The First Controversial Zombies Map

[@AustinAndDarrion]

This map dropped sometime late at night, me and my friends stayed up to download and play it as fast as possible. On our first attempt we died at round 26 and were top 10 in the world for like 15 minutes it was so cool. This map was pretty fun for a while.

[@Swisha16]

6 months later what are your thoughts are shangrila now?

[@jaydonsmith3434]

@@Swisha16greatest zombie map created

[@NS416]

@@Swisha16why would it change considering the map dropped 10+ years ago?

[@Wachuma-icp99]

That's a core memory with the homies right there. I had a cousin who was in the top 10 when nacht der untoten on codwaw first came out. He glitched into a spot with a flamethrower and made it to round 2009

[@darksaintxvi6914]

🤡

[@slavkun8706]

I remember doing this easter egg in highschool with 3 other friends and we held a crawler for 2 hours while one guy had to get his aunt from the airport just to die to the horde on the final step. So many great(ish) memories of this map

[@mattheww9763]

That's fucking wild lol

[@MadfellaDuke]

Damn bruh....

[@danielalex1946]

Lmfao Y’all waited 2 hours for his ass? Na bro that’s a no go tell that mf to get in a glitch where’s the respect

[@jerstumc5033]

that is funny

[@salveregaIo]

the aunt from the airport 💀

[@Demospammer9987]

To me the most infuriating thing is that the EE basically required 4 players. Something Treyarch cant quite seem to break away from

[@PowuhToSeven]

Dude I hate when I'm forced to talk to people in public let alone a lobby in cod. Just to get an Easter egg

[@johntron3849]

@@PowuhToSeven especially an Easter egg with my friends it fun but with randoms it’s damn near impossible because dozens of reasons .

[@PowuhToSeven]

@@johntron3849 it's the only thing that ruins shadows of evil for me.

[@bartoj03]

But it’s SO rewarding as a casual player to do it with people. I think it’s far more satisfying then if they nerf it for 1 player

[@thebagel6656]

@@PowuhToSeven sounds like a personal issue. If you can’t talk to people in a video game then you need to get some mental help

[@MarcoBMark-rt6ke]

Hey Cliff, just wanted to say your content is amazing. I know you aren’t getting a lot of views now, and your videos aren’t really about mainstream subjects, but I can see the sweat and passion put into them. I hope you get the recognition you deserve.

[@whitecliffgames]

Thank you so much for taking the time to say that, it means more than you know. I’m not stressing about views, I know I’m not making must-see content, just trying to make something I’m personally proud of, but it’s amazing to hear that someone else liked it. Thank you so much and I’m so happy you’re enjoying it!

[@natekaufman7746]

@@whitecliffgames for zombies fans that started at 8 years old with Nacht (like myself)- these critiques are definitely becoming “must view” content! Keep it up, wish i could sub more than once!

[@notacat7127]

You know his ratings boost is coming 🤣👦🏻

[@tvdvd8661]

Yeah when people eventually get back into older zombies maps, he will grow super fast

[@tvdvd8661]

@@whitecliffgames thats great most people dont make videos just for fun anymore. Awesome to see

[@cristhianmontoya6648]

I remember finding 3 other randoms on Five and we all silently agreeing to camp in the pap room. We made it to round 32. Such a memory.🙌

[@jtonthatrack3984]

Don’t you wish you could see what they are doing today? Man life’s trippy

[@tharegular]

@@jtonthatrack3984 damn right it is

[@whatyouseewhatyouget3021]

people still play FIVE in black ops 1 on steam, i played a few times recently

[@contraband1543]

@@whatyouseewhatyouget3021 I still get games on 360 every now and then

[@LandingBully]

@@jtonthatrack3984 they probbaly at the crib chillin

[@SonicGaming6]

"No way to communicate with your teammate" Let me introduce you to the *KNIFE*

[@ant-man-um4wu]

The fact some people dont even understand this language is sad

[@austinjohnson6642]

When I did the achievement only 2 of us spoke English lol

[@wyattwilbourne530]

Oh my God you gave me so many flashbacks of good moments involving trying to communicate like that

[@rjayyyy9623]

Teabagging is another form of language too.

