Call of Duty’s zombies return in January, and they’re chasing John Malkovich

By Adam Rosenberg December 19, 2014

John Malkovich, Bill Paxton, Rose McGowan, and Jon Bernthal. These are the stars of Exo Zombies, the upcoming survival mode for Sledgehammer Games’ Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. It’s one piece of the game’s first downloadable content pack, due to arrive in January 2015, and you can get a taste of the zombie mayhem to come in the teaser trailer above.

There’s not much more to say at this point. Exo Zombies is part of the Havoc DLC pack, but little has revealed about how it works or what else features into the add-on. The announcement notes that the four Hollywood stars at the center of Exo Zombies are employees of Atlas, the private military concern that factors heavily into Advanced Warfare‘s story.

Zombies debuted in Treyarch’s first crack at the series, Call of Duty: World at War (a game that is also notable for being the only one in franchise history to offer cooperative multiplayer throughout the campaign). The mode has evolved over time and in subsequent Treyarch-developed appearances, with maps and modes additions in Black Ops and Black Ops II establishing more of a structure than the original’s simple, wave-based survival offered.

The last time Hollywood stars populated a zombies map in this way was in “Call of the Dead,” included in one of the DLC packs for Call of Duty: Black Ops. In addition to featuring Danny Trejo, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Robert Englund, and Michael Rooker as the playable stars, the map also included acclaimed filmmaker George A. Romero, creator of the Living Dead series (and, really, of the modern-day zombie), as a boss-like monster that constantly stalked the four players.

There’s no telling at this point how the new Hollywood foursome factors into Exo Zombies, or what fresh surprises the revived mode will bring. This is notable as the first zombies mode to appear outside a Treyarch-developed game. The new Exo mode was conceived and built in-house by Sledgehammer, as Activision confirmed to Digital Trends.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Gaming

Best Perk-a-Colas in Modern Warfare 3 zombies, ranked

A lineup of perk sodas from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Ever since perks were introduced to the series, they've been a staple in every game mode in Call of Duty. For Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, you can obviously pick your perks during multiplayer, but not so in Zombies. This mode has always made perks work slightly differently, using different names, but similar mechanics. This time around, the Perk-a-Colas have returned, and these cans of refreshing soda just so happen to give your character a massive improvement. You can grab one from a vending machine on the map in exchange for your points, but they don't come cheap. Since these perks last you the rest of the match (or until used for some of them), you will want to choose your flavor wisely. These are all nine Perk-a-Colas in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ranked from best to worst.

It is important to note that the location where each perk machine spawns on the new Zombies map is random for every match. There's no way to know where any specific perk will be, but you can see where perk machines spawn on your map as indicated by a downward pointing arrow.

Gaming

The best Call of Duty games, ranked

Soldier holding weapon in Modern Warfare II.

Few video game series are as influential and popular as Call of Duty. The annualized franchise throws players into fast-paced battles across various historical time periods -- along with fictional eras, as well. Call of Duty has taken us to World War II, the Cold War, a modern setting, and even to the future.

Although it's one of the most successful video game franchises out there, Call of Duty's quality varies significantly, with some fantastic entries in the series, but many mediocre ones as well. But which Call of Duty games are worth your time and which ones should you skip? To answer that question, we've ranked all the mainline entries in the series, with details about why you should or shouldn't play that particular game.

Gaming

The best field upgrades for Modern Warfare 3 Zombies

A man holding a mysterious glowing vial.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Zombies mode puts a slight twist on the mechanics you are already familiar with. It now plays much more like a souped-up DMZ mode rather than its old round-based format. And Field Upgrades have been modified in terms of both their effects and how you get them just for this game type. There are six different Field Upgrades you can bring into the map and use on a cooldown timer to help improve your chances of survival, but you can only pick one at a time. You will begin the game with only one option, but steadily unlock the rest as you level up. Once you have them all, the question then becomes which is the best Field Upgrade? We've managed to exfiltrate with the answer.

Healing Aura
Regardless of whether or not you're playing with a team or running solo, Healing Aura is no doubt the best Field Upgrade to bring on any Zombie run. When activated, you and any teammates in the area will not only gain immediate healing, but it will also instantly revive any downed teammates. The downside to all this power is that this upgrade has the slowest recharge time and is unlocked at level 19.
Aether Shroud
This is another upgrade that you will be glad to have. Aether Shroud makes you you temporary invisibile to all Zombies. This won't make you invincible, mind you, and PMCs can still take shots, but if you're getting swarmed and have no way to escape, becoming instantly invisible to a bloodthirsty pack of zombies can save your skin more often than you think. This upgrade has a medium recharge rate and is unlocked when you hit level 39.
Frenzied Guard
Just past the halfway mark, Frenzied Guard has a massive upside, but not without some risk. When you pop this Field Upgrade, you instantly repair all your armor, but also draw all the aggression of any enemy nearby for 10 seconds. However, another perk is that anything you kill during this time also repairs your armor, so situationally, it can be great or detrimental. This one recharges slowly, unlocking at level 9.
Frost Blast
Frost Blast does exactly what you expect: it fires a freezing blast that will slow down any enemy you hit with it and deal a bit of damage. It's decent in a pinch, but not a game-changer. You can get it when you hit level 29.
Tesla Storm
An odd ability on paper, Tesla Storm is only good if you have a team working together. Activating it will create a lightning chain between you and your team that will damage and stun enemies that get close to any one of you. It lasts for 10 seconds and can be great in the final moments while holding out for an extraction, but not in other situations. It recharges slowly and is the last upgrade you unlock at level 50.
Energy Mine
This is your default Field Upgrade, so it makes sense that it's the "worst" on the list. Energy Mine isn't exactly bad; you simply lay down a mine that does what a mine does -- explodes. It's just that setting up traps like this in Zombies isn't all that applicable except when kiting a boss around or waiting for the helicopter. It has a medium recharge speed.