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COD: World at War Map Pack #2
ESRB: Mature - M  

Platform: Xbox 360  
Category: First Person Shooter

Author: Trevor H

Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision


A few months ago, World at War’s first map pack was released. The pack received a lot of praise from gamers to go along with the millions of downloads. We here at Game-Boyz enjoyed the map pack as well and recommended online Call of Duty gamers to download the pack without hesitation. Just as the Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) hype machine has hit its stride, Treyarch releases a second map pack. The new map pack includes four new maps., one of which is a brand new Zombie map. The downloadable content comes in at a cost of 800 points, which is the equivalent of approximately $10.00 dollars. For hardcore Call of Duty fans this one will be a no-brainer. But what about those who have moved on to other games and have put World at War on the backburner as they wait for the highly anticipated Modern Warfare 2? Is the map pack worth it or better yet will it rejuvenate their World at War online experience? These are difficult questions to answer but I can certainly tell you about my experiences.

The map pack was released on 2009-06-11 and by all accounts the Xbox Marketplace was not suffering from some of the slow download speeds that map pack #1 experienced on release day. That said the second map pack does take a good 10-15 minutes to download. Once you download the maps you will notice once again the new maps are placed in the map pack menu screen. This is somewhat of an issue with me as I would prefer the map packs to be cycled through the main multiplayer modes. If you want to play the regular (original) World at War maps you have to back out of the Map Pack menu and jump into the original one. Not a major issue but more of a nuisance more than anything. In any event, I had a chance to play all three adversarial multiplayer maps and the new cooperative zombie map.

The first map I had a chance to play was “Bonzai”. This map takes place in the jungles of Japanese controlled territory. Centered in the middle of the map is a tall river bridge. It is a medium seized map and features lush environments and small village huts on either side of the map. There is also a slick looking waterfall in the map which is adjacent to a hidden cave which provides some great spots for laying down some bouncing bettys. I can’t count how many times they would pop up when I would sprint through. The map has some nice sniper points atop the bridge as well but by no means will snipers rule the map which is great for guys like me who stink on the sniper riffles. Of the three new multiplayer maps, “Bonzai” is arguably the most stunning visually. Not to mention it is a well lit map as well. I had some great close quarter battles on “Bonzai”. I found it to be a well balanced map so you gain no clear advantage spawning on one side or the other.

The next map I played, and my least favourite of the bunch, was “Sub Pens”. It is another close quarter type map and is also medium sized. It takes place at night in a bombed-out Japanese submarine base littered with live ammunition, breached subs and idle fighter planes. It is a fast paced, run and gun map perfectly suited for those that have the patience of a minute and like to kill or be killed every 10-20 seconds. It is a tight map and you would be best to put away the sniper riffles as there are little if any spots to hunker down and snipe away. “Sub Pens” does have some decent camping spots but with many different entries into the various areas, it won’t be long until you are snuffed out. Of all the new maps, “Sub Pens” is the most intense as it is so fast paced and unnerving. Visually the map is decent looking but nothing incredibly jaw dropping as so many other Call of Duty maps can be.

Last but not least with the new online multiplayer maps is “Corrosion”. This map takes place in a deteriorated Russian train yard. The coolest aspect of this map is the shattered pipelines which are located all over the map. Naturally, many gravitate towards the pipelines; which makes for some highly entertaining battles. The war torn train cars also make for some compelling areas to take out the enemy. The map will very much remind you of CoD4’s “Pipeline” map but “Corrosion” seems more balanced and there are far more blind spots with ample places to hide. There are lots of high points in the map as well which appears to be another spot players gravitate towards as they make for some great locations to pick-off players. It is, as you guessed it, another medium sized map with few sniping points. It is best if you equip your best sub-machine gun and start going on a rampage in this map. It is a good looking map, but as with “Sub Pens” it likely won’t be in your top 10 best looking maps of all time. It is however one of the most enjoyable maps I have played in quite some time.

For those of you who enjoy World at War’s Zombie Mode, the Map Pack includes another chapter to the four-player co-op Nazi Zombie mode with “Shi No Numa” (Zombie Swamp). For those that enjoy the cooperative flavour of the zombie modes,“Shi No Numa” is simply awesome. Just as chaotic and hectic as the other zombie maps, but this one has a new twist. This map features Japanese Zombies instead of Nazi Zombies. Additionally, there are new traps and new weapons. The Ray Gun and the Flamethrower are back but new weapons are now available such as the Arisaka, Type 100 and the Colt .45. Also, the map includes the Wunderwaffe DG-2 which is a metallic weapon with 3 plasma canisters facing out of the left side. The DG-2 has a capacity of 3 shots and usually comes with 18 shots all together. This weapon can electrocute any zombie in the vicinity, but it can also affect you if you shot too close. “Shi No Numa” also includes a zip line. The only downside is the opposite side of the zip line from the player's start must be reached before the zip line can be used. Oh and did I mention there are 10 new Xbox 360 Achievements/PS3 Trophies waiting for you in the deadly swamp. All in all, it is a good looking and very enjoyable map.

Speaking for myself, map pack #2 is worth the purchase as I continue to play World at War on a semi-regular basis. For 10 bucks the map pack is a solid purchase for me as I know I will get good bang for buck and it will keep my appetite fulfilled for the next couple of months or until Modern Warfare 2 comes out. For those looking for a reason to get back into World at War’s online modes then map pack #2 is a great excuse to get back in the game. The maps are sharp looking and only add to the online experience. Granted, nearly all the games I played on the new maps featured really good gamers but I did manage to hold my own in the team deathmatch games. Although I played the Xbox 360 version of the map pack #2, at the end of the day, I would RECOMMEND online gamers on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 download the second map pack as the new content breathes some fresh life into the game and it is good value for the buck.














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