UPDATE: February 12th, 2010
The wait is finally over: Activision has released the much anticipated map "Verrückt (Zombie Asylum)" as DLC for $4.99 in their recent 1.2 update, along with some other modifications that vastly improve the game. After crushing hordes of undead in this new area, we found it to be well worth the entry price.
Verrückt is much more a multiplayer-based map than Nacht der Untoten. The game starts with two players on either side of the asylum who must work their way through the inner rooms to reach the power source. Once turned on, new features such as the "Perk-a-Cola machines" and "electroshock defenses" become available.
The perk vendor gives off one of four different benefits, such as quicker reload times and more health. Electroshock defenses offer occasional assistance in killing zombies that walk through specific doors. The catch is that if you walk through the door while the electricity generator is active, you die. For a closer look at the map's layout and strategies, we suggest checking out this guide.
Another feature of Verrückt is the nine new guns added to the game, including the Springfield, FG-42, Bouncing Betties, and numerous others. The mystery box is also back, this time with a teddy bear that causes a creepy child's voice to play in the background and the box to move to another part of the map.
The new map is also considerably harder than the previous offering. New achievements for both Verrückt and Nacht der Untoten give players some new goals to work towards.
The 1.2 update also brings some increased performance, especially to online multiplayer. In a 4-man round we didn't drop a single player, and the engine ran silky smooth the entire time. Improved leaderboards now track statistics such as number of headshots, kills, highest wave reached, and overall points scored.
One major feature still missing from the game is the ability to talk with your teammates over voice chat. This is one of the most underutilized features in OS 3.0 and we'd love to see developers begin to incorporate it since it shows a lot of potential. For a map such as Verrückt where working together is key, things can get pretty aggravating without any form of communication with other players.
Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies has come a long way with the addition of Verrückt and enhancements to the multiplayer experience. At the $4.99 price point, those interested in the game should definitely try it out. We now award it with our "Must Have" rating.
We have been waiting for Activision’s inevitable entrance into the iPhone gaming space ever since EA started to make big bucks with their large list of franchises gone mobile. With some major names in gaming under Activision's belt as well, including Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and Tony Hawk, there is definitely an audience waiting to be served on the App Store. Today marks the end of this wait as Activision debuts its first iPhone game ever, a port of the Nazi Zombie subgame from Call of Duty: World at War. To say the least, it is impressive even with its shortcomings.
Unlike the usual squad-based gameplay seen in CoD, Zombies places you in a walled-in map filled with oncoming undead Nazis. Like most survival games, you are alone and must stay alive for as long as possible. While this starts off easy, hordes of zombies eventually start to rush you in large groups and you must use everything at your disposal, including an extravagant array of weapons, grenades, and barricades, to blow them apart.
Nazis and Zombies: Two types of bad guys it's always OK to shoot.
Speaking of blowing zombies apart, the graphics in this port of Nazi Zombies are impressive for a handheld game. It looks like a console game, and even when tons of zombies are bunched on the screen, we saw virtually no drop in the high frame rate. A big detail that was tuned well was the lighting, which is just right so that everything stands out while still keeping an eerie feel.
The attention to detail in the game also makes it seem like a console experience. Different guns have their own reload animations, and random objects lying around make the abandoned factory seem as if it once truly existed. Depending on the gun you use and where a zombie is shot, it will have a different animation. Some will make a zombie’s head explode when you get a headshot, or fall to the ground and crawl towards you after being shot in the leg.
One of the most unique parts of Nazi Zombies is its sense of progression. You start off with only a pistol on the base level of a map, but as you collect more money, you can destroy objects blocking your path and adventure throughout the massive area. As you progress, new weapons and secrets can be purchased from pictures on the wall. Eventually you will get classics such as a high-powered dart gun, the flamethrower, and a double-barrel shotgun. Each plays in its own unique way and is potent when mastered. For replay value, you can always do a weapon run where you only play with one until your inevitable death.
Do you smell BBQ?
