Ex-presidents unite for 'Black Ops' zombie mode

John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Fidel Castro, and Robert MacNamara. Do the youth of today know who they are? Soon, the four Cold War political icons will be impressed upon the imaginations of
Call of Duty players, thanks to
Black Ops' politically adventurous zombie mode.

Whereas last year's Modern Warfare 2 boasted a controversial airport terrorism scene and this year's Medal of Honor was set during the ongoing war in Afghanistan, the corpse carnage of Black Ops' Zombies instead has its tongue planted firmly in its cheek.

US head honchos John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon join forces with Cuba's cigar aficionando Fidel Castro and former US Secretary of Defense McNamara, using period weaponry to stave off evil-eyed carrion carriers throughout the Pentagon.

Players are rewarded with points for barricading entryways and disposing of the undead, points which they can then trade for guns and ammunition, while their chosen governmental figure spews spoof soundbites in the face of death.

At heart, the mode splices the zombie outbreak of the Resident Evil and Dead Rising series with Gears of War 3's horde mode and the military shooter genre.

The Left 4 Dead series, which made its debut at the same time as the Nazi Zombies of Call of Duty: World at War, remains to supply a purer form of zombie apocalypse action for PC and Xbox 360 owners.

Though Activision has not yet formally announced Zombies' four characters, leaked gameplay clips have been circulating on YouTube, attempting to outwit the inevitable takedown notices that follow.

Call of Duty: Black Ops releases on November 9 for Windows PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS.