Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Zombies gameplay analysis/reaction

Source: Treyarch Twitter

I want to preface by saying that, my opinions are my own and you can take what you will from this new zombies mode. Don't let mine or anyone's opinion on it change how YOU feel about it.

Yesterday, we got our first look at some actual gameplay of Modern Warfare 3's "zombies" mode. I'm going to do a little breakdown on what is seen in the trailer, what the developers talked about, then the communities overall reaction to it (including my own).

What you need to know

Right off the bat, it's important to know that this is NOT a traditional round based zombies experience. Also, it's not a fully fledged DMZ experience either. It is essentially a mix of the two, taking multiple elements of Cold War's 'Outbreak' mode and DMZ. So yes, Cold War zombies mechanics are a staple to this iteration. That being, weapon tiers, loot, mini-map, create-a-class etc..

• Extraction shooter

• 60 minute time limit each match

• A.I soldiers AND zombies

• 8 squads of 3

• 24 players on the map (max)

• Classic perks, PAP, power ups, and DMZ mechanics (loadout drops)

• No solo queue (still played with 7 other squads on the map)

• No pausing? (assuming it's always reliant on queuing with other real players)

Gameplay Loop

Thanks to developer commentary provided by Kevin Drew and Miles Leslie. They basically talked about the general moment-to-moment gameplay and answered some burning question on the story and developing the mode.

The first thing to note is that, they specifically call this a co-op experience. One that, seems to try it's hardest to implement zombie elements into a DMZ setting. This essentially translates to, Outbreak 2.0. One where the core element of extraction is the name of the game. One of the most notable influences is the ability to take previous loot into your next match. They said that anything from weapons, perks, wonder weapons, equipment and score streaks will all carry over into the next game. Essentially, the scaling of each match should, in theory, get progressively easier the more time and effort you put into the mode.

Obviously, this gameplay loop is the complete opposite of traditional zombies. One where, each match, you start with nothing but a pistol and two grenades. By the time you down and bleed out, you go into your next game with nothing but a pistol and grenades (and the cycle continues).

There is a pretty clear mix of DMZ's A.I. soldiers and Outbreaks zombies/bosses that are scattered around the map. It appears, in accordance to both modes, the only real form of match progression is to complete objectives, not kill zombies. This also supports the rules of extracting the loot your earn from such objectives and carry that loot into your next game.

Community reaction

As far as the community goes, I'm seeing a pretty split reaction amongst multiple things that this mode has to offer. It can range from anything like the fact there is no round based gameplay loop, Cold War mechanics, DMZ mechanics, re-playability, and even the implementation of future content. It would seem that veteran zombies fans, one's that possibly did not like Black Ops Cold War's mechanics, are going to have another year of no zombies. Even those who liked Cold War's Outbreak and DMZ are having a hard time understanding/accepting the merging of both of the modes. On the other hand, there are a fair amount of people out there who are genuinely excited to play this mode. As most of them say that "DMZ with zombies would be fun." The community is still, sort of, in the dark on how this mode exactly works and plays. Overall, it's a very mixed reaction from all sides of zombies and DMZ players alike.

My Reaction

I'm going to keep this short as I've already discussed my own thoughts on what makes a good COD zombies mode throughout multiple posts. For me, anything that simply isn't round-based isn't worth my time or money. I never really liked Outbreak or DMZ or even Warzone so, they really could never get me to like this iteration (no matter how many "core zombies" mechanics are in there, their implementation is disappointing every time). Even when it comes to round based, I feel like we are losing the traditional gameplay loop thanks to Cold War. I myself will not be purchasing the game. However, I am going to do a (sort of) first impressions of the mode, rehashing what the zombies community thinks of it when they play.

Overall, COD zombies, for me, has lost it's touch. I fear what the future of traditional zombies gameplay will look like in and after COD 2024.