[@Turtle9815]

​@rjayyyy9623 Both are very context heavy. Could either mean "Come here", or a celebration, or to taunt. Us gamers just get it

[@dannywhite132]

Shangri-la was one of the first to introduce real weirdness to the zombies game mode and a lot of people did not see that as a good thing ngl

[@chasegimbel1904]

if only they knew what the future would hold, shangri la is top tier compared to the souless husk zombies has become

[@scarletcrusader5431]

I loved this map when it came out, the new artistic direction and layout was always really neat

[@alexisaguirrevideos]

Same!!

[@alexisaguirrevideos]

It was like a breath of fresh air and looked beautiful.

[@Chilletid93]

When I first played Shangri-la all those years ago, I never thought people hated it. I personally thought it was pretty cool and had fun with it, so it caught me off guard many years later when I started seeing people hating on the map. Your video really clears up why people disliked it and the issues it has, so I'm really glad your video was informative about Shangri-la.

[@Chilletid93]

@@youngfoe4508 yeah, I agree that PaP'ing was a bitch online without a mic. Idr if I played online a lot tbh. I always played solo or split screen

[@DogeismYT]

I mean the really low player count (rip player counts) did give it away that it wasn’t loved

[@randomguy3711]

The map is still ass, till this day.

[@lucifer2b666]

My gaming circle HATED call of the dead and shang was considered a bad map gameplay wise but one of the best story and atmosphere wise.

[@TheShapeshifter]

Oh yeah, it was definitely one of the more hated maps if not most hated. I think at the time Black Ops 1 was out, Shangri-La and Moon were my two least favorite maps while Kind Der Toten and Acsension were my favorites.

[@ShadeGamingInnit]

RIP Yoteslaya. One of the high round OG's

[@swegelbagel4020]

Na fuck him. He and and drive putting other peoples live at risk.

[@toodamnicycold]

I remember the first time I ever played this map. I was so pissed off I spent $15 for this map because of how hard it was and how hard the Easter egg was. But now I appreciate it a lot for how challenging it was and how different it was.

[@EpicArianas]

That Yoteslaya clip hit me right in the feels. Nearly 10 years since he passed.

[@alexisaguirrevideos]

Damn that’s crazy. Rest in peace.

[@patsol8013]

Best BL2 KZbinr 😢

[@cristiancervantes3088]

Damn OG fr

[@jiggyjames6762]

My buddy and I used to make cod KZbin videos back in the black ops 1 era. We met yote when he had about 300 subs and would always play with him, I was even on a few of his videos. We ended up getting older and stopped making content, and then about a year later heard about his passing. RIP

[@yajj]

Really made me think about how long it’s been lol, sad

[@ClonedGamer001]

There is actually one trap on Shangri-La. It's in the lake where Mule Kick was later added, there's a prompt if you walk up to the rock in the center from the cave entrance. It's also free to use

[@jasonsnagel]

Yo I forgot about that big time, thanks!

[@jimaco0312]

Phd is so needed on this map, mustang or sally/ray gun is vital for clearing zombies blocking your path around corners

[@alexanderrose3125]

If you did Easter eggs, you could definitely find appreciation for it. Some of the best times I’ve had for sure

[@Dickie844]

I literally remember when this came out my friends and i called this “the hard map” out of all the maps 😂😭

[@lucifer2b666]

It is tho. Call of the dead is the second hardest and Five is third. Easiest is by far moon. Then kino and then obviously Der Reise remake are second easiest. Ascension is pretty damn easy too. All the maps from blops and waw are a cake walk except for five, call and shang.

[@mysterymaster180]

@@lucifer2b666 Verrukt would like to say hello

[@Rudenbehr]

@@lucifer2b666 Five felt like a good challenge. Shangri La just felt like a giant “fuck you” at every point

[@Disfyncial]

@@lucifer2b666five is harder than call of the dead

[@speedking7224]

​@@Disfyncialcall of the dead is not that hard.

