Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

First look at the upcoming Call of Duty Black Ops map pack

By

Is it even worth making little jokes at this point about how Black Ops is “kind of a big deal”? You know, things like “hey, you may have heard about this game?” No, probably not, it is officially no longer cute. Black Ops has made over $ 1 billion- seriously– so if you haven’t at least heard of the game, enjoy the lovely confines of the cave you have made your home over the last few months.

Love it or hate it, Black Ops is the gaming behemoth of the year, rolling over its opponents on the way to mountains of cash. The next deposit at the Call of Duty bank account is coming soon, when Activision and Treyarch release “First Strike”, the first map pack expand the multiplayer side of Black Ops.

Recommended Videos

First Strike features four new competitive multiplayer maps, as well as one new zombie map called “Ascension”, which is was not detailed. The four competitive maps include:

Kowloon– A multi-tiered map inspired by the Hong Kong levels in the game. The cover and depth to this level will offer a good mix of styles, from CQC to long rang weapons. It also introduces ziplines to the game, which will quickly help you get around the map, but leave you weaponless and exposed while doing so.

Discovery– An Arctic map resembling the Nazi research station from the campaign. Two sides are divided by a massive chasm that can only be crossed on exposed bridges. Expect plenty of ambushes, and watch for the ice bridge to disappear with an explosive.

Berlin Wall– Set in the urban landscape of a divided Berlin, players will be tempted to use the convenient main street until the snipers begin to attack. Multiple paths through the connected building swill favor short range weapons, but snipers and ranged rifles will own the streets.

Stadium– A fast paced level contained in a relatively small area, which will cater to those with quick reflexes and powerful guns. Designed for speed and CQC.

When the first DLC was released for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, it went on to set sales records on Xbox Live, with over $37.5 million worth sold in just over a week. Needless to say, expectations are high. Activision has made no secret of their love for releasing additional content for the Call of Duty games, so in keeping with the past, expect at least one more DLC, and possibly more.

The “First Strike” DLC is due out on February 1 as an Xbox 360 exclusive. The map pack will also be heading to the PC and PS3, but no word on when that might happen. When it is released, it will cost 1200 Microsoft points ($15).

Editors' Recommendations

Ryan Fleming
Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
All Call of Duty games in order, by release date and chronologically
e3 2021 missing games call of duty

Call of Duty is one of the most successful video game franchises of all time. The original Call of Duty set a new standard for first-person shooters, the series' online multiplayer work has been a must-play for gamers for nearly two decades, and Warzone has been one of the top battle royale experiences of late.

The series has covered a lot of warfare, from World War II to futuristic fictional wars in 2187, but never in any set order. Players have been bounced around from era to era with each annual COD release and even revisited the same conflicts multiple times from different perspectives through direct sequels and remakes.

Read more
The best weapons in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
A soldier standing in an armory.

To the layman, every gun in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 probably seems the same. They all shoot bullets, right? In reality, that couldn't be further from the truth. Even when you take player skill out of the equation, each gun has vastly different stats and applications that make some, even within their own category, just plain better choices for everyone. Each gun is broken down into various stats, including recoil, ADS speed, damage, and much more, which makes it hard to easily compare them. When you factor in just how many guns are available as you level up and keep unlocking more, the prospect of picking the best ones becomes overwhelming. If you're trying to build the ideal loadout to dominate the current meta, these are the best weapons in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for each weapon type.

We will detail the top picks per each class, and then list the rest in terms of how they rank.
Best assault rifles in MW3

Read more
The best Call of Duty games, ranked
Soldier holding weapon in Modern Warfare II.

Few video game series are as influential and popular as Call of Duty. The annualized franchise throws players into fast-paced battles across various historical time periods -- along with fictional eras, as well. Call of Duty has taken us to World War II, the Cold War, a modern setting, and even to the future.

Although it's one of the most successful video game franchises out there, Call of Duty's quality varies significantly, with some fantastic entries in the series, but many mediocre ones as well. But which Call of Duty games are worth your time and which ones should you skip? To answer that question, we've ranked all the mainline entries in the series, with details about why you should or shouldn't play that particular game.

Read more