Why Der Riese is the Perfect Climax

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Twitter: / whitecliffgames
Der Riese was the last map to come out for Treyarch's Call of Duty World at War Zombies, and it really feels like it too. Every map in World at War was constantly upping the ante, and Der Riese was the momentous finish by being one of the most iconic maps of the entire series.
"A Zombies Retrospective" is a series in which I play through each Call of Duty Treyarch Zombies map chronologically, and analyze its place in the series.
Media:
Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Duty: Black Ops III

[@presidentjosh8252]

This series is such quality content

[@PoIarisPrime]

Fact

[@jahpie2666]

Top tier

[@ryan_3113]

Fr got stuck grinding these

[@snaddrr5884]

Yes it's top tier!! It's so nice watching a zombies video without people yelling through the whole video 😅

[@NumbSkull2602]

I stumbled across your Nuketown Zombies vid in my sub feed, and just decided to go back and watch through this whole series youve created (great work by the way). I have to say that I'm a big fan of your insights into the pulp Inspirations of the classic COD Zombies mode. The sort of 50s-B Movie/Pulp Magazines style of storytelling that Zombies used to pull a lot of its tone and style from. I feel like a lot of people miss that element of the series upon reflection. Great stuff you have here, friend! I hope your channel really takes off, because this is some top-quality content!

[@whitecliffgames]

I really appreciate that! And I love that you saw that connection too, that brief period of late WaW and some of Black Ops 1 story was really unique with how secretive and conspiratorial it all felt. Thanks again, and let me know what you think of other later maps too, love to hear other opinions!

[@NumbSkull2602]

@@whitecliffgames Personally, my experience with Zombies pretty much ended with Zombies Chronicles in Bo3. I began with Nacht Der Untoten back in 2008, and played each installment throughout high-school. By the time Bo3 released I was in my final years of high school and it was almost like the end of an era for myself and the boys when the life cycle of Bo3 came to an end. I have mixed feelings about Bo3. I like the Lovecraft influence on Shadows of Evil, as again, it shares similar pulp vibes of the era, and I just casually enjoy the Cthulhu Mythos on the side, so I thought that was neat. I think Der Eisendrache was like an awesome return to the style of WaW maps but with Bo3 sensibilities in design and presentation, and I loved it. I didn't play a lot of Zetsubou No Shima when it launched, I have no strong feelings towards it one way or the other. I want to like Gorod Krovi more than I do. It has a very Der Riese layout, and the mesh of WW2, Diesel-punk and Dragons on top of the standard titular Zombies should be cool... but I don't know what it is that makes it sort of "meh", in my humble opinion. Revelations was cool. Its a fun map, and it probably should've been the last map in the original Zombies storyline, given that the map is one huge stroll down memory lane, but for what it is, I think it's a fairly harmless nostalgia-fest. If they had given the final custcene a more satisfying conclusion, I think I would've been happier with that than with what we evetually got. (Though, personally I think the story gets really weird in Bo3 and probably goes too far? Too far into epic-fantasy for my taste, since I prefer a more gritty, pulpy, fairly tongue-in-cheek tone to Zombies, but that's just me). I enjoyed WaW and Bo1 the most; Bo2 wasn't it for me. I didn't love the Victis characters, or the post-apocalyptic setting, it just felt like the same type of Zombies content everyone else was making, and the fact that Tranzit really didn't live up to the hype left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I enjoyed Nuketown Zombies as a test of skill, and I enjoyed Buried for brain-dead good times, but Mob of the Dead was a genuine classic Zombies Map, and my personal favourite from Bo2, and I enjoyed the over the top pulp Sci fi elements of Origins with its giant robots that look as if they were ripped straight out of a 1940s Fleischer Superman cartoon. I do find Origins incredibly tedious to set up on, however, and I'm not often overly eager to start a new game. I tried Bo4, and I really enjoyed the return of the pulp feel in Classified, I genuinely loved the opening cutscene to the map, but I thought Blood of the Dead wasn't as good as MoTD and I wasn't big on the vibe of IX or the other Chaos Maps (just less my thing, I guess). I never played Cold War or Vanguard, and from what I've heard I'm not missing much. Overall, when I think of Call of Duty Zombies, WaW and Bo1 instantly spring to mind, and the sort of sci fi, almost Wolfenstien with a horror twist that it leaves me vibing in. I enjoy a lot of Bo3, and I sometimes play the custom Zombies maps created by the community from time to time as a bit of new content, but for me, it'll never beat the days of Moon, Kino Der Toten, Der Riese, Shi No Numa, Verrückt, and that tiny bunker, somewhere in Germany where it all began. So, there you have my thoughts on Zombies in a very broad, overarching manner. This comment mutated into something much bigger and more monstrous than I initially intended. Apologies, friend XD

[@whitecliffgames]

