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Call of Duty World at War Map Pack 3 360

Format:
360

Genre:
Shooting

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Support Rowan, click to buy via us...

Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 3 is the third map pack for Call of Duty: World at War (I was first tipped off by the name). I think we all know the drill by now - three new normal maps, one new zombie map. I thought that each map was good, and the Zombie map doubly so, but of course whether or not this is for you depends entirely on your enjoyment of the original online. Didn't like it then? Then you won't like it now.

Many, many people whinged when it was announced that Call of Duty 5 was going to be set in WWII, rather than the modern era. Treyarch probably started development from as soon as Call of Duty 3 was released, so I doubt the decision to not emulate Modern Warfare was deliberate. However, I know think that it was the right thing to do. Imagine if Call of Duty 5: World At War had been called Call of Duty 5: Modern Warfare. We would have been playing Call of Duty 4 online for a year. Then we would have played Call of Duty 5 online for a year. And soon we'll be playing Call of Duty 6 for a year. Imagine if they all used the same setting just how bored would you be.

It would be time for Infinity Ward to shock us all again with the announcement of their new game - Call of Duty: Future Warfare. Instead, we have variety. A year of excellent modern war, a year of very good old war. Now we will come to Modern Warfare 2 thoroughly sick of Nazis, ready to shoot some terrorists.

Der Riese

The Zombie map Der Riese is mental, as any good zombie map should be. The map is huge, with multiple pathways, levels and teleporters. I have to admit; when I first played it I was totally lost. I had to look it up online for some videos of great bottlenecks and maps showing where to find the best weapons.

The evolution of Nazi Zombies map is amazing. I would not have guessed at all that the original, three room map would have turned into this. It's almost a different gameplay experience. Originally, you had to hold each area for as long as you could, before unlocking the next in order to find better weapons. You had to keep the windows boarded up as much as possible, and at the end of each round you'd frantically close as many entry points as possible before the next horde of zombies arrived. Now? Forget it.

Beyond the short time you'll spend in the very first area, you will rarely have a single window boarded. The entire game has become a quick race to the location of the mystery box, where you'll hope to get a sweet weapon like the new lightning gun. I never got to use it, but from what I can see it will kill many zombies with a single shot, but you can only fire it three times before reloading. Of course, because of the 'teddy bears' (added with Zombie Swamp in a previous map pack), you won't be able to stay there long and you'll race along to the next box.

The goal, as with the Zombie Asylum, is at first to bring the power back online, which will allow you to open more doors, use the Perk-Cola and Pack-A-Punch machines, as well as the newly added teleporters. It is a very fun, very strategic level, although I think it's about as complicated, without any more guidance, as it can be. In fact, I think that Nazi Zombies is almost a stand-alone game. Admittedly, it's a little similar to Left 4 Dead with the four soldier co-op theme, but I think that it's popular and interesting enough to almost warrant it's own game, and I wouldn't be surprised to see one announced fairly soon.

Battery

Battery is set, confusingly. Gig guns at either side make it seem like a ship, but the rest of the map looks like an oil refinery. I read that it's supposed to be some kind of offshore defensive battery?

I don't know exactly what it relates to in real life but it's a fun map anyway. Things are well layed out with an open area for each team at either side. Then there are a clever set of choke points and cramped indoor sections that connect two towers for sniping.

Although simple in it's delivery, they really know how to put these things together for fun. It's an especially good map for Headquarters or War, because the separate areas mean each different weapon type has a use.

Breach

Breach is a square city map. Areas for snipers around each edge and an enclosed middle mean that everyone can fulfill their role here. It's slightly less well balanced than Battery, largely because of a large building that takes up a whole side of the map. Because of how large it is, you can see pretty much every outside area of the map.

If you are lucky enough to be on a team where people will actually work together, you can get five people sniping from there and it becomes almost impossible for the other team to get near. Fun for some, but if you're unlucky enough to be faced with an organised opposition, get ready to be decimated. I suppose that this could be said of pretty much ever map in every online game, but because of the slightly lopsided nature of the map it is more obvious here.

Revolution

Revolution is another city based map, although far larger than Breach. This map is sniper friendly too, as it is based around one long street. On either side there are buildings with second floor windows that offer good views of at least half the map. Luckily, the buildings are rather hard to defend, meaning that even with your rifle you can still take out the enemy snipers or defend your own.

Although this can seem a little lop-sided at first, experienced players will soon uncover nuances that work against anyone camping. Again this shows the sort of steady hand and knowing planning going on behind the scenes.

Like I said, you likely already know if you're going to buy this pack. On the one hand, the new zombie map is easily better than many arcade games available for similar prices. Then again, this makes the third pack released, and I feel that surely that's enough. Treyarch have done an excellent job in keeping the WWII feel of previous game whilst keeping the great online experience of Modern Warfare, but now it's time for Infinity Ward to take over with Modern Warefare 2.

Written by Rowan Brown

You can support Rowan by buying Call of Duty World at War Map Pack 3



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Rowan Brown writes the Teen Gamer column.

"I write about my favourite games from a younger person's perspective. It's often surprising how different this ends up to other more grown up reviews."

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