Sure thing, I’ll jump right in:
Major spoilers for BO6 Zombies’ Reckoning map coming up, so if you’re not cool with that, maybe come back later? Anyway, where was I—oh, right, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 5. It’s kinda wrapped up its whole Zombies chapter, and ya know, Reckoning mostly nails it. There’s this wild lore dump about the announcer and whatnot, and Grey’s reaction to the Samantha situation is pretty intense. Oh, and the map design? Totally feels new, almost like a new pair of shoes. But, like, there’s baggage too—rushed stories with Panos, and the Gorgofex Wonder Weapon? Super meh. Still, quests and epic boss fights save the day. The ending though? Total wildcard—depends on who you chat with.
So, depending on your path, SAM or Richtofen’s the hero, and boy, does it get intense. Go with SAM? You smack down a mech-rocking Richtofen, and he’s too busy failing his family. But hey, SAM finds her humanity or something, while still keeping her AI vibes. Richtofen’s side? Little feel-good, with the wild AI out and him reuniting with the fam. But the real community stir? It ain’t those endings; it’s what goes down after. Both endings have this shadowy reveal with the OG crew variants crashing the party. Honestly, I wasn’t hyped, which is a bummer since I’m usually all over those twists—from Origins to Terminus.
The Aether storyline from back in the day? Total classic, a real teenage time capsule for me. Theories, radio breakdowns, they were the jam and Black Ops 3’s Zombies Chronicles had us all guessing till the official timeline dropped. Black Ops 4 wrapped up Aether but left me wanting just a bit more. Like, where was the Dr. Monty showdown, the Great War map? And now, messing with that ending? Yeah, not a fan. I’m not jazzed about the classic crew return like some of the fandom. Maybe I’m grumpy, who knows.
Black Ops 4’s End Retcon? What a Shame
Sure, Primis and Ultimis didn’t get fancy cinematic farewells, because let’s be real—by Black Ops 4’s end, the devs were busy elsewhere, maybe somewhere Cold War-ish. But Tag Der Toten still hit home. Richtofen dragging things out in Black Ops 3, only for Dempsey, Takeo, and Nikolai, in all their cutscene glory, to loop endlessly. For real closure, both versions of the OG four had to go, which Nikolai sorted himself. The cozy campfire talks from Tag Der Toten built it up, but I think the moment that stabbed everyone in the feels was Sam and Eddie’s new-universe walk. Hearing the crew live their dream lives? Oh man, that was it. Of course, the rush was kinda nuts, but it gave real closure. Now? Feels like nothing matters.
Call of Duty loves a nostalgia dive, right? From endless Shipment and Nuketown remixes to BO6’s Prestige nostalgia trip. Blackout was all "olden days" with its throwback vibes. But, reviving the classic squad? Feels overboard to me—a bit of a slap after Nikolai’s big farewell in Tag Der Toten. Even if the ending wasn’t spotless, it was an ending. Treyarch’s got some ‘splaining to do with this BO7 stuff—pinning down BO6, Panos’ mysterious backer, and the rest of the lorey goodness.
There’s also the sticky wicket of Takeo’s voice. Tom Kane’s been out since 2020 due to health issues. After the uproar about Samantha’s recast in BO6, swapping out Takeo in BO7? Yikes, fans will flip.
BO7 Zombies: Greatest Hits Tour Isn’t Needed
BO6 Zombies rocked it, so why is Treyarch pulling a resurrection act with Richtofen and the gang? Couldn’t we just explore the Chaos story more? You know, play out the Ancient Evil cliffhanger. Even Scarlett and crew popping in wouldn’t seem crazy—might’ve been interesting. Or let’s stick with the Terminus crew—they’re solid. Yeah, a bit more character dev wouldn’t hurt, especially for Carver, but now? Seems oddly unlikely. Probably switched back to classic playable faces for BO7 while folks like Weaver stick to radio roles.
There’s some debate on what this fresh crew’s dubbed too. Tempest? Medius? Some odd Latin stuff meaning middle—fits their Ultimis/Primis mishmash vibe.
Bringing the old crew back’s got some old-school fans psyched—understandable, they’re legends. But, while I love them too, I’d rather we forge new paths. Feels kind of desperate, like dragging RDJ back to play Doctor Doom in the MCU. Technically, it’s not the same characters, so past choices count? But, yeah, it messes with emotional investment. We get to know these new Richtofens, Takeos, Dempseys, and Nikolais, just to lose them again? Then we’ll probably get fresh variants. It’s like this never-ending cycle. Everything loops back to them, however hard Treyarch tries to shake things up.
The Dark Aether angle was fresh, really doing its own schtick with some familiar faces. Bold, right? But now it feels like Treyarch’s slinking back to old safety nets. Though, Tom Henderson’s leaks hinting at the OG crew return panning out means juicy map stuff also likely true—nuked New York City? Yes, please. I just hope there’s story left to enjoy because Zombies lore meant just as much as gameplay back in the day, though I might only hang onto the latter now.
