Black Ops DLC Annihilation map pack preview

By Ryan Fleming Published June 17, 2011

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Earlier this week the first glimpse at the next Black Ops map pack was leaked online, but not to be outdone by the intertubes, Activision and Treyarch confirmed the release the next day, just to steal the thunder back from the people that leaked the news! There is also a slim chance that the timing was a coincidence.

Regardless, the third Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack, Annihilation, is on the way and confirmed for a June 28 release date on Xbox Live. No official release date has been set for the PC or PS3 yet, but odds are it will happen soon, as Activision has a certain fondness for money. Although the price of this new DLC is also unconfirmed, it will likely follow the previous releases and run 1200 MS points ($15).

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To hype the upcoming map pack, Treyarch released a behind the scenes look at each of the new maps, and gave a quick rundown on what to expect. The four new competitive maps and new zombie map are:

• Hangar 18— Based in Area 51, this medium-sized map is balanced for all types of play and revolves around the central hangar, which sounds similar to the last map pack Escalation’s “Stockpile”.

• Silo— Set in a Russian nuclear missile silo and construction yard, Treyarch is claiming that this is one of–if not the–biggest maps in all of Black Ops. That makes it sound like it is ideal for snipers and people that have the patience to move slowly. From the description, it seems reminiscent of Escalation’s “Hotel”.

• Drive-In—Located in a rundown drive-in movie theater, this map seems to be the smallest of the four new maps, and one of the smallest maps in Black Ops. Treyarch is comparing it to “Nuke Town”, which makes it sound like short range battles will be common.

• Hazard— Based on a Call of Duty: World at War map called “Cliffside”, this map takes that groundwork and reimagines it into a golf course. “Hazard” is described as “one of the only maps in the game that focuses almost exclusively on long distance engagements.” The fairway is for suckers and sniper bait, while the sides of the map will offer new choke points.

• Shangri La—Treyarch is deliberately leaving the story of the newest zombie map a mystery, but it is described as a smaller map than Escalation’s “Call of the Dead.” Oh, and there are zombie monkeys.

Check out the video below for more details on each map, and look for Annihilation as an Xbox 360 exclusive (for now) on June 28.

[Warning: The following trailer may not be suitable for all ages]

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

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Overkill - Level 24
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Prepper - Level 45
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Danger Close - Level 38
Who doesn't want another grenade, Molotov, or combat axe? Is getting a second Lethal worth the Wildcard slot, though? Not in our opinion. Most of the time, Lethals are used in desperation or as a way to deny enemy movement for a time, and even then, they are risky because of how vulnerable you are while using them.
Tactical Expert - Level 15
The first Wildcard you get is better than nothing, but only just. It's exactly like Danger Close, only you can hold two Tacticals instead of Lethals. This is, by nature, a little worse since Tacticals don't have the ability to kill an enemy (unless you get super lucky and you directly hit an enemy with one who is on low HP). You can get some use out of them, but you're better off upgrading as soon as you have another option.

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