Ever sinceTreyarchintroduced their unique Zombies mode inCall of Duty: World at War, theCall of Dutyfranchise has focused on including a third type of game mode in every entry since.Infinity Ward’sattempt at a replayable mode came in the form ofModern Warfare 2’sSpecial Operations mode, more frequently known as Spec Ops.
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Spec Ops focuses on time-trial missions based on campaign levels or unique setpieces. While it would disappear afterModern Warfare 3and return inModern Warfare 2019, Spec Ops offers a nice change of pace from fighting infinite waves of the undead. That said, is it a better mode than Treyarch’s Zombies? Here are five reasons why Spec Ops is better and five why Treyarch’s Zombies mode is still king.
10Spec Ops: Varied
Treyarch’s Zombies mode focuses on two things: killing waves of zombies and completing easter eggs. Both of those elements are a major reason why Zombies is so beloved today, yet it can get fatiguing after a while. Spec Ops avoids this problem by having a wide variety of missions that offer unique objectives.
One mission might ask players to escort a VIP to extraction while another might ask players to infiltrate a bank. The olderModern Warfaregames excelled at this with a variety of stealth missions, all-out assault levels, and a few vehicle missions to spice things up.
9Zombies: Weapon Variety
Since Treyarch’s Zombies mode has so few ties with theBlack Opsuniverse, they have few restrictions when it comes to designing weapons. If it wasn’t for the unique lore and absurdity of the Zombies universe, fan-favorite weapons like the Wundderwaffe-DG2 and Thundergun wouldn’t exist. The ability to Pack-A-Punch weapons multiple times inBlack Ops 3and4also gives standard multiplayer weapons some much-needed flair.Black OpsZombies has aunique weapon sandboxthat Spec Ops can’t match.
8Spec Ops: Time Trials
Opposite of endurance runs is Spec Ops’s focus on time trials. Nearly every Spec Ops mission in everyModern Warfareentry will provide players with a higher score if they can complete the mission faster.
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Coordinating with a teammate and optimizing strategies is key to achieving new high scores and three stars in every Spec Ops level. It’s the same addictive quality Zombies has but for a completely different reason.
7Zombies: Simple Gameplay Loop
There is no denying that Treyarch’s Zombies mode inWorld at Warwas a masterstroke in design. Its simple yet intuitive gameplay rhythm of killing hordes of undead complimentsCall of Duty’sgameplay loop well. It has only gotten better with every installment. The addictive element of pushing for a new record and uncovering new strategies is a major reason why Zombies has survived so long.
6Spec Ops: Connected To The Campaign
Call of Dutycampaigns are mostly ignored by players, which is a shame considering how good some of them are. Instead of making an entirely new universe for Spec Ops, Infinity Ward instead places Spec Ops missions in the same world theModern Warfarecampaigns take place in. Not only does this help with cohesion, but it gives the developers unique opportunities to expandthe main campaign.
Modern Warfare 2’sSpec Ops missions let players enjoy campaign level segments with new weapons or objectives.Modern Warfare 3went as far as to create Spec Ops missions that show the enemy’s perspective on a campaign level. Even the rebootedModern Warfareuses the campaign as a springboard for exploring the conflict between the Coalition and Allegiance that plays straight into the game’s various seasons. It makes these missions even more memorable while expanding theModern Warfareuniverse in a non-convoluted fashion—which is something the Zombies universe is less successful at.
5Zombies: Maps
Similar toModern Warfare’sSpec Ops mode, some of Treyarch’s Zombies maps inWorld at WarandBlack Opswere based on multiplayer maps—Verruckt is based onWorld at War’sAsylum, andBlack Ops’sAscensionis loosely based on the Launch multiplayer map.
Of course, this is no longer the case. Ever since the second DLC forBlack Ops, every Zombies map has a unique layout that was built specifically for the game mode. As a result, every map has gotten more and more ambitious and better executed. Mapssuch as Origins and Mob of the Deadare regarded as some of the best Zombie maps of all time for good reason. Spec Ops has nothing remotely similar to the sheer scale and depth of these maps.
4Spec Ops: Survival
Modern Warfare 3introduced Survival mode to Spec Ops to compete with Treyarch’s Zombies mode. Similar to Zombies, players must survive against waves of gunmen to purchase better equipment. Instead of unlocking rooms and completing an easter egg, players purchase new guns, perks, AI squad members, and even killstreaks to stay alive.
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MW3’senemy roster was also quite varied, including helicopters, explosive attack dogs, and chemical soldiers. Infinity Ward’s take on the mode inModern Warfareis not as interesting due to the worse enemy variety and removal of squad members. Still,Survival modeinMW3andModern Warfareoffers a great twist on the wave-based survival modes Zombies started for the franchise.
3Zombies: Easter Eggs
Easter eggs in Zombies morphed from small secrets to fully-fledged mission objectives. These objectives are rather obscure, though, so players will need to work together to complete each map’s main easter egg. Some of these objectives are so complicated that the entire Zombies community will collaborate in the first few days of a new map release to get it solved.
As a result, these easter eggs transcend typical mission objectives or silly developer secrets. The reward for completing theseeaster eggscan vary from obtaining every perk in a map to beating the level itself. When these easter eggs also tie into unique boss fights and cutscenes, it’s easy to see why some members of the community adore Zombies for its easter eggs alone.
2Spec Ops: Emphasis On Co-op
Despite Zombiesallowing for four-player co-op, the mode rarely encourages players to work together besides completing easter egg objectives. Spec Ops is the polar opposite. Completing these missions solo is possible but much more difficult when compared to bringing a friend or three.
Most Spec Ops missions inModern Warfare 2and3were designed around two players, going as far as to put the second player in a different role entirely. The rebootedModern Warfaremight not go to this extreme with its levels, although its implementation of character classes encourages players to coordinate their loadouts.
1Zombies: Replayability
No third game type in theCall of Dutyfranchise has the same replay value as Treyarch’s Zombies mode. The game mode is incredibly easy to get into but hard to master. Players spend hundreds of hours pushing for high scores by developing new strategies and masteringCall of Duty’smovement and gunplay.
Zombies offers a unique style of gameplay that has not been successfully replicated in any otherCall of Dutynot made by Treyarch. Whether it wasGhost’sExtinction mode orAdvanced Warfare’sZombies, none hold a candle to the round-chasing Zombies mode Treyarch founded. When that addictive gameplay loop is supplemented with easter eggs and progression systems, it’s clear why Zombies has become a core part ofCall of Duty’sDNA.
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