Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
UK Certification 18 | UK RRP £10.99 | Region PAL | Developer Treyarch | Publisher Activision
After another month of Xbox 360 exclusivity, the second downloadable map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops has finally arrived on the PlayStation 3. Entitled Escalation, the add-on brings with it four all-new multiplayer maps, as well as the latest – and undoubtedly coolest – expansion for the ever-popular Zombies mode.
It seems like forever since First Strike struck, so without further ado, please welcome the self-explanatory Zoo, Convoy, Stockpile, Hotel and Call of the Dead to the weapons-free world of Black Ops. And just like the former premium pack, it's another mixed bag of fresh content.
It's unfortunate, but we can always expect a couple of not-too-interesting maps from these bundles, and Escalation has two of them. The bland Zoo and Stockpile are merely changes of scenery for our beloved fire-fights, offering absolutely nothing else, not even the slightest inference for strategic gameplay, which is contrary to the direction of First Strike. They're all about running and gunning. And don't get your hopes up that Zoo features a cage of hungry lions that you can flick a switch to raise the gate on, as the place looks like it's been abandoned for years. Attack Lions over Attack Dogs, no? Shouldawouldacoulda.
Tactics do come into play, however, in Hotel and Convoy, Escalation's two biggest multiplayer maps. The former takes place on the upper floors of a luxury hotel and casino that has been brought to its knees by warfare, while the latter, which has been built around sniper points, involves a stretch of city left in ruins, presumably due to a military convoy being attacked, and has a '50s quality to it. Both maps will greatly appeal to players who enjoy exploration, especially Hotel with its wide variety of rooms, accessible rooftop and working elevators, which make claymores both your best friend and your worst enemy.
Rounding off the pack, Call of the Dead puts a twist on the colourful characters of previous Zombies levels by making them real life people. Famous faces in fact: you play as Danny Trejo (Machete), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) and Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street). Yes, it's far more than an apt reference to George A. Romero's legendary Dead movies, and namely because Romero's actually in it, as, essentially, the spotlight-wielding, colossal king of the undead. Set on an icy shipwreck in the midst of a snowstorm, the celebrity-filled Call of the Dead, new weapons and all, is incredibly fun, especially if, like me, you're a true horror nut.
I thought Ascension from the last downloadable batch was worth the price on its own, so only time will tell if the noticeably harder Call of the Dead will bring fans the same kind of enjoyment and value for money, because two of the four brand new maps certainly won't.