Sure, here’s a rewrite of that article:
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Okay, first off, spoilers ahead if you didn’t know that already. So, Black Ops 6, right? The fifth season kind of wraps up the whole Zombies thing. Did they nail it? Mostly. I mean, there’s this whole lore thing with the announcer—pretty neat—and then you’ve got Grey reacting to what happened with Samantha. Emotional stuff, you know? The map’s layout? Fresh! But, yeah, some complaints too, like Panos’ storyline felt like it was on fast-forward or something, and the Gorgofex Wonder Weapon? Kind of a letdown if you ask me. Anyway, quests and boss battles make it worthwhile, even if the ending’s debatable.
Now, here’s where it gets tricky—who saves the day? SAM or Richtofen? The SAM ending’s all about defeating a mech-Richtofen. She finally gets that human form she’s been after; apparently, she keeps her powers too. Richtofen’s path, though? A bit more upbeat. He’s back with his family, no crazy AI to hassle him. But here’s where fans get split—it’s not the endings themselves but what follows. Suddenly, new versions of the old crew show up, like a surprise party. A teaser for BO7. Honestly, it didn’t grab my attention like Origins or Terminus did. Weird, right?
So, reflecting on the Aether storyline, my teenage self loved it. All that theory-crafting, combing through obscure radio messages, it was like a community treasure hunt. Remember how long we waited for an official timeline? Black Ops 3 finally gave us that, but until then, it was anyone’s guess. And then Black Ops 4 came and bid farewell to Aether. Did I wish it ended differently? Definitely. Dr. Monty showdown, Great War map—where did all that go? Changing that ending now just feels off. Not vibing with the old characters’ return, I gotta say.
Primis and Ultimis didn’t get a grand send-off in Black Ops 4, just a slideshow. Remember that? But Tag Der Toten’s end? Impactful nonetheless. Richtofen knew the score; there was no out for the crew, save for a complete reset. No loopholes. Nikolai ended it all with a heavy hand. What stuck was not just the weighty conversations by the campfire but Sam and Eddie walking into a new world, the possibilities. Those poignant final words just lingered. Now, it feels a bit hollow, to be honest.
Nostalgia’s part of Call of Duty’s DNA—think all those Nuketown makeovers or Wonder Weapons resurfacing yet again. But dragging the old crew back into the limelight, skipping over Nikolai’s sacrifice? Feels a tad off. BO7 needs to explain why these guys are back. BO6 left us with loose threads, like Panos’ mysterious benefactor. And don’t get me started on Takeo—Tom Kane can’t voice him anymore after that stroke, and fans weren’t too happy about Sam’s recast, you know?
Bringing back OG characters for Zombies in BO7? It’s like playing the greatest hits. Sure, I loved them, but rehashing feels… unnecessary. Chaos story, Terminus crew—they had potential. Why not nudge those narratives instead? With the old gang back, new characters might get sidelined. Weaver? Carver? They deserve more than just guiding voices on the radio.
Treyarch’s gotta tread carefully with this nostalgia move. It’s like RDJ popping up in the MCU again, but not really as Iron Man. You know what I mean? We’re all stuck in this endless loop with the same characters. It’s a cycle, legit.
Dark Aether was carving out its own corner of the universe, unique vibes and all. But now, with the OGs appearing, are we retreating instead of advancing? At least, if Tom Henderson’s right, BO7 might give us crazy cool maps—imagine a nuked New York. But still, worries about the story direction loom large. CoD Zombies was as much about story as it was gameplay for me, but I’m not so sure about the future… seems like I’ll be hanging onto the gameplay more than anything.
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