5 Recognizable Spots in Warzone’s Nakatomi Tower

Here are 5 popular locations from Die Hard's Nakatomi Tower, recognizably remade in Call of Duty: Warzone. These spots held important scenes in the 1988 movie, from action sequences to dramatic and emotional moments. Now, players can step into (or—more accurately—step out of) the shoes of John McClane in a first-person experience of these places.

5 Recognizable Spots in Warzone’s Nakatomi Tower cover

1988’s Die Hard is – in my and many others’ opinions – one of the best 80s action movies, contending with the decade’s sci-fi classics like The Terminator, Predator, and RoboCop. Because of Activision’s exciting Warzone crossover event, you can step inside Die Hard‘s Nakatomi Tower and experience many of the movie’s most recognizable locations, five of which I’ve chosen to go over here.

1. Lobby

Once upon a time, that boxy touch screen inside the reception desk was high-tech stuff. Having been born at the turn of this century, I don’t appreciate the lobby for this technology itself. I most remember the quick, effective exposition regarding John and Holly’s marriage: while signing in on the screen, McClane discovers Holly has started using her maiden name again. I also distinctly remember one of the terrorists watching a football game at this very desk.

Before touch screens were everywhere...

Before touch screens were everywhere…

The lobby is the literal entrance to everything that went down in Die Hard. It could have offered only a boring transition of early scenes but instead allowed for exposition and continued plot points to flow. It does look smaller to me in-game than it did in the movie. But this is the case with many locations: My only view of them came from a third-person camera rather than the first-person experience offered by COD.

2. Floor 30

This is where the Christmas party was held and where Holly’s office is located. More excitingly, closer to the end of the movie, a crashing FBI helicopter destroys the water feature. To avoid the intense blast, John jumps into the little pool while most of the area catches fire.

A classy marble waterfall

A classy marble waterfall

This scene was definitely about action, explosions, and danger. The water feature fascinated me when it was intact, and its importance as a haven during the fiery explosion has solidified it into my mind. I’d like to see the movie’s explosions and helicopter crash remade in Warzone, with the water feature in smoldering shambles like I remember.

3. Roof

The FBI mistakes John for a terrorist, and to escape airborne gunfire; he uses a fire hose to swing down to Floor 30. However, as previously mentioned, what John really ends up escaping is a massive explosion that crashes the FBI’s helicopter.

Agent Johnson and Agent Johnson's helicopter crash site.

Agent Johnson and Agent Johnson’s helicopter crash site.

I felt such memorable anxiety as John frantically tied a hose around his waist and jumped off the tower, then swung barefoot into a glass window, only to be dragged towards the edge of death by the hose mount’s weight dangling out of the building.

Maybe in the near future, there will be an Easter egg event involving this roof and a helicopter. Better yet, maybe players will be able to use a rooftop hose as a sort of zipline to and from Floor 30.

4. Floor 32

The stealthy one-on-one fight scene that took place here was not like all the rest, in that the setting was eerily calm. In fact, the emptiness of the room caused John’s cover to be singled out. However, he miraculously escaped and lured his enemy away by activating a machine saw. After defeating the pullover-clad terrorist, John sends him on a Christmas-themed elevator ride.

"Now I have a machine gun. Ho Ho Ho"

“Now I have a machine gun. Ho Ho Ho”

Although an action movie, this scene felt like a thriller to me. The silence, the emptiness, the stealth aspect, and the one-to-one ratio made the duel enjoyably intense. I do like how the floor looks in Warzone’s daylight, with the shadows to let you know the floor is clearly not in use. In the above image, it even appears the windows haven’t been washed in a while.

5. Restroom

This restroom is located on Floor 33, and if you can’t find it, look for the trail of blood left by John’s cut feet. If you don’t quite remember, this is where John—sitting on the counter and dealing with his wound—gives Officer Al Powell what might be his last words to Holly. Meanwhile, I try not to cry.

In this scene, hope is almost lost, and I certainly felt it. It’s a small space, but it hosted the most emotionally blunt moment I can recall. The devs did the spot justice with footprints Easter egg. “That’s an attention of detail that is really cool. Players can play as the John McClane Operator and walk over the bloody footprints barefoot as John McClane,” said Amos Hodge, lead developer of Warzone, in a PlayStation Blog interview.

These are just five of what I believe to be the most recognizable locations in Warzone‘s iteration of Die Hard‘s Nakatomi Tower. What are your favorite spots? Are there any other 80s crossover events you’d like to see?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

×