[@HourRomanticist]

I really admired people that were able to survive on Shangrila. I couldn't get past round 6 solo and on most public lobbies we never got past round 10 lol

[@Brandonian]

I loved this map. I hate to say it, but this happened to my favorite map of all time. I loved this map. Had good times on this map with yourself and 3 other friends. The Easter egg took us a while and we failed a lot. It was fun though and the wonder weapon was great! Loved that shrink-ray thing lol

[@Mavvyd96]

Great survey, Cliff. Brings back memories of 9th grade for me. Great touch with Paradolia playing at the end. The metal music in Black Ops 1 and 2 was just awesome. Metalcore, deathcore and everything in between. I’m a huge metalhead, haha.

[@samhamer1175]

Subscribed, watching your zombies video has brought back a lot of great memories of staying up late almost every night with my same group of friends doing high rounds when these maps first came out

[@clangnk3504]

I love your thoughts and input of all of these maps. They are very relatable to how I feel about the maps, the game, and the developers/development. You hit a lot of topics in your videos that are super relatable to how I feel about the maps you are talking about in each video

[@art_of_the_fruit]

currently going through the entire series, I love your work man, you have like all the objectively correct opinions and these videos are very well made.

[@mikec5400]

I always loved this map and moon. Doing the Easter eggs on those two maps with 3 guys I met while playing halo was some of the best memories I have from gaming

[@jfwjfw5558]

shang is by far (imo, ppl have different opinions) the best map in bo1 for a few reasons, even tho its not casual friendly, but i dont have problems to encourage the player to improve at the game. 1. the map is relativly small but easy accessable due to multiple ways to move around the map 2. the wonder weapon is an absolut beast, a shit ton of ammo+1 hit kill on every round+drops power ups+ swag for kicking baby zombies around 3. spaws are very fast, very fun map to play high rounds 4. you actually need to think about the game, obvly. avoiding the mud or spikes is smart 5. graphics

[@RivenofaCoupleVoices]

Good script, clear and thought out arguments for each map. Keep up the good work man

[@SuperPwndProductions]

My friends and I love this map. It’s perfect when we just wanna have a good time after a few months zombies hiatus because it’s so chaotic and we know that we won’t make it past round 15 so the games are nice and short. I’m so glad this map exists especially in bo3.

[@friendboy10]

Same reason that I love it. It's my favorite map for casual play because it's tough, which makes even early rounds exciting, because it's tough it's hard to make it far meaning games are likely to be shorter, and due to the inability to train you were forced to move around which let you see every part of this gorgeous map.

[@SuperPwndProductions]

@@friendboy10 you said it better than I did lol. I agree completely

[@ledgy69]

Love the way your brain works man. You have wonderful insights into the maps. Sending love from Australia, can't wait to see more!!

[@Fuzhou]

I used to really hate this map. Now, I don’t hate it, but it’s not my main choice. Also PAP with randoms makes me wanna die.

[@davidthorne5715]

Shangri La was a fun map, it was much more difficult and I definitely didn’t play it as much as ascension, call of the dead, or moon, but it added a lot of cool features and did a good job at setting itself apart from other zombie experiences.

[@davidthorne5715]

@Skankhunt42 it was too chaotic, there was too much going on and too many spawns and it was just a nightmare to navigate, but I’m sure back then I had it down more than I remember

[@Crayveee]

So I only just now realized you have 234 subscribers I'm actually shocked you aren't blowing up yet Keep up your content I hope that the algorithm will finally notice you. So far I got this video as a random recommendation but I really like these videos

[@averagemike2171]

They now have 2.36k!

[@Crayveee]

@@averagemike2171 Let's go :D He deserves a lot of subscribers

[@scottstar66]

I enjoyed the Easter egg on this map it was definitely challenging to say the least! Has to be up there with one of the hardest ones I’ve done.

[@MiKEY_TARANTiNO]

The trailer for this map was legendary.

[@isobarkley]

waiting for this baby to download felt like an eternity

[@calvinsongster7855]

I loved this map. Loved that you could start a game and give it your all and not be worried you’d still be sitting there 4 hours later. The visuals and daytime lighting was great too

[@kivaHBRO_04]

Honestly the reason why I play certain maps is the Easter egg music and I play the hell out of Shangri la because damn Pareidolia slaps so damn hard.

