Zombie Nazi’s on the iPhone, Oh My!

The newly released Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies game for the iPhone/iPod Touch brings hours of great gameplay even if you’re not a zombie fan like myself.

The iPhone version features the original zombie map “Nacht der Untoten” (Night of the Undead) from World at War. It was designed by Treyarch, powered on the iPhone using Airplay by ideaworks and published by the recent gaming king Activision.
Activision’s (ATVI) has reportedly grossed $310 Million (North American/England Sales) the first day of it’s Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launch. Assuming these numbers are correct, it would push that release to the number one grossing game of all time.

This must be music to CEO, Bobby Kotick’s ears considering he also just reportedly sold a solid chunk of his stock priced in the millions. COD Zombies really utilizes the iPhones’ processing power and reconfirms why the iPhone gaming platform is rapidly growing.

For me it doesn’t get much better then taking head shots at Nazi-zombie’s although the limited number of maps is disappointing for the $9.99 price point. Downloadable maps aren’t available yet however they do assert in the Maps option that they will be coming soon. Here’s hoping that this will be at no extra cost, considering the hefty price of the game, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Begin the carnage…
Earn points by terminating zombies and repairing barracks. Points are used to buy ammo, open doors and to buy yourself past blocked areas of the map. There’s a double barrel sawed-off shotgun if you’re going to do this Bruce Campbell style.
If you see a ghost-like zombie face show up on the screen it’s a notification that Zombie-Nazi’s are coming up behind you. Stay aware.
As you bring on the pain you’ll also unlock achievement points and helpful tools like Instant Kill. Accomplishments can be synced and posted to leaderboards with your current Call of Duty account.

You’re equipped with a knife and a pistol in round one. Kill 2000 points worth of zombies, make your way to the door on the right labeled “help” and pay the toll where you’ll find some random butt-kicking machinery.

When your skills are “Army of Darkness-good” move over to online play where you can join or host games. Play with 2-3 other players online, WiFi or via bluetooth which is limited to 2 players.

I found Team play smooth and didn’t experience any lag during gameplay. Very handy to play with a group watching your back and in assisting in unlocks.
Multi-Player mode is where this app really shines although the inability to communicate is a bit of a bummer. Voicechat and the ability to play using a 3G connection would be two big-time desirable updates.

A look at the weaponry…
Whether your piece of choice is a flamethrower or a grenade you can equip yourself by cashing in your points to the chalk outlines on the wall or in the random weapons chest. Machinery is sure to impress, just aim for the head =) Are a group of zombies hanging out around oil cans? Just shoot the can and watch some Zombie-Nazi fireworks.
My favorite gameplay visuals are the post-grenade leg-less victims that crawl
towards you. C-c-creepy.

Perhaps the hardcore gaming set (of which I do not belong) will scoff at this mini adventure in the series, but as a part time mobile player, I’m impressed with it’s graphics and play. Ultimately, it’s difficult to assess the value of this offering, with the high price point and only one map alone it’s a little weak, even though I’m thrilled with the port. If Activision releases more content without a price tag attached, I think we have a real winner here.

Compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch OS 2.2.1+
Get it here (iTunes)

Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies
Single or Co-op Play
Syncs with COD online account
Uploads stats to online leaderboards