Black Ops 7 Zombies' new OSCAR Mini-Boss is what I've been waiting 14 years for

Like most Call of Duty corpse Fans, I hated fighting a zombified George Romero in Call of the Dead when I was a kid. Before that map, the mod had never attempted anything like George, who was a constant mini-boss that followed the player for the entire game. When he could finally be killed – a process that took thousands of bullets and rewarded players with a Death Machine or Wonderwaff if they beat an Easter egg – he would return after a few rounds. As a result, it was best to take him to the water, cool him off, and move to another area of the map whenever possible. George's arrangement saw me throw several dishes in the late director's direction, but as I got older, I realized how special he really was to make the map. And it's for this reason that I admire the new OSCAR mini-boss so much.

In the early days Black Ops 7 Upon the release of the map, I noticed a few complaints about OSCAR, some of which take me back to my first several Call of the Dead sessions. It includes the following phrases:

“He has a lot of health and is impossible to kill”
“He makes it very difficult to complete Easter eggs and move around the map”
“He Ruins TEDD Tests”
“He has no ammo mode weakness”
“His buffs on regular zombies are pretty extreme”

Yet as divisive as the OSCARs seem, as someone who loved Call of the Dead and George Romero's role in it, this new threat is actually a dream come true for me. I would also go as far as to say that the best thing about the map, and the thing that helps it over time.

OSCAR helps address one of the most common criticisms of modern CoD Zombies

One of the biggest complaints about the recent CoD From old-school fans of Zombies experiences, and something that's hard to argue against, the new maps feel very similar to each other. Whereas older maps had unique tools like Spikemores or different constructables like the Subsurface Resonator, the same crafting table exists on every map released in the games. Black Ops 7. Separate HUDs for each map, map-specific bullet weapons, special rewards tied only to one map, such as Silver Bullets in Dead of the Night – these are all things of the past. Naturally, one of the main improvements that Modern Zombies can still make is to make each map more distinct from the others in a given game, and OSCAR feels like a first step towards that.

While Elites like Zursa and Uber-Klaus have different attack and behavior patterns, they ultimately fall into the same pattern of players filling them with bullets a second time and then moving on until they respawn. OSCAR, however, is similar to George in the sense that players need to think a little and approach him differently than a typical elite. While they can take him down to build the LGM-1 Wonder Weapon, beyond that, it's best to ignore him completely, keeping an eye on where he's patrolling to get to a separate area of the map. This can feel off-putting to players who aren't familiar with a boss from a map over a decade old, so they can shoot and engage OSCAR when it's not always the best way forward.

OSCAR drops a special shiny trinket that allows players to tame a friendly Ravager, a fun mechanic that will hopefully only last for Astra Malorum so it feels even more different.

George A. Romero emerging from the water — Bad George A. Romero

What once made Call of the Dead divisive has only made it more special over time, because there's been nowhere else quite like George. CoD corpse Sure, the perk-stealing astronauts on the moon would slowly follow the player and catch them off guard, but they died quickly and weren't nearly as persistent as Angry George. Just as George had to watch where they shot to avoid annoying players, demanding an extra layer of focus and strategy for players to survive, OSCAR shook up every play of Astra Malorum by preventing players from getting too comfortable. If they want to stay in one place for the rounds at the end, they have to earn it by killing OSCAR but if they are willing to keep an eye on him and go to different areas, they can go through dozens of rounds without even interacting with this machine. result Protectron.

OSCAR There's nothing to fight for… until you have to

All the complaints players have about OSCAR – whether it's the Zombie buffs where he turns them into super sprinters or his deep health pool – don't apply if he's not involved. The best way to approach OSCAR is to ignore him, engaging him only when necessary. If he's close to a TEDD trial, avoid doing it until he moves, or have another player move him away until it's done. And if he's blocking your go-to train location, it's best to find an alternate stop until you get to another part of the map. in Black Ops Cold War and Black Ops 6The difficulty was something called for by many, and BO7 Given that through additions like Cursed Mode and OSCAR, when I realized he couldn't be everyone's favorite cup of tea – hell, I was George Hatter in Call of the Dead before I realized how cool the distinct challenge I brought to the map was – OSCAR's design is as fair as it is bold.

Not only can he be dodged, but when he's fought, he doesn't do a ton of damage and telegraphs his enemy buffs with a slow UFO shot players can easily stun. Yes, he has a ton of health, but the point is to drive home that he's an endless patrol threat that isn't meant to be fought unless absolutely necessary. Giving him the same ammo mod weaknesses as any other mini-boss would make him a breeze to kill, defeating the purpose of George Heir entirely. It's great that OSCAR is so tough, and it's even better that he transforms from a slow, avoidable patrol bot to a fast chaser once gamers hit round 50. This speed buff drastically changes OSCAR's behavior to make high rounds different, while on most other maps, high rounding is exactly the same thing. It's a great touch to evolve OSCAR from a removable problem to something players have to deal with head-on, and it's still reasonable since players will kit out at round 50 and hand cannons can deplete their health bar more easily.

Astra Malorum Easter Egg Walkthrough - CoD BO7

I will die happily on the mountain as Astra Malorum and OSCAR are a healthy thing Black Ops 7 Zombies as a whole, the mod could use more creative boss encounters like this one. If you're someone who hated OSCAR at first, maybe you'll end up loving his presence like I did with George in Call of the Dead. For me, these bosses are a nice kind of annoyance that keeps players on their toes and prevents any strategy from being too safe and easy. And if this kind of addition turns some players away from Astra Malorum, I'd still argue that it was a good idea, because it's important. CoD Zombies keep trying new things even when they don't work — or in this case, unpack concepts that have spent years on the shelf. OSCAR is ultimately going to be a love-it-or-hate-it guy, but I'm firmly in that first category of players.