[@lzrdkng07]

Such an underrated map! I loved the challenge and how it forced you to keep moving!

[@dennisp6962]

Pretty cool! My friends and I definitely neglected this map for others like Kino, ascension, and especially once they re-released the original 4 maps. Neat to watch this retrospective and be able to appreciate it and its differences and attempts to change the formula. It makes me want to go back and play it! Nice video

[@softdoughnuts]

I was never that good at this map myself, but I was always drawn to it. I love the warm sunset jungle vibe, and Pareidolia is a great song. I think it's difficulty is what drove me to keep trying to get better at it. It definitely feels like a lonelier map.

[@maxryan8086]

Love how hard this you tuber is grinding. Great content keep going!

[@ABYSSWALKER.]

this map wasn't even that bad. it was fun as hell especially when you find out about the monkeys that steal power ups and killing them with precise timing will either switch the power up or they'll drop a free perk

[@jessecarter960]

All of these maps hold such nostalgic value for me

[@VigorousDomination]

last time i played Shangri la was with a full squad of randoms on pc and we actually managed to complete the easter egg it was an awesome experience and one of my final great zombies memories

[@Darkwing_Dork]

This was a very nice video to randomly stumble upon. Obviously a nice nostalgic trip down memory lane but you also really put into words why I was so mixed on the map on launch, but still somehow appreciate it. Just something I couldn't put into words when I was young and it released, and never bothered to really think about too hard later in life. Also the minecart was rad asf

[@benwhitehair5291]

I just wanted more to the map. I loved the aesthetic and design, I wanted more of the temples and jungle and fewer caves

[@DogsWallop]

Call of the dead seemed massive compared to this cum5hot

[@Paul-lp5pu]

For me, the biggest dissappointment was how much of a step down it felt like as far as map layout went. Before this, each map had been getting progressively more complex. Just think about how vast call of the dead was! But this map was just a big circle, that was it. And the only slight variances to that circle were little one-way gimmicks. It felt like a massive let down then, and seeing all the stuff that got cut from the map, it kinda STILL feels like a big letdown.

[@borp9173]

When running through all of these maps for the first time (My first map was buried, but I started playing in 2020), I really liked this map, and I still do. Cool mechanics and major challenge are my two favorite aspects of a video game.

[@TheEletronicFunky]

everyreason you gave on why this map is hatted is why I love it

[@nuklearbakon5884]

Why does this only got 70 views!?!? Great vid

[@samusaran7317]

38k

[@doofsdoofs]

Big McThankies for not resorting to the usual video essay tropes, e.g. unnecessary pausing, overuse of theatrics, etc. This was very refreshing.

[@tc413141]

5:00 yup. we've all been in the first room and everybody refuses to buy the first door(including yourself).

[@strisselstudios3932]

Crazy seeing you blowing up. Been around since ~200 subs. Love your content man!

[@Jasonhoods]

Good work man. I loved this video. Shangri-la has the best ee of all the old maps in my opinion. Someday I would like to get a PC so I can get the bo3 solo mod

[@dawsonweber99]

I thoroughly enjoyed this map when it released. I was blind to the fact that it had so many people that hated it until recently.

[@bigtarzan44]

this map aged so well

[@stringbean1511]

I mean the baby maker was the most unique and underrated gun in cod zombies

[@SWOL]

Amazing content. Brought back a lot of memories. Subbed

[@yeahbasically5282]

I cannot describe to you how much I absolutely love your videos and in depth explanations AS WELL AS KNOWLEDGE ABT BASICALLY EVERYTHING

[@emvv3784]

shangri with 3 friends was my fav map of all time. the slide, cart, jets. fuck that was a fun time of life on xbox live with the boys. Shangri La forever best map

[@rofoltofol]

this is actually my favourite black ops 1 mapfor some reason, its just so memorable and so hard but in a great way

[@thek838]

The only map I can safely say I haven't put multiple hours into. This map always feels to luck based for me. And that's coming from a guy who likes Five were there is a guy who just randomly comes in to steal your gun lol. Or likes transit when it's random Lighting guy or bus movements. Even Chronicles didn't make me play this map for more than a few times.

