Post by Anthony on Nov 6, 2015 11:17:23 GMT
The monstrous beasties have a long and ever-changing relationship with the world's biggest shooting game franchise.
So we thought we'd delve deep into COD zombies and take a look at how they've evolved into deadlier creatures to kill over the years
Call of Duty and the Changing Face of Zombies
With the launch of Black Ops 3 just days away, game maker Activision has been upping the ante and teasing fans with what’s to come.
Unsurprisingly, some of the early previews that have gone down best with the fans so far, are those that feature the new co-op Zombies mode, Shadows of Evil.
Set in a gritty 1940s film-noir narrative in the fictional Morg City, Shadows of Evil pits Nero aka The Magician, Jessica aka The Femme-Fatale, Jack Vincent aka The Cop and Floyd Campbell aka The Boxer against the challenges laid out by The Shadow Man, a mysterious figure in control of their fate.
Players will battle the undead in huge waves as The Shadow Man urges them to complete differing missions in what could arguably be the best zombies mode in CoD so far.
Three years in the making, developer Treyarch’s latest Zombies offering is aiming to rewrite the rules by offering the "deepest Zombies experience of all time".
But where did it all begin?
Ever since the Zombies mode first burst onto the scene in 2008's World at War, Call of Duty has never quite been the same.
Up until that time Call of Duty games had been set during the Second World War.
This was the same for numerous other titles in the first person shooter genre, such as the various Medal of Honor and Brothers in Arms games.
This meant gamers were on the lookout for something a little different within the genre, and World at War certainly delivered that with its new twist on the FPS genre.
Treyarch famously worked on the Zombies as a side project, a few developers getting together during their lunch breaks to try something new.
It wasn’t part of the initial COD concept which they had agreed with Activision top brass, so there was little hope that it would make the final cut.
However once the new mode was tested, the sheer excitement the experience offered was irrepressible and it was decided that Zombies should be included in the finished game, albeit initially as an 'Easter egg' for fans to find.
It wasn’t long though before word got out about the bonus mode.
Intrigue reached fever pitch and this lead to Activision keeping Zombies as a permanent fixture in the CoD series.
Since then, the run up to each new Call of Duty release by developers Treyarch is filled with excitement surrounding what exactly the new Zombies offering will have in store.
Of course, the lasting success of the Call of Duty zombies owes everything to the storytelling of those working at Treyarch.
Game developers who have fused authentic narrative with visual design have helped cement Call of Duty in gaming history.
Undeniably, however, there’s also an appetite for zombies among those invested elsewhere in popular culture.
Cinematic and televisual zombies have both played their part in helping the phenomenon reach the status it currently enjoys
Zombies in pop culture
While Resident Evil films certainly did much in the way of reigniting zombie-awareness back in the 1990s, its current popularity owes much to the reawakening of Zombies in movies in the 2000s.
Arguably beginning with Danny Boyle’s 2002 hit, 28 Days Later, there then followed a number of other critical and commercial hits in the form of Shaun of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead.
Will Smith’s post-apocalyptic thriller, I am Legend, helped raise the profile of the Zombies genre even further in 2007, with 28 Weeks Laterand Zombieland similarly contributing to the zombification of mainstream cinema, crossing over into the comedy, action and thriller genres en route.
Fast-forward to the 2010’s and zombie movies are now almost every bit as familiar to audiences as every new Marvel instalment.
The Walking Dead, with whom Black Ops 3 has recently announced a massive European marketing partnership, has established itself as one of the premier television shows on American television, while World War Z, spearheaded by Brad Pitt, took over $500bn at the 2013 box office.
With scientific discoveries and technological advancements picking up serious speed, the ‘fiction’ in ‘science-fiction’ is becoming increasingly redundant.
Social anxiety about the future, and what un-checked horrors it might bring about, is now widespread.
The next zombie virus is, of course, never too far away, depending on which internet forum you might happen across.
Zombies: Treyarch style
The Zombies mode in the Black Ops series is so fiercely admired that it sits as a jewel in Treyarch’s crown, responsible for the converting of so many unsuspecting, previously indifferent video gamers.
Ask anyone who kept even the most casual eye on the recent San Diego Comic Con to list their favourite moments and you’ll find that among the surplus of Superhero trailers, it was the ‘Shadows of Evil’ trailer that garnered one of the best reactions.
The footage helped reaffirm Treyarch’s reputation as the pioneers of Zombie content.
It also helped highlight the long list of Hollywood talent now queuing up to take part in zombie games.
The upcoming cast for Black Ops 3 - Jeff Goldblum, Heather Graham, Neal McDonough and Ron Perlman - would be welcome additions to any Hollywood blockbuster.
Similarly, behind the scenes, they’ve enlisted the help of some of Hollywood’s most creative minds to ensure that the stories are captivating; with mastermind screenwriter, David S Goyer – the man behind The Dark Knight Trilogy and Man of Steel, helping pen the script for Black Ops and Black Ops II.
In Black Ops III, the story arc is set in the 1940’s film-noir era, showcasing Treyarch’s ability to invent and reinvent their own parameters in the pursuit of creativity.
So what is it that makes Treyarch’s zombies so good? The list is a long one and it would be impossible to even know where to begin.
What’s undeniable though is that between the glowing, piercing eyes, the deafening screeches and the unforgettable plotlines, Treyarch is leading the way with their continuous innovation in zombie killing.
