Attack of the Radioactive Thing

Overview

Attack of the Radioactive Thing is the fourth Zombies map of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, released with Absolution, the third DLC pack of the game. It is set in Sonova Beach, a fictional beach town in California, in a black-and-white creature feature of the 1950s: nuclear tests have covered parts of the town in radioactive blobs, and a giant monster, Crog-Zilla, waits off the shore. The official description presents it as a «Creature Feature-inspired Zombies co-op experience», set «in a small 1950s beach town». The other maps of the game are in the book of Infinite Warfare.

The film

The title card of the movie, «Willard Wyler’s Attack of the Radioactive Thing!», hosted by Elvira.

The intro opens on Elvira, lying on a red couch in a gothic house. Willard Wyler offered her a part in one of his films and meant it literally: she has been trapped in this «black-and-white hellhole» ever since, as the hostess of the movie. She has rewritten the script, to give «little Willy some unpleasant dreams». She snaps her fingers, the television turns on, and the four actors are teleported into a military tent in their 1950s costumes. «Who the hell turned off all the color?» asks A.J.

Characters

The four actors of Infinite Warfare Zombies, cast in the roles of a 1950s monster movie:

Elvira

Cassandra Peterson as her horror hostess, trapped in the film by Wyler. She takes over from Wyler as the announcer, hands over the vial that leads to the Pack-a-Punch, and becomes playable once the main quest has been completed.

W

Willard Wyler

The director of the films, who scolds Elvira for stealing his role of announcer and sometimes threatens to send her to Nightfall, a map of Extinction.

Enemies

Zombies

The townspeople and soldiers of Sonova Beach. Some of them glow green: only those fill the vial of Elvira.

Crog Brutes

Taller, dark grey Crogs with a lure on their head, from about scene 12. They charge with both claws forward, blind and deafen the players with a flash of their lure, and burrow underground to burst out next to a player. Like the Crogs, they have a weak spot on their back.

Crog-Zilla

The Radioactive Thing itself, a giant Crog off the shore, seen attacking a cargo ship. It cannot be hurt before the end of the main quest: it only sends the Crogs and Crog Brutes.

Perks

The candy perks of the map, with their price. Only Up ‘N Atoms is in the First Room.

Trivia

• The game files call the map cp_town.
• The name of Sonova Beach is a play on «son of a bitch», as A.J. points out.
• Elvira replaces Willard Wyler as the announcer, and Wyler sometimes threatens to send her to Nightfall, an Extinction map.
• In the TV studio, across from the couch of Elvira, film reels carry the names of Extinction maps, drawn at random each game. Their order gives the typewriter code of the main quest.
• A huge sign by the motel reads «Cinema Drive-in The Beast From Beyond», the title of the next map.
• On the motel side of the bridge, a road sign gives the distance between Sonova Beach and the Bear Lake campgrounds of Rave in the Redwoods.
• When Poindexter starts to talk in the outro, the menu music of Extinction from Call of Duty: Ghosts plays.
• Crog-Zilla magazines, «Unexplained Science», later turned up in Modern Warfare II, Modern Warfare III and Black Ops 6.