[@madcuh]

When

[@Jetstreamsamdidnothingwrong]

Usually hate people saying this but Skil issue shang isn't luck dependent at all Heck out of all the maps shang probably rewards you the most when you learn it's mechanics

[@ochoagamer951]

Seeing you used a yoteslaya clip made me really happy ❤️

[@Maskedgamer9909]

I feel difficulty increases make for some of the most fun maps but the players don't learn to enjoy it just like the map burger town

[@zgamer1154]

Maps like Shang and Five are necessary evils and I still love both maps. Besides, Shang makes drinking games for zombies interesting lmao.

[@davemacchione3296]

I love Shang ri La for it's story and atmosphere. Even thought it's set in a bright and sunny jungle, the architecture was ancient, felt very far away from any civilization (well, it was on Mars), and the radios put such a terrifying image in my head. Brock and Gary being trapped in an endless time loop to be killed again and again is just psychological torture. I miss stuff like this from the world at war and black ops 1 era before the apothican and doctor monty crap.

[@Xzqwerty2324zX]

Your videos are going to be rewatched years from now

[@namenull7399]

1:25 do... do people actually play zombies like this? I have never played like this and I have never played with anyone who plays like this in all my years of public lobbies. I've probably used map traps less than 50 times in my entire life.

[@predatorpursuers115]

Same.. even going for high round I never had the desire to use traps

[@OhAeroHD]

Shang was my first ever DLC purchase and was purely for the Easter Egg of the map. I found it challenging but I found all of them a challenge in a unique way. No map was easier for a given reason, each player has their own ways to play given maps. I can understand the dislike to Shang but it's one of the most unique maps and definitely paved a way for future maps also.

[@SaucyNuggs_2313]

The best map of the Black Ops series. Beautiful, hard-core and insanely difficult.

[@coltonpiper6156]

Also Elena on the vocals in Pareidolia song is awesome. And Kevin on the guitar.

[@Cardboardbox83]

Shangri la was my personal favorite

[@SomniaCE]

I honestly love this map. I've been revisiting zombies as someone who was super casual (maybe 1% of my time in CoD was spent on zombies) and only played base maps outside of some sleepover back in the day. Going map by map, game by game and spending a day or two on each. So far, Shang might just be my favorite! Super unique theme, absolutely breathtaking pace with tons of lovely and unique mechanics that help it really feel like an Indiana Jones-esque adventure. It has my favorite wonder weapon so far and while I totally respect how annoying PaP would be with randoms, playing it with friends and the couple communicative randoms I was with made it a real treat. It helped build some sort of bond and trust between us communciating on holding crawlers and inconveniencing ourselves when only 1 person "needed" pack on a round. I also love how it lacks the truly open spaces so training zombies feels more tense. It is still pretty simple, but having to be just that tiny bit more attentive to your surroundings makes it a more engaging experience without feeling exhausting. Tying traps to special zombies and letting players easily farm max ammos more frequently with some skill is also so brilliant imo as getting clutch drops from monkey rerolls is hectic and fire zombie spawn rates feel pretty perfect. Things like the spinning sigils in the mud trap also helped inspire so much intrigue that it ended up being the first story easter egg I actually felt compelled to complete. Managed to figure most steps out myself too which felt really nice! Honestly the only downside I have is the song because while I liked it it is also my least fav thus far.

[@presidentjosh8252]

This series is amazing and will blow up any time now

[@KILLTHEREDDITOR]

Tell that to the million other video essay KZbinrs right now

[@christophervazquez1537]

Damn when I saw the yoteslaya clip I almost cried R.I.P

[@andrewcroft5606]

I've subbed just now. It's always so inVIGORating (thanks Richtofen) to see someone discuss the Aether Zombies maps. Doesn't matter who the creator is, as long as they have interesting things to say about, I'll listen. I've been binging this series atm and I cannot wait for you to do up to Cold War (or Vanguard, if you are really dedicated lol). I hope you can branch off into different aspects of analysis like character studies and comparisons (Ultimis vs Primis vs Victis), a timeline of the story and connections and that. It'd be great to see.

