What can Treyarch change in Black Ops 2 to keep Zombies mode fresh?

Call of Duty: Black Ops was a huge success for Activision and Treyarch. One of the most played and talked about features was the Zombies mode that debuted in Treyarch’s World at War. Black Ops 2 will feature the third iteration of the mega-popular Zombies mode, but it needs new ideas pumped into the mode to keep it fresh and fun. While discussing potential changes to Zombies with my friend, we thought up multiple ways to keep the game fresh, current and fun.

Map packs just don’t do it for us anymore. Zombies needs something much bigger and grander in order to keep its players from wandering off into other game modes. If it has to be maps, then bigger, more open-world maps would be a perfect change of pace for the often-condensed mode. Most of the maps start to blend in with tight corridors and dark graphics. A Dead Island-type beach setting could do wonders for the game, while still feeling like a Zombies game, just with sunshine. Shangri-La was close to being an open paradise-type map, but ultimately, it felt like all the other maps, with cramped underground caves and the like.

Zombies is a spin-off on the Call of Duty franchise. Adding objectives to the game could make it feel like its own entity. Giving you and your friends objectives to eliminate and move on to new areas, like in Left 4 Dead, would be a blast with Call of Duty’s gameplay. But why stop there? Add in multiple buildings and objects that you can interact with in order to separate itself from the competition. How about a level that takes place in a giant mall full of stores that you can interact with. The zombies spawn in random spots around the mall and will break in eventually, since you can’t cover the entire area. This would give you a feeling of desperation and would make the game similar to the current mode, but with a grander scope. This same strategy could work in a hotel-like area where zombies force you to keep climbing the level and requires you to try to jump to another roof or safe landing spot when you reach the top. It’s time to do away with the same zombie respawn areas and make the enemies smarter.

Incorporating a competitive Zombie mode could be a good idea that hasn’t been touched yet. A four-vs-four matchup featuring randomly thrown in zombies that attack either team could be a fun distraction from the same old team deathmatch mode. Think of them as attack dogs that are permanently on and tougher to kill, making a perfect distraction for you to attack your opponents. Along the lines of attack dogs, a zombie killstreak would be awesome as well. Getting 15 kills could net you the zombie streak, sending a hoard of undead at your foes.

Zombies are a great addition to the Call of Duty experience. Zombies mode is a lot of fun in its current state, but adding new gameplay objectives, more open and unique environments, and a zombie killstreak into competitive multiplayer could be something that extends beyond the standard Zombies mode into a more fresh, exciting and unique experience.

What would you like to see in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s Zombies mode? Would you add any of these ideas into your perfect zombie experience? Let us know in the comments below.

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