Absolutely LOVED reading this because my experience is almost the EXACT same! I started with Nacht back when it was just some secret mode as well, and BO1 was like my lifestyle, I played every single day. I started falling off a bit halfway through BO2 for the same reasons you said. I’ve still played every map that came out, but near the end of BO3 I absolutely felt that “end of an era” as well. Going back now I really respect how starting with Origins, it plus all the Black Ops 3 maps each had such a unique and different genre almost (Lovecraft for Shadows, Heavy metal for Gorod, etc.) It was different than the unified, alt-history WW2 of all the early maps, but it’s interesting to see at least. I’m also a Revelations apologist, I think the nostalgia trip is great and the map could’ve been a fantastic ending with some tweaks. For BO4, I think the sheer amount of content is amazing, every map has at least 10 little side Easter eggs, there’s so much content in those maps. I think the game gets too much hate because of a couple system changes, there’s so much to love about it. But you also really feel what you said about Origins, which only got more true in BO3 and extremely so by BO4: how it can be hard to bring yourself to load into a game because you know there’s just so much setup you have to do, it’s so daunting. And the story is still very much that dimension hopping fantasy genre from BO3, so if you’re not into that it’s tough to get into. Don’t apologize, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, I love it! (Especially love the Max Fleischer reference point for Origins, I know the exact Superman scene you’re talking about and it perfectly encapsulates what I love about how ambitious and out-there that map was). Thanks again, I love talking about that magical BO1-era of zombies whenever I get the chance.

[@AlanTrezit34]

;iterally met him the exact same way

[@dodoguerrero4635]

@@AlanTrezit34 bro me third

[@Shxrpnesss]

this map is so so nostalgic for me, I want to go back to simpler times. i haven't kept up with zombies at all ever since black ops 2

[@miffydsi5063]

I feel that zombies after bo2 just got overly complex and turned lots of people like myself off.

[@Shxrpnesss]

@@miffydsi5063 I know BO3 is regarded as the best Zombies but yes, it was very complicated especially that first map, Shadows of Evil I think. Looking back, WaW and BO1 were pretty lackluster though kept true to the arcade and style - just survive.

[@TrickyThe0ne]

Fellow WAW player here dont look into it lol

[@ScorpionNova]

it is a great climax though i do wish we did get more Waw maps

[@whitecliffgames]

Same! I do think Black Ops 1 was a faithful continuation though

[@clonesolar]

It was supposed to have a theater map which was probably gonna look like the one in the campaign, and a Paris map which turned into moon and the theater one turned into kino der toten.

[@Snarky_Queen]

pc has custom maps.

[@slaqualquercoisamemo5117]

@@clonesolar it was kino wall the time, but the paris one was supposed to be in the catacombs

[@Cloaker86]

the reason there were so few is because they probably already knew Black Ops was about to release, and BO had a better engine so they probably just waited till it came out, in fact i think Kino Der Toten was supposed to be a WaW map

[@seriomarkj]

Just a classic map...still my favorite...camping on the catwalk was so much fun

[@kingsosa2481]

The nostalgia i get from this map will never get old. My favorite zombies map of all time. It was perfect. Still play it to this day

[@Shlankyman545]

Binge this series, sleep can wait. I’m so glad your videos started appearing in recommendations. I love zombies mode very much, it’s extremely well remembered and probably has taken up more time than any game or game mode I’ve played before. They caught lightning in a bottle and somehow kept it going for an insane length of time. Your videos are stellar and I’m excited to continue watching!

[@skateup2291]

All my best zombies memories were definitely the best on this map. Holding out on the catwalk and placing hundreds of bouncing bettys at the back for a last stand of defence. Keeping the door to the far left teleported closed and having somebody watch the one window while three of us would look down the hall also having that door to open as a last chance option. This was the first map that was actually possible to train properly. Amazing times.

[@jacobbell8171]

in my opinion you could train properly on shi no numa before this

[@briansullivan6476]

😅

[@kingfatih]

Your moon video was recommended to me like a week ago, but i wanted to watch your videos in order and so far its been great. Not only really nice to listen to, but also really love the in depth review about the maps with the video title in mind. Fantastic job man keep going :) I have always liked Der Riese since my first time playing it in like 2013 and it hasnt change, with it being still in my top 3 fav maps of all time.

[@daytonroeleveld6002]

This retrospective feels fresh, like a breath of fresh air in the community

[@josuepon0318]

WaW and BO1 felt amazing story wise due to how grounded it was. I hated what they did in bo3 cause it wasn’t zombies anymore, it was aliens and it was just something different

[@felix_cris4576]

I think they completely stepped there game up in bo3 because they had cutscenes that felt so rewarding to watch after completing a semi complex challenging Easter egg to get it and looking back there even cooler because you can’t really see some of em in your own game without 4 people

[@thebigbean8783]

Oh yeah. Bo3 was trash. It completely ruined zombies for me. I was so disappointed. I followed bo2 the entire time and had played waw and bo1 so much so I was looking forward to what was next. Ugh. It was so bad. So bad.

[@mrg3241]

Der Riese also introduced the Bowie knife. A vital early game point-maker that was.

[@danofantiquity]

Der Riese will always be legendary. Best map for a casual game with friends. Awesome vid!

