Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies Review

The Call of Duty franchise is an absolute behemoth, setting sales records year upon year. Those who have sunk time into the addictive multiplayer will no doubt have heard of the 'Zombies' mode, and it's this that has been ported to iOS. Titled Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies, the idea behind this first person shooter is incredibly simple; escape the map before the protagonist is overrun by Nazi Zombies, while earning as many points as possible.

The main Zombies mode, which can be played in single player, online multiplayer or over local Wi-Fi, utilizes on-screen virtual thumbsticks as part of its control scheme, with movement mapped to the left, and looking around mapped to the right (this can be switched for those who are left handed). There is a rather generous auto-aim that is turned on by default, which snaps to any incoming zombie, and tapping the screen fires the weapon the player has equipped.

Iron-sights can also be brought up by tapping the relevant icon, and this removes the auto-aim and allows the player to aim for more precise shots, such as to the head. Again, the melee attack is assigned to an on-screen icon. Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies does the best it can with this control scheme, and it's certainly one of the more responsive iOS FPS games.

Saying that it still feels a touch slow, especially if the player is migrating over from the PC or consoles, and this can lead to some frustration when facing some of the quicker enemies.

Points are the key to progression in the game, with more being earned for pulling off moves such as headshots, or barricading windows. These points can then be spent on better weaponry or, cleverly, opening doors which will allow the player to go further into the level. It's a shame that only one map is available at launch, with more "coming soon."

Never fear though, as Dead Ops Arcade mode can be unlocked, and it's absolutely fantastic. This switches the action from FPS to top-down shooter, making the pace of the action far quicker. Power-ups and over-the-top weapons litter every new area, and even vehicles make an appearance. Very addictive stuff.

Graphically Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies is not exactly a great looking game. Obviously with the main theme being zombies, it was hardly going to be cheery, but everything looks flat and lacking in detail. I also suffered a number of crashes, sometimes taking several reboots before the game loaded correctly.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies is an enjoyable game, despite a few niggles. Of course, more maps would have been welcome, but what's included will keep the player busy for quite a while.

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