There’s something fitting about a bygone zombie mod that simply refuses to die. That’s exactly what Cheyron’s Nazi Zombies is—a hybrid throwback to Call of Duty’s earliest undead horde mode that’s 10 years in the making and set within Grand Theft Auto 4.
I hardly need an excuse to return to GTA 4’s faux slant on New York City, so at face value Cheyron’s work is great fun. Re-filling the shoes of Niko Bellic with an assault rifle in-hand, fending off wave after wave of faceless bad guys feels as good now as it ever did decades ago; as does revisiting some of the game’s iconic map locations, such as the Times Square-aping ‘Star Junction’ of Liberty City.
Beneath the familiar veneer of this fan-made project, though, sits something a wee bit more powerful: my warped perception of time. The first time a zombie horde mode made its way to the Call of Duty franchise was in World at War, which was released in 2008 just a few months after the fourth main series entry of Rockstar’s enduring crime sim.
There have been 13 variations of COD’s undead horde ’em up offshoot since, and so with this in mind, plus the fact Grand Theft Auto 4 just celebrated its 18th birthday, I suddenly feel very old. I had just turned 22 when GTA 4 arrived on consoles, and while we joke about how long Grand Theft Auto 6 has taken on its way to hitting store shelves, I’m now 40 and wondering where the hell the time has gone.
Anyway, lest I bore you further with my personal existential dread, know that the perfect tonic for all of the above lies within Cheyron’s Nazi Zombies. Its rhythmic waves of virtual murder are simple yet effective, and I’m having loads of fun simply hanging out in a world that time hasn’t quite forgotten. Cheyron says Nazi Zombies is 10 years in the making, having just released the project onto Nexus Mods.
Here’s Cheryon themselves on their work: “A faithful recreation of Call of Duty Nazi Zombies in GTA 4. Relive the old magic. Try to beat your top score! Includes sounds and mechanics of Nazi zombies.
“Buy colas, buy new weapons at the box, play co-op with NPCs and go for headshots! Every level gets harder.”
In-game as in life, am I right?