Controls are always important when it comes to first person shooters, and the dual-stick option (which you can customize with an inverted y-axis and adjustable sensitivity for both axes) make the game feel very easily playable. Movement with each stick is just like a console FPS, and tapping on the right stick fires your gun. Much like Eliminate, double-tapping and holding down on the fire stick shoots a steady stream of bullets. There are two other control options (accelerometer and another somewhat like Modern Combat) but we found both to be imprecise.
An option that cannot be turned off is smart targeting. When your crosshairs move close to an enemy, they will grasp it so that you have a better shot of hitting it. You will still need to make some adjustments in order to get headshots, but ultimately we found it helpful. Note that scope mode does not use the targeting feature.
Zombies on consoles was most popular as a co-op game, and this iteration has this feature in full swing. Online (only over a wireless connection, not 3G), local wi-fi, and Bluetooth multiplayer all work great when in-game. However, occasional connection issues did not allow us to play these modes. Also, we would love to have voice chat for online in the future. Apart from random queuing, there is an option to host a private match. Joining one is a pain since you need to put in a case sensitive name to find the group. This often took us multiple tries to work correctly as well.
The biggest shortcoming in this version of Zombies is the content you are getting for the top price point on the App Store. With only one maps available, there will never be much variation in your strategy. Activision has said that new maps are coming in the future as in-app purchases, so we hope they compensate for the high cost of entry and price the extra content accordingly. Currently, there is still a lot of replay value, with about 50 achievements of varying types and online leaderboards.
Ultimately, Zombies is a great port of the extremely successful survival game found in Call of Duty: World at War. The lack of content, high price point, and occasional connection issues with the servers keep it from our highest rating, but don’t let that stop you from buying this if you are a fan.
15 Comments
Are there levels/ranks as in the console CoDs? That would seal the deal for me.
Good question. As far as single game progression goes, you survive x amount of rounds. However, there aren't any player levels. They aren't really necessary either since the multiplayer is co-op (which is a breath of fresh air after some hardcore Eliminate deathmatches!).
Haha I understand. I think Eliminate will last me a while for deathmatches. As this was my #2 app I wanted to see, I'm gonna have to pick this up.
There are only levels/ranks in the multiplayer aspect of console CoD's, it's not in co-op modes... though that would certainly be cool. And good review by the way, I just hope you can change the score once the DLC/Patches are released.
We will definitely address our score when some new content is released. Right now it is standing as an extremely strong 3, so we will see =]
I know that I'm usually here to complain about a review, but I actually think that this one is spot on. Good job.
This game stuttered a bit on my iPhone 3G, but I love that we finally have a co-op FPS for the iPhone.
PocketGamerUK gave this a 9/10, yet you gave it a 3/5?
3/4, meaning it is a strong game. This is one game where the text is more important than the score.
Also, our goal isn't to repeat what other sites are saying. We give our honest opinion =]
I fell that 10 dollars for only one map is absurd, no matter how good the game is. They would be wise to release the next map for free, to soothe the anger of the fans like myself. Then charge for the rest of the maps.
I really, really hope they add VC to it. It's essential for the later maps.
I really like this game, like ALOT, but can someone please tell me what update 1.1.0 fixes?
I can't get no Wi-Fi signal on my iPod Touch so I can't update it from the app store, so I have to use iTunes on my computer to update it, but it doesn't state what the update fixes. Would really appreciate it if someone told me what it fixes.
Anywho, this is a great game! Sometimes the FPS drops when there are alot of zombies and alot of gunfire, but I'm thinking of upgrading to the 64gb iPod Touch today, so I will enjoy 2x performance, and better gaming! I have played Nazi Zombies alot on my Xbox 360 so I'm already familiar with this but what amazes me is that now I can take it anywhere I go! That's amazing!
So I rate it 4 stars! And The only thing I know that 1.1.0 fixes is the ray gun, so it's even better now!
Well cheers, and awesome review!
I thought if a game costed more than $1.99 it couldn't get higher than a "caution".
What are all nine added weapons?
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