onslaught expanded to all platforms and we got new intel plus skill upgrades.

The launch content was light with only Die Maschine, but Cold War Zombies has improved with the free DLC maps, new side modes, expanded Dark Aether lore and gameplay tweaks. It still has room to grow further – hopefully we get one more map, operator, skills expansion and Outbreak zones before the climax of the story.

While slower than the packed DLC schedule for Black Ops 3, Cold War has still received decent post-launch support to provide variety. With each new bit of content and season, the experience becomes more rounded.

Comparison with Black Ops 3 – The Peak of Classic Zombies

Let‘s do a side-by-side comparison of features between Black Ops 3 and Cold War – the two recent Treyarch Zombies title:

Some key differences:

• Maps – BO3 had 14 packed DLC maps, while Cold War has had 4 substantial ones. Clearly BO3 wins in terms of content quantity.

• Easter Eggs – BO3 EEs are still the most complex, challenging and rewarding with boss fights. Cold War‘s main quests provide a good challenge but can‘t compare yet.

• Weapons and Characters – BO3 had classic WaW guns plus themed weapons for DLC maps. The celebrity cast was also iconic. Cold War has solid modern weapons and the new Requiem agents do their job well.

• Modes – Cold War brings innovation with large-scale Outbreak and fast-paced Onslaught. BO3 had Dead Ops Arcade with its retro gameplay.

Overall, Black Ops 3 Zombies represents a content-packed pinnacle with numerous innovations and the conclusion of the Aether story. Cold War is upgrading the gameplay but needs more DLC seasons under its belt to match BO3‘s breadth. However, it successfully continues Treyarch Zombies‘ high standards as a co-op experience.

Verdict: A strong start that lays the groundwork for an epic new chapter

So in summary, Black Ops Cold War Zombies may not reach the sheer amount of content that Black Ops 3 received yet, but it kickstarts the Dark Aether saga strongly. The core gameplay loop remains incredibly satisfying, brimming with tension and high stakes action.

The visual and audio upgrades powered by new hardware boost immersion considerably. Innovative additions like support streaks and exfil improve existing systems meaningfully. The performance maintains high FPS throughout matches, which is vital.

The Edition 1 maps like Die Maschine are decent but the DLC maps demonstrate Treyarch reaching greater heights in layout and Easter egg design. Cold War Zombies provides meaningful updates to both round-based and non-round based zombie modes. Based on Treyarch‘s pedigree, I‘m confident it will develop into an all-time great Zombies experience after a few more content drops.

It modernizes the co-op experience successfully for a new generation of consoles and players, while retaining the engaging core loop that makes Zombies so special. The future looks bright for Cold War Zombies as it lays the foundation for what could become the next legendary chapter in Call of Duty‘s iconic undead saga. I can‘t wait to see where Treyarch takes it next!