Call of Duty 4 Variety Map Pack Review

Written by Troy Matsumiya  on April 28, 2008

DLC Review: Four more fun places to kill your friends.

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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has been a runaway hit, consistently edging out the mighty Halo 3 as the most played game on Xbox Live. So it was inevitable that Infinity Ward would release a downloadable map pack; after all, if there's one thing FPS gamers can't get enough of, it's more maps to fill with the bloody corpses of their friends.

Priced at $10 or 800 Marketplace Points, the Variety Map Pack is a fun addition to your CoD4 multiplayer experience. While no map pack is worth $10 of your hard-earned money (don't get me started on Xbox Live's ridiculously overpriced downloadable content) the four new maps are something no CoD4 fan should be without.



Broadcast
Broadcast is the only map of the bunch that is taken from the single player campaign; you'll instantly recognize it as the TV station from the УCharlie Don't SurfФ level. However, the station has undergone some extensive renovations to better suit multiplayer action with a huge lobby, parking lot, and second floor access to the roof. Teams spawn either deep inside the station or out in the parking lot; if you're outside, you'll want to rush in as fast as you can unless you enjoy being pummeled by opponents on the roof or second story windows. You can enter the station via the wide open lobby, a service door or climb a staircase directly to the roof, where you can access the second floor of the lobby or rain grenades through the skylight of the station's control room. The control room also contains one of the bomb objectives in Search and Destroy, so holding the roof is key to protecting this room.

The staircases and offices are perfect for close quarters combat but the big lobby, roof and huge УbullpenФ are wide open, giving this map a lot of gameplay variety.

Chinatown
Chinatown is based on the Carentan map in CoD2 and is easily the best looking of the bunch. Filled with bright neon lights, Chinese statues and architecture, slick cobble stone roads and even a peaceful garden, you'll be amazed at the attention to detail and overall beauty of the place. Of course, you'll quickly end up dead if you're too busy admiring the sights so you'll have to enjoy the scenery on the run.

The map is filled with tight alleys and many small shops you can enter, making this a great map for close quarters battles. You can leave the sniper rifles at home; this is where the SMG and shotgun shine. The abundance of buildings (with multiple floors) also means there's little excuse for getting killed by an airstrike or helicopter. Campers will love pop-and-shooting from second storey windows Ц not to mention manning the mounted LMG Ц but with at least two entrances to every building it isn't difficult to sneak in and drive a stake into those campers' hearts. Running through buildings is also a great way to surreptitiously flank opponents who stick to the streets.

Creek
On the other end of the spectrum is Creek, which as the name suggests is a sprawling outdoor map with a creek running through the middle of it. While Chinatown favored up close and personal battles, Creek is a sniper's dream come true, with great sightlines and tons of thick foliage to hide in, which means that silly-looking ghillie suit finally comes in handy.

Key points on the map include a central waterfall, which is also the B point in Domination. Capturing it is no easy task as you are exposed most of the way there and with two ridges overlooking it, snipers can pick people off at will Ц assuming the opposing snipers aren't picking off your snipers first. The other feature is a cave that connects the two sides of the map together; defending this cave is vital as it allows players to sneak into the opposing side and attack from the rear.

If you love sniping, you'll love this map; if, however, you think snipers deserve to be ground up and fed to syphilitic donkeys Е maybe not so much. However, you can still be very deadly with your trusty assault rifle and ACOG scope, and stealthy players can find plenty of opportunities to sneak around and eliminate those pesky snipers.

Killhouse
Killhouse is my personal favorite because its small, open design encourages some insane battles. Taking place inside a warehouse, Killhouse is set up like a training facility with maze-like concrete block walls, plywood buildings and wooden silhouette targets. There's even an instructor's viewing tower in the middle that gives you an unobstructed 360 degree view of the map, but climbing it is pretty much begging to be shot in the butt.

The small symmetrical map creates frantic fast-paced action since you need to be constantly on the move to not only rack up kills, but just to survive. The warehouse roof is open so there is no protection from airstrikes or helicopters except for the few small buildings; but don't stay inside too long because with thin plywood walls and open windows, you'll find little protection from Deep Impact bullets or grenades.

This is another map that favors close quarters combat but with a fairly open central area, you can dial in some medium distance death as well. This is by far the best map for messing around with friends in private matches since you're never out of the action.

Final Thoughts
If you love Call of Duty 4 then this map pack is a no brainer Ц and over a million of you agree since that's how many people purchased it in the first nine days. Wow. And while the cost of this or any map pack is questionable, these four maps offer fresh new variety and something for everyone, making it a highly recommended purchase for CoD4 multiplayer fans everywhere.