Review: Call of Duty Content Collection 1
Call of Duty and expensive DLC seem to be synonymous these days, with map packs going for 1200 Microsoft points apiece. Up until now all these content packages have been nothing but new maps, with the Treyarch offerings going a little further with new zombie based arenas. Modern Warfare 3 is about to get its first full content drop, but is it worth picking up?
With the introduction of the new Elite service, those who put down the extra money for a collector’s edition of the game, or bought a year’s subscription separately, have been slowly drip fed the new content over the past couple of months, but everyone else is having to wait for the full DLC to be released on the 20th March on Xbox live, and soon afterwards for PC and PSN. Comprising of 4 brand new multiplayer maps and 2 extra spec ops missions this is undoubtedly the most content provided for a single Call of Duty content collection so far.
The four new maps are Liberation, Piazza, Overlook and Black Box. Each map provides an entirely different area and plays better to a certain type of gunplay. Liberation being a wide open, heavily foliated area is ideal for long range shootouts and sniping, with those looking for more run and gun and short range combat being relegated to the central area or risk running straight into an often invisible ghillie suited individual. Piazza is the opposite of Liberation, being a brightly lit very closed in space, with winding alleyways, indoor environments and enough twists and turns to ruin most lines of sight, playing well into the close to mid-range combat bracket. Overlook is a mixture of the two, providing lines of sight but plenty of flanking and movement opportunities, but being set atop a New York skyscraper present a new danger to anybody less than sure footed, with a mistimed jump leading to a long fall. Black box is my personal favourite of the new maps, taking place in and around a downed Airforce One and the surrounding residences. With open areas and long lines of sight, ample amounts of cover, indoor areas and multiple levels of verticality it feels to be the most well balanced with people able to play to their preferred style and have a fighting chance.
All maps can also be used as extra arenas for survival mode, presenting even more value to the package.
Not just content with the maps though, this pack also brings with it two exciting new spec ops missions – Black Ice and Negotiator. While both reuse environments from the main campaign as spec ops missions are wont to do, they reimagine them in ways that present them as all new experiences. Black Ice uses the mine from the penultimate mission, but initially tasks you (and your partner) with using a snow mobile to infiltrate the mine itself to set the self-destruct and destroy it. As you race down the track circling the main area your assaulted by enemy snowmobiles, attack choppers and foot troops. Player 1 is designated driver while player 2 rides shotgun (or assault rifle in this case) on the back, protecting the rear. Eventually culminating on an on foot battle into the mine, and then out as it explodes around you. Negotiator is a reversal of “Persona Non Grata” from the campaign, with 35 hostages to rescue between you and your goal. Things aren’t so simple, however, as both players start off as hostages themselves, as well as separated. Player 1 has to free themself, steal a weapon and proceed to rescue player 2, as well as the other hostages. Featuring a multitude of slow motion breeches against what amounts to a time limit before hostages are executed it can become a tense experience demanding the utmost accuracy.
Both of these additional spec ops missions might very well be the two most exciting and fun missions of the mode.
As an extra incentive for score-whores out there the pack comes with 6 new achievements/trophies to collect during the spec ops missions. Four are as simple as completing the missions (1 a piece for completion and 1 each for veteran difficulty) while each has a unique challenge to strive for (Black Box being road kill 13 enemy troops with the snow mobile and Negotiator being save all 35 hostages).
Overall as a package it represents the most value for money a content collection has ever offered a Call of Duty game, with 4 maps available for online and survival games, and 2 brand new brilliant spec ops missions, and for once may be well worth the asking price. As with all map pack DLC though, the real question of worth is how often you play online, as even with the two superb special operations and survival maps, for a single player or an offline fan it might be a little worthless.
Online 8.5/10 Offline 5/10
