The Annihilation map pack has been confirmed for Call of Duty: Black Ops and will arrive first for Xbox Live on June 28th, 2011. A leaked image of a Gamestop promo turns out to have been authentic, with the new maps Hangar 18, Silo, Drive-In and Hazard.
Drive-In is apparently based on a similar experience to Nuketown, with a small open area and enclosed spaces for frantic shooting action. Hangar 18 is more of a mixed affair, whilst Silo is apparently the largest map to feature in Black Ops, but the built up areas mean plenty of oppotunities to hide and flank opponents. Finally Hazard is a reworking of a map from World at War, Cliffside. This time it’s themed as a golf course, and apparently is tailored to long distance weapons. If you don’t want to be sniped, you might want to stay off the fairway.
Finally the Annihilation map pack will also feature a new zombie map, set in Shangri-La, filled with traps and easter eggs.
“With Annihilation, Black Ops fans will get four exciting and unique multiplayer settings with Hangar 18, Drive-In, Silo and Hazard,” said Treyarch Studio Head, Mark Lamia. “Players will also enjoy an all-new Zombies experience, Shangri-La, an exotic and mysterious map filled with deadly traps, dark secrets and innovative gameplay that will challenge even the most daring Zombie hunters.”
With the upcoming release of both Call of Duty Elite and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, this is guaranteed to be the last map pack for Black Ops, coming after First Strike in February (Which features Berlin Wall, Discovery, Kowloon and Stadium, plus Ascension zombie map), and Escalation in April (Zoo, Hotel, Convoy, Stockpile and the Call of the Dead zombie map).
It’ll cost £10 in real money, so it will be interesting to see whether the download figures are similar to the first two packs, or whether it suffers by being released after the MW3 release date and details were revealed. It also brings the DLC cost to £30, roughly the same price as you’d pay for a copy of Black Ops. There’s sure to be a double XP weekend to celebrate, but do you think it’s worth buying a new map pack for Black Ops now? And does a new map pack every 2-3 months hint that Call of Duty Elite membership might be worthwhile?
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