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

Like most Call of Duty Zombies fans, when I was younger I hated fighting a zombified George Romero in Call of the Dead. Prior to this map, this mode had never attempted anything like George, who was a persistent mini-boss that followed the player throughout the game. While he could eventually be killed — a process that required thousands of bullets and rewarded players with a Death Machine or Wunderwaffe if they'd already broken the Easter Egg — he returned a few rounds later. As a result, it was best to take him to the water, cool him off, and move to another area of the map to avoid him as much as possible. Manager George saw me hurling many abuses at the late director, but as I got older I realized how special he actually made the map. And that's why I appreciate the new miniboss OSCAR so much.

In the early days Black Ops 7 I've seen quite a few complaints about OSCAR after the map was released, a few of which took me back to my first sessions of Call of the Dead. These include the following phrases:

“He has too much health and is impossible to kill”
“Makes it too difficult to complete easter eggs and move around the map.”
“He Will Ruin TEDD Trials”
“Has No Ammo Mod Weaknesses”
“His regular zombie fans are too extreme”

As divisive as the OSCAR seems to be, 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'd even say it's the best thing on the map and something that will help her age over time.

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

One of the biggest complaints lately Cod The zombie experience from old school fans and something that's hard to argue against is that the newer maps are too similar to each other. While older maps had unique equipment like Spikemores or different buildables like the Subsurface Resonator, the same crafting table exists on all maps released in games such as Black Ops 7. Different HUDs for each map, map-exclusive orb weapons, special rewards tied to only one map like Silver Bullets in Dead of the Night are all things of the past. A key improvement that Modern Zombies can still make is to naturally differentiate each map from the others in the game, and OSCAR feels like a first step towards that.

While elites like Zursa and Uber-Klaus have different attacks and behavior patterns, they ultimately fall under the same pattern of players filling them with bullets as soon as they spawn and then continuing until they spawn again. However, OSCAR is like George in the sense that players have to think a bit and approach him differently than a typical Elite. While they can and should take him down to build the LGM-1 wonder weapon, other than that it's best to avoid him completely and watch where he patrols to move to a separate area of the map. This could be off-putting to players who don't know a boss from a map that's over a decade old, so they might end up shooting and engaging OSCAR when it's not always the best way forward.

OSCAR has released a special Shiny Trinket that allows players to tame the friendly Ravager, a fun mechanic that will hopefully remain exclusive to Astra Malorum so it feels more distinct.

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

What used to divide Call of the Dead is what made it more special as time went on, because there wasn't really anything like George anywhere else. Cod Zombies. Sure, the perk-stealing astronauts on the moon slowly stalk the player and can surprise them, but they died quickly and weren't as persistent as Angry George. Just as George required players to watch where they were shooting to avoid angering him and required an extra layer of focus and strategy if players were to survive, OSCAR shakes up every Astra Malorum match by preventing players from getting too comfortable. If they want to stay in the same place for the entire rounds, they will have to earn it by killing OSCAR. However, if they want to guard it and move to different areas, they can go through dozens of rounds without ever interacting with this machine resembling Fallout Protectron.

The OSCAR is not something to be fought with… Until you have to

All the complaints players have about OSCAR – whether it's zombie buffs where he turns them into supersprinters or his deep health – don't apply if he's not involved. The best way to approach OSCAR is to avoid him and only engage when absolutely necessary. If he's close to a TEDD trial, avoid him until he moves, or have another player take him away until he's done. And if he's blocking your spot to the train, it's best to find an alternate place to hold off until he gets to the next piece of the map. IN Black Ops Cold War and Black Ops 6difficulty was something many called for, and BO7 he's ensured that through additions like Cursed mode or OSCAR, while I understand he may not be everyone's cup of tea – heck, I used to be a George reject on Call of the Dead before I realized how good a thing the different challenge he brought to the map was – OSCAR's design is as fair as it is bold.

Not only is it avoidable, but when fought it doesn't deal a ton of damage and telegraphs its enemy buffs with a slow UFO shot that players can easily dodge. Yes, he has a lot of health, but that's just to make him feel like he's an endlessly patrolling threat that shouldn't be fought unless necessary. Giving him ammo weaknesses like any other mini-boss would make him a breeze to kill, which would completely defeat the purpose of Successor George. It's good that OSCAR is so tough, and even better is that he transitions from a slow, avoidable patrol bot to a speedy stalker once players hit turn 50. This speed buff drastically changes OSCAR's behavior to distinguish high rounds, while on most other maps high rounding is exactly the same as ad nauseum. Evolving OSCAR from an avoidable problem to something players have to face head on is a great idea and still fair as players will be ready by turn 50 and can afford hand cannons to drain his health more easily.

Astra Malorum Easter Egg Walkthrough - CoD BO7

I would easily die on the hill that OSCAR is a healthy thing for Astra Malorum and Black Ops 7 Zombies as a whole as the mode could use more creative boss encounters like this. If you're someone who initially hates OSCAR, you might grow to love his presence like I did with George in Call of the Dead. To me, these bosses are quite annoying, keeping the player on their toes and preventing any strategy from being too safe and easy. And even if this kind of addition turns some players off Astra Malorum, I'd still argue that it was a good idea because it's important to Cod Zombies to keep trying new things, even if they don't work – or in this case, digging up concepts that have spent years on the shelf. OSCAR will end up being a love it or hate it type of character, but I'm firmly in that first category of player.