Death Machine

The Death Machine is an obtainable minigun in Call of Duty: Black Ops from Care Packages, as a Power-Up in the Nazi Zombie maps "Five", Ascension, Dead Ops Arcade and Call of the Dead, and is available in the campaign mission "Vorkuta". It is also featured as a random weapon in the Wager Match game mode, Sharpshooter.

Campaign
The Death Machine is obtainable in the mission "Vorkuta," where the player uses it to "Wield a fist of iron", "Raise Hell" and fight through the Soviet prison guards trying to prevent their escape. It is very effective at killing Riot Guards, requiring minimal body shots. The Death Machine has a max capacity of 999 rounds, so the player is unlikely to run out of ammo. Unlike its Multiplayer counterpart, it occupies a normal weapon slot.

Multiplayer
The Death Machine, similar to the Grim Reaper is kept in the player's inventory for as long as the match lasts, and will only become active upon firing the first shot.

The Death Machine has a maximum capacity of 499 rounds and it acts identically to the version in Campaign. The Death Machine takes 0.25 seconds to spin up, however this can be negated by using your ADS button to keep the Death Machine spinned up. The user's Movement Speed while holding the weapon is slower than their primary weapon, and the player also cannot go prone with it. However, while firing, the player can still sprint for an effective, albeit lower than average, boost to their speed. If the player holding the Death Machine is killed, the weapon disappears and cannot be picked up.

The Death Machine has very low recoil and very high damage (two shot kill anywhere, one with head-shots). It has a very high fire rate, and does not need to reload. It can be effectively fired Full-Auto at long ranges with surprising accuracy. These characteristics make the Death Machine ideal for prefiring and long distance combat.

Using any other weapons or equipment will cause it to be dropped, losing it permanently, unless pocketed back into the killstreak space. The gun has unlimited ammo in Sharpshooter.

The killstreak, which can be quite useful in Core modes, sees less usefulness in Hardcore modes, where almost any other gun can kill in little more than a single hit, as well as the fact that the amount of time to spool up the Death Machine may prove fatal in a firefight. In addition, the artificial aiming reticule is not present given the limited HUD, making aiming more difficult.

It can also be quite effective against enemy helicopters, specifically the Attack Helicopter, but is also very useful against the Care Package helicopter, Chopper Gunner, and Gunship.

Zombies


The Death Machine can be found in the Zombies maps "Five", Ascension, Dead Ops Arcade and Call of the Dead as a power-up. In power-up form, it appears as a three-dimensional model of the icon for the Rapid Fire attachment. It is easily identifiable, casting a blue glow instead of the usual green. The Death Machine lasts 30 seconds with unlimited ammo, and firing it constantly will not affect its duration. It does a great amount of damage to Zombies at early to medium rounds as well as the Pentagon Thief, who can also steal it. It is fairly ineffective at high rounds (40+), though. It must be noted that one can't upgrade it or buy another gun and revive teammates in it's use. The player can still repair broken barriers, open doors, or clear debris. When the power-up is almost over, a low ammo quote will be heard and the icon will start flashing.

The Death Machine also appears in Dead Ops Arcade as a pick-up. Once the player gets it, the player is able to use it for several seconds or until its ammo runs out. The player that is awarded with "The Fate of Firepower" will be granted a permanent Death Machine. Additionally, on Ascension, the Death Machine can be obtained by all players at the same time, for a total of 90 seconds, if a certain easter egg is completed. It also drops when George A. Romero is killed. Note that the Death Machine takes about 3 seconds to draw before being able to fire, and this can leave the player vulnerable if they are swarmed.

Trivia

 * The Death Machine has the word "Sparky" written on its underside. One is able to view this in Theater Mode, using the Free Camera option.
 * Just behind the front grip, there is a plate with writing. It reads "AIRCRAFT MACHINE GUN 7.62MM GAU-2B/A," along with some other writing. This and other writing can be seen in third person in Theater Mode.
 * This and the Grim Reaper are the only weapons in the game whose pickup icons are colored, as well as the only weapons obtainable via Care Package.
 * There is an unusable Death Machine located on some shelves along with an unusable Thundergun in the weapons lab on "Five".
 * The Death Machine and the Lightning Bolt are the only power-ups in zombies that do not affect the entire team directly. Only the player that grabs the Death Machine power-up will receive the Death Machine, not the entire team, however, there is one exception.
 * The only way that all players can receive a Death Machine is when the Kassimir Mechanism easter egg is completed.
 * Using a Zipline on Kowloon will make an obtained Death Machine/Grim Reaper disappear.
 * There appears to be some sort of Camera Spike located on top of the Death Machine. It could be because the Death Machine is just a portable Sentry Gun; thus saving space by using it instead of making a new design.
 * The Death Machine is one of the few weapons that cannot reload.
 * In Call of the Dead, it is possible to defeat George A. Romero with two Death Machines.
 * Picking up the Death Machine in Call of the Dead will replace the Wunderwaffe DG-2.
 * It is possible to destroy a Chopper Gunner with a Death Machine.
 * It is possible to use a Death Machine while on the zipline in Call of the Dead.

Video
Video:Black Ops: Awesome Death Machine Ownage!|The Death Machine in action. Video:Black Ops - Death Machine vs Chopper Gunner - Minigun - Firing Range|A player shoots down a Chopper Gunner with a Death Machine Video:Call of Duty: Black Ops - Vorkuta, Clip 4: Minigun|Using the Death Machine in Vorkuta.