Modern Warfare 2 has been on my grudge list for quite some time now. Ever since Infinity Ward released the game without a public beta there has been glitch after glitch ruining the balance and fun of the online multiplayer. After playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 I thought I’d never dream of playing MW2 again, but after the release of the long anticipated Stimulus map pack, and the news that there would be two remade maps from COD4 I decided to put my grudge aside and give it a go.
Surprisingly the remade maps Crash and Overgrown turned out really well; in fact not only are they good but they are quite perfect. The doubt that I had previous to their release may have stemmed from the botched remakes Epic games put out for Gears of War 2, such as Gridlock, Canals, Tyro Station, and Mansion. But after playing a single match on both of the remade maps I can confidently say I can’t notice a difference between the original and the remake. If anything the only difference is that the MW2 version is more polished. With Crash being my favorite map from COD4, I am so happy that they a) choose to include it in the dlc, and b) made it exactly how it was in COD4, and the same could be said about Overgrown.
The other three maps included in the DLC – Storm, Bailout, and Salvage – are all very good as well. Although before I begin talking about the maps individually I’d like to point out my one and only gripe: that the Stimulus playlist includes every game type. Starting up a fresh match on a level that I have yet to play and being forced to play Search and Destroy or Hardcore Headquarters wasn’t ideal, but like I said, that is my one and only complaint.
The first new map that came up for me was Bailout and after playing all three of the new maps, I think I can safely say that this one is my favorite. The level features a network of paths throughout various apartment buildings and man is it awesome. There is an open parking lot area, a gym, and even a nice big pool. Everything you expect from an upscale apartment complex. Oh yeah, and did I forget to mention that the scale of this level is great? There are tall ceilings, narrow corridors, and not many places to camp or hide, resulting in some great battles.
The next map that I came across was Salvage. While this map doesn’t seem to work well on Free-For-All or Team Deathmatch it shines when playing an Objective game type. Domination on this level was superb as well as Sabatoge. Fighting back and forth to keep the bomb planted on the enemy target was exceptionally enjoyable. The level has very narrow paths and seems to be suited towards the strategic player. Choosing to go middle, left, or right was always a question at hand and playing Search and Destroy on this level was the most fun I’ve had playing this game in a while.
The last map in the DLC that I played was Storm, and in all honesty it shaked out to be my least favorite. While the map does look impressive, the layout of it I really don’t like. There are long outer paths that kind of all lead to a center warehouse area. While this sounds like it would be good, I have yet to appreciate it. Most of the time I spent playing this map I was running around looking for people to shoot and once I found them, I would be killed by someone up high on a building. If players tended to stray near the inside of this map I could see how it could to lead to some good firefights but the time I spent on this map did not result in much of that. Don’t get me wrong, the map looks great and the added effect of the rain and the storm certainly is a cool detail that we have yet to see from many of the other maps, but the layout of it, I am just not a fan of yet. This may change in the future but as of now, it is definitely my least favorite of the new maps.
All in all I must say that I am very pleased with the new maps released in the Stimulus package as am I with Crash and Overgrown. Although, are they worth the steep price tag ($15) you ask? I would say, if you are a fan of either of the remade maps or are just suffering from a little bit of Map-apathy like I was then they are definitely worth picking up. But if you’re still havin’ fun trampin’ ’round the old maps then I’d almost wait until the price comes down, not to say that it will but it’s always something to hope for. Either way, If you decide to wait a while before picking them up or if you are downloading them as you read this review you will be pleased. The maps are great, and having a few new levels to play on is certainly a breath of fresh air when it comes to MW2. Hope this shed some light on the DLC, see you guys online, over and out.