Black Ops 3 is out on November 6 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
So we thought we'd delve deep into COD zombies and take a look at how they've evolved into deadlier creatures to kill over the years
Call of Duty and the Changing Face of Zombies
With the launch of Black Ops 3 just days away, game maker Activision has been upping the ante and teasing fans with what’s to come.
Unsurprisingly, some of the early previews that have gone down best with the fans so far, are those that feature the new co-op Zombies mode, Shadows of Evil.
Set in a gritty 1940s film-noir narrative in the fictional Morg City, Shadows of Evil pits Nero aka The Magician, Jessica aka The Femme-Fatale, Jack Vincent aka The Cop and Floyd Campbell aka The Boxer against the challenges laid out by The Shadow Man, a mysterious figure in control of their fate.
Players will battle the undead in huge waves as The Shadow Man urges them to complete differing missions in what could arguably be the best zombies mode in CoD so far.
Three years in the making, developer Treyarch’s latest Zombies offering is aiming to rewrite the rules by offering the "deepest Zombies experience of all time".
But where did it all begin?
Ever since the Zombies mode first burst onto the scene in 2008's World at War, Call of Duty has never quite been the same.
Up until that time Call of Duty games had been set during the Second World War.
This was the same for numerous other titles in the first person shooter genre, such as the various Medal of Honor and Brothers in Arms games.
This meant gamers were on the lookout for something a little different within the genre, and World at War certainly delivered that with its new twist on the FPS genre.
Treyarch famously worked on the Zombies as a side project, a few developers getting together during their lunch breaks to try something new.
It wasn’t part of the initial COD concept which they had agreed with Activision top brass, so there was little hope that it would make the final cut.
However once the new mode was tested, the sheer excitement the experience offered was irrepressible and it was decided that Zombies should be included in the finished game, albeit initially as an 'Easter egg' for fans to find.
It wasn’t long though before word got out about the bonus mode.
Intrigue reached fever pitch and this lead to Activision keeping Zombies as a permanent fixture in the CoD series.
Since then, the run up to each new Call of Duty release by developers Treyarch is filled with excitement surrounding what exactly the new Zombies offering will have in store.
Of course, the lasting success of the Call of Duty zombies owes everything to the storytelling of those working at Treyarch.
Game developers who have fused authentic narrative with visual design have helped cement Call of Duty in gaming history.
Undeniably, however, there’s also an appetite for zombies among those invested elsewhere in popular culture.
Cinematic and televisual zombies have both played their part in helping the phenomenon reach the status it currently enjoys
Zombies in pop culture
While Resident Evil films certainly did much in the way of reigniting zombie-awareness back in the 1990s, its current popularity owes much to the reawakening of Zombies in movies in the 2000s.
Arguably beginning with Danny Boyle’s 2002 hit, 28 Days Later, there then followed a number of other critical and commercial hits in the form of Shaun of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead.
Will Smith’s post-apocalyptic thriller, I am Legend, helped raise the profile of the Zombies genre even further in 2007, with 28 Weeks Laterand Zombieland similarly contributing to the zombification of mainstream cinema, crossing over into the comedy, action and thriller genres en route.
Fast-forward to the 2010’s and zombie movies are now almost every bit as familiar to audiences as every new Marvel instalment.
The Walking Dead, with whom Black Ops 3 has recently announced a massive European marketing partnership, has established itself as one of the premier television shows on American television, while World War Z, spearheaded by Brad Pitt, took over $500bn at the 2013 box office.
With scientific discoveries and technological advancements picking up serious speed, the ‘fiction’ in ‘science-fiction’ is becoming increasingly redundant.
Social anxiety about the future, and what un-checked horrors it might bring about, is now widespread.
The next zombie virus is, of course, never too far away, depending on which internet forum you might happen across.
Zombies: Treyarch style
The Zombies mode in the Black Ops series is so fiercely admired that it sits as a jewel in Treyarch’s crown, responsible for the converting of so many unsuspecting, previously indifferent video gamers.
Ask anyone who kept even the most casual eye on the recent San Diego Comic Con to list their favourite moments and you’ll find that among the surplus of Superhero trailers, it was the ‘Shadows of Evil’ trailer that garnered one of the best reactions.
The footage helped reaffirm Treyarch’s reputation as the pioneers of Zombie content.
It also helped highlight the long list of Hollywood talent now queuing up to take part in zombie games.
The upcoming cast for Black Ops 3 - Jeff Goldblum, Heather Graham, Neal McDonough and Ron Perlman - would be welcome additions to any Hollywood blockbuster.
Similarly, behind the scenes, they’ve enlisted the help of some of Hollywood’s most creative minds to ensure that the stories are captivating; with mastermind screenwriter, David S Goyer – the man behind The Dark Knight Trilogy and Man of Steel, helping pen the script for Black Ops and Black Ops II.
In Black Ops III, the story arc is set in the 1940’s film-noir era, showcasing Treyarch’s ability to invent and reinvent their own parameters in the pursuit of creativity.
So what is it that makes Treyarch’s zombies so good? The list is a long one and it would be impossible to even know where to begin.
What’s undeniable though is that between the glowing, piercing eyes, the deafening screeches and the unforgettable plotlines, Treyarch is leading the way with their continuous innovation in zombie killing.
Black Ops 3 is out on November 6 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.