Major Spoilers Ahead for BO6 Zombies’ Reckoning Map
Alright, so Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 5—it’s like the grand finale for Zombies. And Reckoning, I gotta say, mostly nails it. There’s a bunch of wild lore stuff, you get these dramatic moments, you know, like Grey’s reaction to Samantha’s fate—totally gripping. The map itself? Fresh design, really, it’s like they’ve been saving it up for a while. But, yeah, not everything’s perfect. Like, what happened to Panos? Felt kinda rushed. And the Gorgofex Wonder Weapon—seriously, expected something with more oomph.
Now, the way it wraps up, that’s got folks talking. Apparently, depending on your choices, SAM or Richtofen comes out on top. If SAM wins, you get this whole mech showdown with Richtofen. He tries to save his family but, spoiler alert, fails. SAM gets her fave human form and somehow keeps her superpowers. Richtofen’s ending’s kinda the opposite—he beats the AI, reunites with his wife and kid, all fuzzy and warm. But here’s the kicker: that’s not the real debate. The real buzz is about the teaser scene. OG characters make an appearance, pulling a “welcome to the party” for the Terminus crew. But honestly? Left me feeling… meh. Weird, ’cause past endings always got me hyped.
Thinking back to my teen days, Aether’s crazy storyline—it was the bomb. I’d dive into these fan theories, radios hinted at hidden tales, and the whole community was buzzing, piecing it all together. They only officially spilled the story beans with Black Ops 3’s Chronicles DLC, so creativity was off the charts. But Black Ops 4, man, it ended things for Aether. And while I kind of wish it went down differently—like, a big showdown with Dr. Monty or a Great War map, c’mon—their final chapter had its issues. I don’t get the need to retcon it now. Seeing the old crew making a comeback isn’t thrilling—it’s kinda disappointing, actually.
Why Black Ops 4’s Ending Retcon Feels Off
Sure, Primis and Ultimis deserved better than a slideshow (they ditched full-blown cinematics in late BO4 days), but Tag Der Toten’s ending hit hard. We learned Richtofen was stalling in BO3 Zombies, and for real closure, Primis and Ultimis had to bite the dust. Nikolai did the deed. Those campfire chats in Tag Der Toten built it up—Samantha Maxis taking down Nikolai was heavy. And then, off they go to another universe, dreaming up their best lives. Once they walked into that new world—boom—tears. You felt it because it promised a farewell, a finality. And yet, now? Just feels pointless.
COD’s all about nostalgia: double doses of Shipment and Nuketown, classic Wonder Weapons popping up everywhere, BO6’s Prestige rewards nodding to the past. Blackout nailed it with its nostalgic vibes—old multiplayer and Zombies spots, all wrapped in one—but dragging the old squad back with no rhyme or reason? Kinda makes Nikolai’s sacrifice in Tag Der Toten feel like a bad joke. Ending was called THE END, right? And Treyarch… well, they’ve got a ton on their plate: BO6’s finale, Panos’ mysterious benefactor, the works.
Also got Takeo’s voice actor question. Tom Kane had a stroke in 2020, couldn’t do voice work then. If they recast, expect fans to rage like they did over Samantha in BO6. Black Ops 7 doesn’t need to do a ‘best hits’ of sorts, if you ask me.
BO7 Zombies: Greatest Hits? Maybe Not.
Black Ops 6 Zombies rocked, so why dust off Richtofen and the gang? Embrace that Chaos story, you know? Ancient Evil had a cliffhanger, ripe for follow-up. Chaos crew could’ve shined, but bringing O4 back, out of nowhere, feels jarring. I mean, Terminus crew could grow, but with these iconic faces back, they’ll be center stage now, with Weaver and others playing second fiddle.
And fans are tossing around names for the new crew—Medius or Tempest, something like that. But yeah, some folks are psyched to see familiar faces again. I get it, I love those guys too. Still, feels like a cycle, right? We say goodbye, fall for new versions, then… surprise! More versions. It’s a never-ending loop.
Dark Aether was bold, breaking new ground. Now, with OG crew’s return confirmed by Tom Henderson—his other leaks are prob true too, like wild map spots, nuked NYC? But yeah, this nostalgia trip’s got me worrying. The storyline mattered as much as gameplay for me. Now? Who knows, maybe just about enjoying the game mechanics.
Long story short, the cycles continue… and not sure if that’s a good thing.
