Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Map Packs

2010-06-28

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Introduction - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Map Packs: Are They Worth It?

Activision are determined to prolong Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s dominance at the top of the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 multiplayer charts in the face of strong competition from Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and the forthcoming Halo: Reach and Medal of Honor, and to this end have made two DLC map packs available for the game. In this article we look at what maps each of the packs contain and whether they are worth the investment of your time and money.

Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack One - Stimulus Package

Whether the Stimulus Package’s title was an ironic comment on the desertion of players from Modern Warfare 2 to Bad Company 2, only Activision and what remains of Infinity Ward will know. There is no doubt though that MW2 faces far more competition in the console multiplayer market than its predecessor, and the necessity of new content to keep the online component fresh for hardened Modern Warfare 2 gamers to preserve the community.

Stimulus Package features five maps. Storm is set in a derelict warehousing area, as overhead the sky tears itself asunder, and is mainly suited to the Search-and-Destroy and Sabotage game modes. Bailout, meanwhile, sees battle take place in the claustrophobic confines of a three-storey apartment complex, with narrow corridors and constant flanking opportunities. Salvage is the smallest, and least distinguished, map in the collection. It also appears to have proven unpopular with playing community, and is often voted against.

The final two maps in the Stimulus Package are called Overgrown and Crash. If those names seem familiar, that’s because you’ve probably played them before: the two maps are both lifted straight out of the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Activision claim to have included both due to their popularity with the first Modern Warfare’s online community. This claim seems somehow hollow though when you look at the contents of the second of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 map packs released- the Resurgence Package.

Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack Two - Resurgence Package

Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package

Again, sporting a knowing title, the second map pack for MW2 follows the format set by the first: three new maps accompanied by two drawn from the first game, given a mild graphical paint job. Of the new maps, Fuel is excellent, with the action divided into an open area to please the sniping sort and a network of buildings in the other half prompting some intense close quarters action. Fuel certainly matches the high standards of the maps that shipped with the game. Trailer Park will not be to everyone’s taste - its open areas and tight winding paths mean that snipers will find little joy in it, and expect your death count to head sharply upwards on it, meaning the bigger killstreaks will be out of range, but for those who like to see the whites of the enemies eyes, Trailer Park should provide plenty of fun.

The fun fair setting of the Carnival map is one of the most visually attractive areas yet seen in the Modern Warfare series, but the map can start to bore and, worse, irritate after a while, which may see it drop off the radar on the playlists. The Resurgence Package is rounded out by two more returning maps from the original Modern Warfare. Strike and, especially, Vacant are excellent maps, but the brutal truth is Modern Warfare fans will have already played them to death.

Conclusion

Of the two Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 map packs released so far, Resurgence is clearly superior due to the excellent level design of Fuel. But it is hard to wholeheartedly recommend either DLC map pack to even the most rabid of Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer fans. Five maps for the price Activision are asking is not a great deal to begin with, but when you take into account that nearly half the maps across the two packs are recycled from the first Modern Warfare, and so will have been played into the ground by most fans of the franchise, it’s hard to escape the feeling that Activision are attempting to make you buy the first game in the series all over again, only this time in bite-sized chunks. Facing such stiff competition in the online multiplayer market, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 may soon require a Resuscitation Package unless the quality and content of the DLC map packs improve.

This post is part of the series: Modern Warfare 2 Map Packs

Reviews and guides for various Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 map packs.