With Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's Revolution DLC set to hit Xbox LIVE in a few days' time, some people might find the wait a little unbearable. If so, we just have the thing!
In the videos below, Black Ops 2 fans will see the first-ever public footage of Revolution's two maps: Downhill and Grind. Not only that, but we also get to see the Peacekeeper SMG in action for the first time, too.
First up is Downhill, Black Ops 2's first snow map. While we only get to see a few glimpses of the environments, it seems Downhill is similar to Turbine in size…at least, from what I can see. Also, there seems to be a few little nooks and hidey-holes that will surely be loved by those who prefer to stalk than to run and gun.
Here's the video (courtesy of Polygon) and yes, the Peacekeeper SMG is shown off here both with a reticle and just the iron sights.
In the second video, courtesy of Activision community guru Dan Amrich's blog, shows us the Grind map. For some reason, it reminded me of Express — though with a lot less cover. Once again, the Peacekeeper SMG is the weapon of choice used in the gameplay footage.
While we don't have any vides of the other two maps Hydro and Mirage, we do have a very detailed description of each, also courtesy of Amrich who has played on all levels.
Hydro Map Description:
This map is on the edge of a dam in Pakistan, and features clearly defined sections painted red and blue. Those buildings are joined by a large spillway; you’ll be safe to run through the water most of the time, but if the dam is actively venting H2O, you will meet a soggy and instant death. It’s like the train on Express: It happens when it happens, and you can neither activate nor stop it. Your job is simply to get the hell out of the way of it.
Game design director David Vonderhaar is a strong supporter of the competitive gaming community, and says Hydro is “a very competitive map. It’s almost symmetrical; it’s going to play super, super, super fast. You can hear when the water is about to flood — it’s very brief flood, but it’s absolutely deadly. You can use it to split the map and split up the enemy team. A team that is working together can dominate on Hydro.”
Mirage Map Description:
Imagine a luxury resort in the middle of China’s Gobi Desert. Now imagine what it would look like if the Gobi decided it wanted that land back. The result would be a post-sandstorm Asian oasis with half-buried vans, a nearly destroyed bus, and second-floor access to some buildings via freshly formed dune ramps. A giant statue in the lobby makes it clear this was a ritzy place, before the sandstorm half-buried it. And of course, the irony of a swimming pool full of sand is not lost. I also found the diving platform over the pool to be a good perch for flag defense (the pool is the B point in Domination), even if it was rather exposed. When I worked with a teammate, it was less of a problem. A Guardian also proved very effective when positioned in the pool itself.
Based on the videos, the maps are nothing revolutionary, but I doubt Black Ops 2 will mind it all the same. For most players, just having a few new maps to wage war on is enough to warrant a purchase.
Are you liking what you've seen and read so far or are they just too similar to Black Ops 2's vanilla maps?