[@randomprofilelol]

the thing is, i do like this map like im a casual zombies player (getting to round 20 is a win for me) and shangri la except for the easter egg felt rly like it was just a map made for solo. defo it was rough in comparison to most maps but i still find it fun and its one of my go to maps. for me the problem was just the zombies (specifically in bo1) attack speed in general. had zombies of not attack so fast the map wouldve better. the fact that some zombies attack animations were so fast you actually took damage before they even lifted their arms made all maps hard, but maps like this and five was just a bit too much. i feel like had they slowed down attack speed of zombies to the sluggish kind in world at war nacht it could have been solved.

[@austintherrien8447]

Thank you for taking me down memory lane I miss zombie so much

[@oscarbooth4174]

Nice tribute to yoteslayer if you know , you know 1:53

[@muffdingo]

I miss him everyday man goat WTFT

[@vertigq5126]

Dude, this was awesome! Thanks for the explainer on the thinking behind the map design. Keep up the good work man, God bless you! :)

[@theterrordivine]

I’ve always loved this map. It’s my favorite Easter egg to date. Baby gun is my favorite wonder weapon also.

[@unknownmlg4041]

Ascension, the map with the bus (I forget the name), Alcatraz and moon were the coolest maps imo.

[@lil_revive115]

Siiiiiiick. Reminds me of Pat’s retrospective series, and I’m all about it. Keep it up!

[@lil_revive115]

Subbed ❤️

[@TheMysticalTank]

If the map had a place to train I wouldn’t have hated it as much. Also, the spikemor ee step was awful on so many levels.

[@SDeezy11]

To me it was always one of my “favorites” just due to the lore and the atmosphere of the map. But I rarely ever played it just because of how hard it was.

[@RazorBladezX]

Idk why this popped out so late for my recommendation… new sub!!

[@IsaacCosmic]

I miss going to my good friend’s house across the street to play the new Zombies map when it dropped. Simpler times

[@Odin280]

Your content is great keep it up :)

[@whitecliffgames]

Thank you! That really means a lot, glad you enjoy :)

[@nickywags0712]

Hey this video just came up in my recommended and decided to watch it and was so glad I did. Very well written video and a great retrospective on one of the most unique maps in zombies history. It’s so great to get that perspective to look back with so thank you, you earned a sub:)

[@KobianoRoll]

Your content made me go back and replay black ops 1 on my old dusty ps3

[@whitecliffgames]

That’s what I like to hear

[@KobianoRoll]

@@whitecliffgames literally my first zombies match in years, I get paired online with a hacker that had infinite death machine and the ability to fly and move through walls lmfao. Map was FIVE

[@xi_weedguy_ix9788]

Real gamers knew that the bottom of the water slide was the spot to train

[@gmjammin4367]

encapsulates my feelings toward Shang perfectly. I wish people would give this map more credit instead of hating it for its difficulty.

[@lemon8a308]

This vid went hard bro! Informative and no over the top music, very nice. subbed

[@Omid22]

First video I saw of you - amazing. Thanks for taking me back to 2011 with this video. :)

[@tylergaut4443]

Worst part of this video is watching him shoot chest level and not at the head

[@George-li1yv]

Especially as it look like he's doing it on purpose 😭

[@tylergaut4443]

@@George-li1yv literally

[@nickapollo5059]

Shangri-la was one of the best maps ever imo it was so fun to be challenged to get to high rounds instead of the classic strategies we were used to

[@BiggiexStatus]

Well done 👏🏽 this brings me back just trying to get to high rounds on this map with my friends and when we wud be down on our luck we wud always play the easter egg song and try to survive the next round damn fun times but great vid bro and also respect to for using YoteSlaya's gameplay he was my favorite zombie player back then

[@DeLisi.]

I loved this map when it released, it was just so different. Learning people hated it was a shock.

[@michaelmunger5999]

Arguably one of the best music easter eggs in my opinion. Paradolia is Elenas Magnum Opus

[@ryanwillis2513]

RIP Yoteslaya

[@skeltal7734]

i love this series deserves more views 🤬🤬

[@CrazyzzzDudezzz]

To this day, Shangri La was the hardest black ops map to reach round 40 on