[@Brandonian]

Can you make a video on the whole zombie timeline/story?! I truly feel like a video like that will be amazing! Like how each map is linked. That would be cool!

[@boastagon]

Der Riese is absolutely THE map that hooked me on zombies and inspired me to buy the PS3. Probably have played this map more than any other over the years. The WAW version is so gritty, the weapons were so iconic, and just an all-around beast of a map.

[@SFjayy]

You’ve blessed my recommend for the last 3 days

[@decentkiller1236]

I still play this game and the various maps (all be it I’m playing it on bo1 due to friends) and I still love these maps

[@trevormccarron4451]

i absolutely love DE, shadows, origins, gorod krovi, even blood of the dead, zetsubou and rev. der riese is still my favourite map.

[@kpmh2001]

These videos have been quite interesting to watch, love them.

[@cynicalgold9992]

sadly ive never played der riese itself, but i adore the giant in bo3. unlocking pack a punch is simple but i like how it requires you to open up the whole map

[@LovelessOmbra]

Just found your channel and I've been really enjoying your videos. Keep up the great work!

[@gIokk]

my fav map of all time

[@KobianoRoll]

My first time playing zombies, Der riese was the most recent map and Kino Der Toten didn’t even exist yet. Pretty fun map I remember I loved using the flamethrower during insta-kill

[@domlonetti4184]

Super awesome videos man hope you keep making more

[@Yoshimitsu4prez]

Der rises and kino will always be my favourites, they’re so raw and fun. Sure they get super repetitive but I’m barely good enough to get to that point 😂 I just never had the time to get good at the massive later ones

[@mojosodop3357]

I thought I was watching the wrong perfect climax video, but this one is really excellent

[@danielk7266]

The 3 GUN Pack A Punch Glitch is ICONIC on this original map...

[@socksman669]

I miss when PAP weapons actually changed the gun... now it is just boring extra damage

[@mrtuber3491]

There was a 5th map in the series and that was called Kino Der toten. It was held back for black ops because they didn’t want to hurt the sales of Modern Warfare 2.

[@daMoMenTum]

These videos are so good!

[@bigroaststyrone8135]

I disagree that this is where the series became campy, that’s probably in Shangri-La. Der Riese, even though it has more sci fi elements than the past maps, is still relatively grounded. Nazi Research Facility in the alps that experimented on the undead is a lot more subdued than magical jungle temple or 20s lovecraftian Chicago

[@regularperson5647]

Where do you camp in shang? You realise der riese had the most iconic camp spot in the franchise right?

[@edin5317]

Not campy as in camp, but campy as in cheesy dialogue and story

[@regularperson5647]

@@edin5317 so camp as in "fairy-tale like"?

[@Jayledez]

Good stuff man

[@rubencabral4791]

Bowie knife nights been the last addition tbh

[@matusalemfilosofico.8478]

Great video ! I didn't remember that map!

[@danielschultz96]

surprised you didnt mention that this was the map that they made the number of zombies per round exponentially scale

[@CarlosGarcia-gy6ss]

Vids on point he professional details

[@kilobravvo350]

I was living in Okinawa when this map released and 6th grade me was so devastated to learn Japan banned the purchasing of the game and content! Wasn’t until BO1 I was able to play it due to a friends dad able to mask ip address or something :)

[@lukeyraptor6738]

Which doors were permanently locked until the power was turned on?

[@lilnjdevil116]

Upgraded ppsh aka The Reaper was the fucking best!

[@Mufuka707]

best map in all of the series

[@SavAJ23]

Ok ok, but what would you have to say ab this being the capstone map of WAW if as initially intended Kino had been released in map pack 4?

[@jacksonlewison518]

Awesome video! But is there a reason your pronounce der Reise they way you do? Do they say it that way in the game? Because it’s pronounced like: dere (like there but with a D) ree-zuh

[@superskunknl]

I find it funny how almost nobody is able to say "der riese" in the correct way.

[@mindlessincessancebro]

Dey're Reese's

[@zombies4evadude24]

“Dare reese” is how I pronounce it.

[@Itsd2323]

In no order Kino Der rise Tranzit Die rise Der eisendrache

[@sempiternal_dysphoria]

nice

[@Amy-gf7je]

Carpenter good tho?

[@Amy-gf7je]

Splits the spawn rate up of zombies especially for perk/pack runs

[@potisive]

the map made me do a perfect climax in a film making sense weirdo

[@SinCorporation]

Oh my goodness!!! A swastika!!!! Cancel him now!!!! Can’t believe there’s people that say that kind of stuff.

[@NumbSkull2602]

I stumbled across your Nuketown Zombies vid in my sub feed, and just decided to go back and watch through this whole series youve created (great work by the way). I have to say that I'm a big fan of your insights into the pulp Inspirations of the classic COD Zombies mode. The sort of 50s-B Movie/Pulp Magazines style of storytelling that Zombies used to pull a lot of its tone and style from. I feel like a lot of people miss that element of the series upon reflection. Great stuff you have here, friend! I hope your channel really takes off, because this is some top-quality content!