Call of Duty Zombies has grown a lot since its debut in November 2008. In just a few years, Zombies went from a simple bonus mode tacked on at the end of Call of Duty: World at War's campaign to one of the franchise's biggest selling points, adopting a number of staple mechanics and features all its own.
Most of Call of Duty Zombies' staple mechanics can trace their origins back to World at War's map packs, with Pack-a-Punch first appearing in Der Riese, and Perk-a-Colas making their debut even earlier with the Zombies map Verruckt. Each Call of Duty Zombies entry has slightly tweaked how Perk-a-Colas work, and as such some entries' Perks have felt a little underwhelming. Fortunately, that isn't the case with classic beverages in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review
With a fun campaign, incredible multiplayer, and the return of round-based Zombies, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the best Call of Duty game in years.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Perk-a-Colas Feel Like a Natural Fit
Only The Best Perks Return in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
There have been almost 20 unique Perk-a-Colas in Call of Duty Zombies over the last 15 years. With the initial set of World at War Perks being so beloved and efficient, it's always been a challenge for new Perks to prove their worth. This has resulted in some rather lackluster Perks over the years, many of which have never survived past their initial introduction.
Rather than try to reinvent the wheel with a bevy of new Perk-a-Colas, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 decides to play things safe, choosing to stick with the same set of old reliables. Jugger-Nog, Speed, Quick Revive, Stamin-Up, PhD Flopper, and Deadshot Daiquiri are all classic Perk-a-Colas that can be found in Black Ops 6's Zombies mode, all being just as useful as they've always been - and arguably more so thanks to the Augments feature which allows players to customize each perk's abilities to better suit their play styles.
Elemental Pop makes a return from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Modern Warfare 3, charging the player's bullets with randomized elemental effects. Though it isn't as well-worn as its older Perk-a-Cola siblings, it's a solid inclusion for Black Ops 6's Zombies mode.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has just one new Perk-a-Cola: Melee Macchiato. As its name implies, Melee Macchiato significantly increases the damage of the player's melee attack. While Melee Macchiato's wind-up animation could certainly be shortened, and its overall damage could be increased, it's still useful for its buffs to melee weapons and serves as a fun new Perk that has the potential to rival some of the series' best if Treyarch tweaks its stats. In many ways, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is trying to be a return to form for the franchise after last year's lackluster entry, and this Perk-a-Cola selection fits that approach nicely.
Perk-a-Colas Feel Like a Natural Part of Liberty Falls' Map
More often than not, Call of Duty Zombies' Perk-a-Cola machines don't really fit their surroundings. Though there are some vague lore explanations for their appearance in these places, it's often felt a bit odd to have these bright, shining Perk-a-Cola machines wedged awkwardly against a wall in a swamp, jungle, ancient castle, or underground research facility.
On Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Liberty Falls map, however, these Perk-a-Cola machines fit right in. Set in a small town in West Virginia, Liberty Falls contains shops, a motel, a bowling alley, a church, and other buildings people would expect to see in a small suburban town. Liberty Falls' Perk-a-Cola machines fit the town's aesthetic and environmental design perfectly, appearing inside shops or on corner streets, where it would make total sense to see vending machines - a rarity for Treyarch's Zombies mode.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 25, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- IW 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
- Cross Save
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
- Prequel(s)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: World at War
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 216 GB (October 2024)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
