Activision and Infinity Ward released the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package, a collection of five maps for the Xbox 360, Tuesday March 31. The bundle includes two locations from the previous Modern Warfare (Crash, Overgrown), as well as three new areas to explore (Bailout, Salvage and Storm). While costing 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), downloading it seems like something a Call of Duty fan will do without even thinking about the price.
“Crash”, one of the original Modern Warfare maps brought back continues to provide plenty of fun. With well balanced teams, it provides a great locale for Demolition. Set in the middle of a Middle Eastern town, the central area surrounding the crashed helicopter quickly becomes an area that everyone feels the need to fight over. This can lead to some very exciting fire fights as well as tons of grenade spamming. I was a fan of this map when playing CoD4 but I would have much rather had a new map in it’s place for MW2.
“Overgrown” is set in an abandoned Eastern European town. It provides plenty of rooftop areas for snipers to setup and pick off players. The tall grass does help provide a decent amount of camouflage for players but can also make it frustrating for some. The map also feature a mounted gun turret on the second floor of one of the buildings. If you are playing an objective based game type this can make things very frustrating. This was my least favorite map in CoD4, and after playing a few round of it in MW2, it still remains a map I would prefer to skip.
“Salvage” is a snow covered junkyard. It contains a bunch of rusted cars, as well as a couple narrow corridors that lead to a lot camping. Maybe it’s because the map is new but this one seemed to have the worst grenade spam of any map currently in the game. If you are lucky enough to live long enough to get a kill-streak then get ready to add to your score. Every predator missile or harrier/helicopter led to that person getting 4-5 kills before someone could take it out. The map does provide some interior areas to hide but with a large outdoor area it is very difficult to avoid being killed by these things.
“Bailout” is a destroyed apartment complex with long sight lines and a handful of balconies and windows that are great for sniping. While inside, you’ll wander through a gym area with various items for cover. The apartment walls are also destroyed allowing you to move more easily around while inside. Outside there’s a swimming pool that has been drained. I found most people that went in this area immediately received a ton of grenades their way. There is also some decent open areas outside with various object to provide cover. This was my favorite map of the 5. I played several different game types on it and had fun with all of them.
“Storm” is a warehouse district containing shipping crates to hide between as well as a large building with lots of machines to take cover. This map has a similar feel to “Underpass” with it’s weather effects. The rain adds a nice touch to the map can make for some interesting moments when you are looking around trying to spot someone. Infinity Ward also decided to include mannequins in the map which can cause some twitch firing if you turn the corner and are not ready for them. The map offers a huge open area as well as a central multilevel complex building in the center of the map. While the map might offer a bit too much for fans of Team Deathmatch, the map felt perfect for the other game types.
Priced at 1200 MS Points ($15) the new map pack might not seem like a must buy to many. The hardcore fans don’t need any convincing since they have already purchased it. If you are still on the fence about picking this up, go for it. Even though 2 of the maps are from CoD 4, the 3 new maps add a lot more value to the game. To me paying $15 for more of a game I have already spent many hours playing isn’t a bad deal at all.
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