Like most Call of Duty Zombies fans, I hated fighting the zombified George Romero on Call of the Dead when I was younger. Prior to that map, the mode had never tried anything like George, who was a persistent mini-boss that followed the player around for the entire game. While he could eventually be killed — a process that took thousands of bullets and rewarded players with a Death Machine or a Wunderwaffe if they had already beaten the Easter egg — he’d return a few rounds later. As a result, it was best to lead him to water, cool him down, and move to another area of the map to avoid him as much as possible. Managing George saw me throwing many expletives in the direction of the late director, but as I got older, I realized how he had actually made the map special. And it’s for that reason that I’m so appreciative of the new O.S.C.A.R mini-boss.
In the early days of the Black Ops 7 map’s release, I’ve seen a handful of complaints about O.S.C.A.R, a few of which l take me back to my first several Call of the Dead sessions. These include the following phrases:
- “He has too much health and is impossible to kill”
- “He makes it too difficult to complete Easter eggs and move around the map”
- “He ruins TEDD Trials”
- “He has no Ammo Mod weaknesses”
- “His buffs to regular Zombies are too extreme”
Yet as divisive as O.S.C.A.R seems to be, as someone who came to love Call of the Dead and George Romero’s role within it, this new threat is actually a dream come true for me. I’d even go as far as to say he’s the best thing about the map, and something that will help it age well as time goes on.
O.S.C.A.R Helps Address One of Modern CoD Zombies’ Most Common Criticisms
One of the biggest complaints about recent CoD Zombies experiences from old-school fans, and something that’s difficult to argue against, is that newer maps feel too similar to one another. Whereas older maps had unique equipment like Spikemores or distinct buildables like the Subsurface Resonator, the same crafting table exists across each map released in games like Black Ops 7. Distinct HUDs for each map, map-exclusive bullet weapons, special rewards tied to one map only, like Silver Bullets in Dead of the Night – these are all things of the past. Naturally, a key improvement modern Zombies can still make is to make each and every map more distinct from the others in a given game, and O.S.C.A.R feels like a first step toward that.
While Elites like Zursa and Uber-Klaus have different attacks and behavioral patterns, they ultimately fall under the same pattern of players filling them with bullets the second they appear and then moving on until they respawn. O.S.C.A.R, however, is like George in the sense that players need to do a bit of thinking and approach him differently than a typical Elite. While they can and should take him down to build the LGM-1 Wonder Weapon, beyond that, they’re best off avoiding him completely, keeping an eye on where he’s patrolling to move to a separate area of the map. This could feel off-putting to players who aren’t familiar with a boss from a map that’s well over a decade old by now, so they could end up shooting and engaging O.S.C.A.R when it’s not always the best path forward.
O.S.C.A.R drops a special Shiny Trinket that allows players to tame a friendly Ravager, a fun mechanic that will hopefully remain exclusive to Astra Malorum so that it feels more distinct.
What once made Call of the Dead divisive is what’s made it more special as time has gone on, as there’s really been nothing like George elsewhere in CoD Zombies. Sure, the perk-stealing Astronauts on Moon would slowly chase the player and could catch them off guard, but they died quickly and weren’t as persistent as an angry George. Much like George required players to watch where they shoot to avoid angering him, demanding an extra layer of attention and strategy if players wanted to survive, O.S.C.A.R shakes up every match of Astra Malorum by stopping players from getting too comfortable. If they want to stay in the same spot for rounds on end, they’ll have to earn it by killing O.S.C.A.R. But if they’re willing to keep an eye on him and move to different areas, they can get through dozens of rounds without even having an interaction with this machine resembling a Fallout Protectron.
O.S.C.A.R Isn’t Something to Fight… Until You Have To
All the complaints players have about O.S.C.A.R — whether it be the Zombie buffs where he turns them into super sprinters or his deep health pool — don’t apply if he isn’t being engaged. The best way to approach O.S.C.A.R is to avoid him, only engaging when absolutely necessary. If he’s near a TEDD trial, avoid doing it until he moves, or have another player lead him away until it’s complete. And if he’s blocking off your go-to train spot, it’s best to find an alternative location to hold off until he roams to another chunk of the map. In Black Ops Cold War and Black Ops 6, difficulty was something many called for, and BO7 has provided that via additions like Cursed mode as well as O.S.C.A.R. While I get that he may not be everyone’s favorite cup of tea — hell, I used to be a George hater on Call of the Dead before I realized how the distinct challenge he brought to the map was a good thing — O.S.C.A.R’s design is as fair as it is bold.
Not only can he be avoided, but when he is fought, he doesn’t do a ton of damage and telegraphs his enemy buffs via a slow UFO shot players can easily dodge. Yes, he has a ton of health, but that’s to drive home the point that he’s an endlessly patrolling threat that’s not meant to be fought unless necessary. Giving him ammo mod weaknesses like any other mini-boss would make him a breeze to kill, completely defeating the purpose of a George successor. It’s good that O.S.C.A.R is so tough, and it’s even better that he moves from a slow, avoidable patrol bot to a fast pursuer once gamers hit round 50. This speed buff drastically alters O.S.C.A.R’s behavior to make high rounds distinct, whereas in most other maps, high rounding is the exact same thing ad nauseam. Evolving O.S.C.A.R from an avoidable problem to something players have to face head-on is a great touch, and it’s still fair since players will be kitted out at Round 50 and can afford Hand Cannons to deplete his health bar more easily.
I’d gladly die on the hill that O.S.C.A.R is a healthy thing for Astra Malorum and Black Ops 7 Zombies as a whole, as the mode can use more creative boss encounters like this one. If you’re someone who initially hates O.S.C.A.R, perhaps you’ll grow to love his presence like I did with George on Call of the Dead. To me, these bosses are a good kind of annoying that keeps players on their toes and prevents any strategy from being too safe and easy. And even if this kind of addition puts some players off Astra Malorum, I’d still argue it was a good idea, as it’s important for CoD Zombies to keep trying new things even if they don’t work — or in this case, dig up concepts that have spent years on the shelf. O.S.C.A.R is ultimately going to be a love-or-hate figure, but I’m firmly in that first category of players.
- Released
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November 14, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
