Spec Ops Survival: The Zombies Mode We Wanted?

Written by Cole Burton Monday, 14 November 2011 11:00

With Modern Warfare 3’s release, one of the most anticipated games of the year arrived.  Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer games have added on to Spec Ops to build their own Zombies supplement called Survival mode.  Ever since the release of World at War in 2008, CoD players have loved Nazi Zombies.  Spawning 3 DLC maps throughout 2009, Zombies became a phenomenon.  Even after Modern Warfare 2’s release, many gamers, me included, would flock back to WaW for a good game of Zombies.  Black Ops gave Zombies the welcome back it deserved.  But, how does Survival mode fare against the infamous Zombies?

Zombie mode and Survival mode have many similarities, but remain completely different.  Some of these similarities include getting currency for killing enemies, getting bonus currency for how you kill them, and featuring a variety of enemies.  In both modes, this currency can be used to buy weapons and perks.  And, of course, this can be done solo or co op.

As for the differences, Spec Ops Survival allows for one or two players, while Zombies always allowed one to four.  This is a disappointment to me, knowing that I can’t take my whole co op crew from the past with me, and can only have one ally at all times.  I would love to see DLC in the future featuring large maps that allow for up to four players in Spec Ops Survival.  However, this is unlikely.

Also, Spec Ops Survival allows you to call in air strikes to take out large groups of enemies.  This is a great addition, but there’s one problem.  In Zombies, everybody was always equal.  In Survival, you start out as a rank 1 and must level up constantly to unlock weapons, equipment, and air support.  I feel that Spec Ops should have just charged more currency for better weapons, equipment, and perks, and leave ranking out of the picture.  It would also be nice to see some form of mystery box to compliment the weapons, but no dice.

One thing that stands out to me in Spec Ops Survival is the mission tiers.  There are four maps per tier, and each feature different threats.  For example, chemical warfare comes into play in the second tier, but is not in the first.  This reminds me of Zombies and how they add in different enemies in different maps.  It is also nice that all future multiplayer maps will feature Spec Ops Survival, meaning we can expect an even greater variety of threats.

In the end, Survival mode is a great additional hoard mode to gaming.  However, I don’t know if Call of Duty will ever create a new co op mode on par with Zombies.  The ranking system and player limit really spoils some of the fun here.  While Spec Ops Survival is some good, clean fun, I think most players will spend their time in multiplayer.  This is usually the case, but not completely for World at War and Black Ops.  Share your thoughts on this new mode and Zombies below!