A Trip Down Memory Lane? — A Zombies Chronicles Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni3pi3PJJvM
Zombies Chronicles was the fifth content pack for Black Ops 3 — it’s unusual because typically Call of Duty games only get four packs per game. I’m not complaining though, because with the fifth and final pack we get 8 remastered (yes, 8) maps — Nacht Der Untoten, Verrukt, Shi No Numa, Kino Der Toten, Ascension, Shangri La, Moon and Origins. 8 awesome maps. (You maybe wondering where Der Riese is, but that came out in 2015 alongside the release as an extra add on, called “The Giant”). It costs £24.99 or $29.99 and is available on all major platforms. It feels really unusual to be playing something new on a game that’s almost 2 years old.
Obviously I was really hyped to hear that these maps were being remastered and as I play on Xbox I had to wait the extra month due to the exclusivity deal that Sony has with Activision now (I now know what it feels like to have to wait a month to have the DLC). Due to it being released in the middle of my exam period, I wasn’t actually able to play it on release, and it’s been sitting on my to-do, or well, my to-play list, for a while now. With summer almost over, I thought I’d give it a go.
In this article, I will review my 3 favourite maps from this expansion — Kino Der Toten, Ascension and Moon.
Kino Der Toten
This was the first map that I booted up and my god it looks fantastic. I am absolutely stunned by the visuals of this map, and in comparison to the Black Ops 1 version, it creates such a darker and more sinister environment. Due to the more advanced visuals and graphics capabilities of the next gen consoles, the foyer of the cinema itself looks so much more authentic and intricate, and a more war torn feel. Although we have the M1911 back, I am not too sure about how I feel about it; it feels much more powerful than back on WaW or Bo1, and easier to trigger finger however I miss that shiny old gun from back in the day.

As I discovered more and more of the map, more and more nostalgia came back to me — which is a good thing. It’s refreshing to play it after a long time. On the main stage, you can see the most changes and development and despite being so graphically different and not having the same weapons, it still feels and plays exactly like it did on Black Ops . The new Bo3 weapons, in my honest opinion, don’t fit entirely, but it’s fun playing with them anyway. I think after time they will grow on me, but I love the inclusion of the Ray Gun Mark 2 in every map — it’s a fantastic replacement from the Ray Gun and although I am a bit rusty with it, it’s still great.


Weirdly though, the Nova gas crawlers have been nerfed almost entirely — they are still incredibly annoying, but they don’t leave as much of a potent gas cloud when they die — which is a welcome change.
“Gobblegums” are a new addition in Bo3’s Zombies mode that essentially grant a player a special ability for a certain amount of time, such as being invisible to zombies, or being able to get more than 4 perks. These are now present in the new maps and they also help add a new twist to the old maps — they are entirely optional though. Another borrowed feature is from Origins (although it’s present in a few of the Bo3 maps), the final Zombies map on Bo2 — the Wunderfizz machine. It gives the player a random perk for 1500 points and it not only allows players cheaper perks present on the map but also some that are unavailable such as Stamin Up (although this isn’t really needed on Kino), Widows Wine and Deadshot Daiquiri.
Here is some gameplay I captured so you can experience it too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8dcb81I3zI
Ascension
This map will always have a special place in my heart. It’s one of my all time favourites, despite the pesky space monkeys. The Lunar Landers were so much fun, and there were so many different locations on the map to run trains or try different strategies. The black and white start was also a nice touch, creating a gloomy atmosphere and when the power was activated, the burst of colour when it returned.

The map itself debuted with PHD Flopper — one of the most fun and useful perks out there. Back in Black Ops, it essentially removes splash damage from guns such as the Ray Gun or the LAW launcher and grenades, and when you dolphin dive, you land with a nuke explosion. It was great fun. This has now been replaced with Widows Wine, which will emit a wave of spider webbing when a zombie hits you, slowing them down, and you get upgraded semtexes that kill/or web zombies. This is a decent upgrade to PHD Flopper, as the upgraded semtexes don’t give you splash damage upon exploding, and the Ray Gun Mk2 doesn’t actually give you splash damage either.
This map featured the Lunar Landers, which are 3 landers dotted around the map and they can be used to travel from one place back to the mainframe. To open the Pack a Punch, you need to use all 3 landers, and then you have to launch the rocket (which can be blown up) from the power room. Each lander costs 250 points to use and have a small cool down period after use but they are an awesome way to escape a sticky situation.
Ascension is one of the most easiest and fast paced maps in this pack (maybe Kino as well), simply because of how easy it is to set up. You can get to some insane rounds on this map simply by running trains by the lander closest to the mainframe or underneath the rocket by Pack a Punch. Here’s some round 221 gameplay I found on YouTube of the Pack a Punch train.
Moon
Moon is one of the simultaneously most annoying yet most rewarding and fun maps to play. The first barrier you are presented with is No Mans Land. No Mans Land is the starting area in Area 51, Nevada, and in this area there is nothing to purchase here, with the exception of either Juggernog or Speed Cola (alternates each time when the you enters) and the Pack-A-Punch machine. As time progresses, waves of zombies and hellhounds get more and more difficult. Playing solo, this isn’t too bad as you can leave or stay as long as you’d like, but on co-op, each player has to be on the teleporter to leave. Even if they are down and need reviving. This can be a nightmare and basically end the game even before you’ve hit round one.
Again, Moon is a visually impressive map, looking even better than I remembered. Things on this map do actually look a lot different to what they did originally, but I don’t mind this change — Moon really was the most ambitious and best looking map from Bo1, and this remake has done it justice. I not only noticed the new visuals, but there are a bunch of new eerie sound effects that make this map quite freaky.
The Easter Eggs too in all of the maps have also been re-done — for me, I’m not a massive fan of the Easter Eggs — whilst they are fun and allow you to delve into the ever more confusing storyline of zombies, for me it’s always been difficult getting a group together that know the steps, have completed previous Easter Eggs, and have mics to communicate with. But it’s nice to know for those who do enjoy them, that they are there.



The biodome is my favourite area in Moon, both last-gen, and next-gen simply because of how insane it looks and how you can play the game in there. The vibrant colours from the flora, the booster pads and the places you can run your train is fantastic. And when the excavator breaches the biodome, you loose all fall damage due to Zero Gravity — making it incredibly hard to die in there.
Verdict
I do agree that £24.99 or $29.99 is a lot of money to spend on an expansion, but if you think about how many hours you can easily sink into each map replaying and reliving memories, it is definitely worth it. Especially when re-buying the original games and the DLC cost much more than this. Each map is fantastically different, yet the same classic maps we love, making the expansion ideal for those players who want the classic experience with a new twist. I think it’s a must have.
