MW2: Stimulus Map Pack

Above: Salvage

Activision released their new downloadable content on March 30. This has been long since teased by Infinity Ward and long since wanted by gamers. The stimulus map pack has 5 maps: Bailout, Storm, Salvage, Overgrown and Crash. The first three mentioned are brand new, while Overgrown and Crash are fan favorites from CoD4.

Bailout's setting is in an apartment complex. Its winding hallways and stairs make for some intense close quarters combat that really makes having a SMG of shotgun worthwhile. The fighting isn't just confined to indoors though. Adjacent parking lots and walkways allow decent outdoors fighting, but don't expect to get any killstreaks sniping.

Storm, the industrial park is a pretty much balanced map for all kinds of fighting from close to long. Alleyways give impatient players quicker access to the buildings, but it's a sniper's paradise. with little cover and only a few places to go it's easy to pick someone off. It's a very standard map with solid gameplay.

Salvage takes place at a snow covered junkyard. It's primary function is CQC or mid range map, but there s a place or two skilled marksmen can use. This map is made up of many narrow paths with several choke-points that campers use to their fullest, but provide no shelter from someone who tosses a grenade. There are also many paths that do not present themselves to the player and tend to be overlooked, which means awesome flanking can be achieved. Another notable feature is that there is no second floor or lower level. It's all on the ground.

Overgrown and Crash are also welcome favorites. Back in my CoD4 days, these were two of my favorite maps. Overgrown is a sniper's playground, with an abundance of cubby holes, perches and grassy knolls. Most of the kills here will be from far away. Crash is another staple of what good mapmaking is. A couple paths along the outside and kill orgy areas in the middle, this map is both memorable and fun.

"Is it worth $15 U.S.?" you ask? Well it really all depends, it does seem like a heftier price than many map packs, especially considering Battlefield: Bad Company 2 released a free map pack, but you have to consider if those maps are any good if they are free. My reason for purchasing these maps is because I want something new. I have played on Highrise and Invasion to the point where of boredom, so anything new is great! There are also many of you who say it's too expensive. But I'm sure almost all you you have bought a Halo 3 map pack and it is $10 bucks for three maps, so $15 for five isn't really a ripoff, it's just standard pricing at $3 a map. I cannot recommend this as a buy to those who don't play MW2 a lot, but if you the type who is on their 3rd prestige, it's nice to kill people in new locations.