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

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.

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).

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