Review by: Mitch Dyer

I am terrible, possibly the worst at Call of Duty’s Nazi Zombies mode. I played it with friends in World at War out of benign obligation. I wasn’t interested in it because Left 4 Dead existed. The novelty of Call of the Dead – the new zombie level included in Escalation, the second DLC add-on for Black Ops – pulled me in hard. Playable Buffy! Playable Machete! Cue the sigh of disappointment, because it’s definitely just a novelty.

The addition of Robert Englund, Michael Rooker and other famous faces doesn’t add anything to the core of Nazi Zombies. The intro cinematic sets up a bit of story with George Romero filming the aforementioned actors in a new zombie flick. After plenty of acrobatics and fast-paced murderin’, Romero’s taken by a real zombie and turned into some sort of undead-summoning King of the Zombies. Also, he has a hammer made of lightning. It’s wacky, and true to the absurdity of the sidebar game mode. The map didn’t do anything in particular to wow me, and that the characters are stripped of their iconic or generally sweet cinematic weaponry the second the game starts is hugely disappointing. Don’t tease me with a pitchfork and double machetes only to take ‘em away when I get control.

I teamed up with a pal, killed some zombies, opened higher-up areas, flicked the switch to activate electricity, zip-lined from the lighthouse to a lower area, and loaded up on bigger, badder weapons. I left it behind – permanently – thinking “so what?” This is certainly another map to get your Nazi Zombie jollies, but it probably won’t reignite the fire if you’ve been absorbed in the competitive side of Black Ops, or have moved on to something else since its original release. Nothing about it screams “necessary” beyond the fact that Black Ops shipped with a paltry two maps to begin with. Feeling deprived? Sure, go for it. Otherwise, don’t worry about it. You’re missing more, but not much.

What’s more is that it’s an oddly irritating addition. Romero chases you relentlessly, adding an exciting “Oh &^#%” element to the tension. Shortly after he started running around a waving his massive mallet, though, I just wanted him to go away so I could play plain old Nazi Zombies without having to run in circles for minutes at a time.

The other main draw to Escalation, of course, is its four new multiplayer maps. These are huge arenas with a higher density of interiors populating the exterior environments. Zoo is the primary example of this. It’s a cluttered mess that’s chaotic and confusing in a way that’ll make the losing team lose their minds and the victors feel like military masterminds.

Hotel is similar in design to MW2’s Highrise. The center area is similarly exposed, with two long pathways stretching out on either side with lower alternate routes. The interiors here are more intricate, which leads to lots of close-quarters fights; bombs must be placed in choke points with few places to hide. This feels less like a fresh new place to play and more akin to a fan-made remake with more modifications than it needs.