We previously confessed to our utter addiction to the Call of Duty video game franchise, and were fortunate to get a sneak peak at the First Strike map pack when it was released in February by developers, Treyarch.
That first map pack turned to gold when it broke Xbox Live records, being downloaded more than 1.4 million in the first 24 hours alone! But with new map packs usually being a rare treat, we were delighted to hear that a second was due for release on May 3 – less than three months since First Strike.
To be honest, the previous maps remain among our favorites, particularly Berlin Wall and Kowloon. So how would the new Escalation maps compare, and would they be worth the $14.99 or 1200 Xbox points?
In our opinion, if you enjoy Black Ops and liked the First Strike maps, then Escalation continues to deliver more of what you want.
There are some cool gimmicks like the elevators in the Hotel map that allow you to navigate the different floors, or set an ambush for the unwary. There are also operating doors in Stockpile. However, it’s the sheer scale of the maps, the multiple levels and numerous access points that will have you returning to these maps again and again.
To be honest, we’re still discovering these maps and each match brings new places to hide or areas to explore.
You can read our previous blog at www.eurotuner.com where we were extremely fortunate to be invited to test the new maps in a Grudge Match against NBA guards Tyreke Evans and Deron Williams on the morning they were release.
We’ve placed the maps below in ascending order to indicate which are our favorites, although all play very well.
We’ve not included the Zombie map in the pack because we only play Hardcore Deathmatch as a rule. However, Call Of The Dead seems to be taking the Zombie option to greater heights. Set in Siberia, the game actually includes characters for Danny Trejo, George A Romero, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Michael Rooker and Robert Englund. Check out the online videos at youtube.com/eurotuner to see a glimpse of the action.
Most people seem to be favoring Hotel or Zoo on Escalation, but we really like the winter scene in this small Russian village. It includes houses, a warehouse and garage plus plenty of outbuildings to take cover behind. There are also plenty of upstairs rooms to gain a height advantage over your enemies.
With so many places to hide, it doesn’t really suit snipers because the open areas are restricted and plentiful cover allows other player to track you down from multiple angles. Therefore, Stockpile encourages movement rather than the dreaded “camping” that can handicap some maps.
Claymores and cameras are useful perks in this map since you can leave them behind doors to surprise your enemy, so the Hacker perk is essential if you want to survive the winter in Russia.
Unfortunately, Treyarch didn’t release an advance photo of this map in time for our blog.
We had the chance to meet the developer who created the two large lion statues in the Zoo map during our visit to Treyarch. Despite their size and grandeur, what’s amazing about Zoo is that you don’t see these giant sculptures too often. The enormous depth of the map means you can spend hours wandering different paths, scaling cages, wandering the monorail, clearing buildings and jumping into pits to avoid your enemy.
With its vast complexity, Zoo can favor the sniper, but he’ll need to keep mobile because every hiding place has multiple access points to find you.
While the map is new, we’re enjoying the ability to sneak a few shots at unsuspecting runners below, but once everybody is familiar with the scenery, Zoo will prove to be a very difficult place to navigate. This is great for extended gameplay because you really have to consider where you’re headed, what are your escape routes, and who’s creeping up behind you.
Above all, the different textures of the animal enclosures and vegetation, make Zoo a wonderful place to spend some time killing friends online.
This really is a great map. With two Cuban hotels separated by a pool with a central bar and changing area, it encourages snipers without allowing them to dominate the battle. There is enough cover and access points to ensure their rein will be shortlived, but the ability to favor both snipers and runners in one map is appreciated.
Each hotel has a central ground floor area, grand staircase, rooms, kitchens, hallways, casino – you name it. The environment is both detailed and like a maze. This will work for the camping/claymore crowd, but nobody can stay in one place for long. It’s too easy for an enemy to flank an encamped position, keeping the game fast-moving and exciting.
From wading through water in the pool to waiting for an elevator to arrive from upstairs, Hotel packs so much atmosphere into one level that its sets new standards for what we can come to expect from first-person shooters.
Mixing industrial buildings with picnic areas and restaurants, Convoy again mixes height to repeat the recipe used in the other maps, where players can cross over or under a central bridge, using numerous stairways to surprise enemy combatants.
This map is our least favorite at present, simply because it’s been the hardest to read, to assess where other players might be. In the long run, that will probably keep the map fresh, although most seem to gravitate to the central bridge and the overhead gantry. Yet there are so many other places to explore, allowing both snipers and runners to feel at home and not be wiped out too quickly.
Perhaps it’s because the surroundings are a little less distinctive, but for some reason, Convoy hasn’t won us over completely yet. However, it again proves that Treyarch understands how to build a map that keeps the entertainment high. The developers appear to have learned from previous maps that would end in stalemate, with neither team wanting to enter a killing zone. All the maps in Escalation appear to guarantee so many alternative routes, that there’s no reason for players to be trapped in their spawn area.