Review: Call of Duty: Black Ops - First Strike

The single biggest annoyance of mine with any FPS game is map packs. They are a necessary evil of the industry for the sole reason we play the living shit out of the game and after about a week, we want more content. It is just inevitable. Usually the map packs are decent with some shining out as must haves and others as blatant attempts to soak another $10-15 bucks out of my ass. The First Strike map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops is actually very good and anyone who sinks time into this shooter should really pick it up if you have not already.

You get four brand new maps and a new Zombie level. In this day and age, that is a rather strong download. The maps do vary and we have our favorites. There is one small recurring theme you may or may not like and that is the interactive aspects of some of the maps. The map that stood out the most to me was Berlin Wall. This is a symmetric map with an area that is overlooked by automated machine guns. Yes, you can make it across if you are lucky and there is enough cover, but often times you will not. There is nothing you can do as these are AI controlled. The other map with the a interactive piece is Kowloom. There are zip lines that allow you to well, zip, across buildings. They are fun but if someone catches you going across, you’re dead. Kowloon is almost straight from the campaign. Small buildings, a lot of places to run, and it’s almost night or early morning outside. Expect to be killed from the side or behind a lot here.

The other two maps are Discovery and Stadium. Discovery reminded me of the movie Cliffhanger as it takes place on an icy mountain. You can destroy bridge of ice with explosives or if you just shoot the hell of it — just another way to kill people with the environment. The final map is Stadium. It reminds me of Nuketown beset in an abandoned hockey rink. Small and chaotic, but better laid out.

Not being a huge fan of Zombies mode in the Call of Duty world, namely because I do not like to play things with no end, the new map Ascension is a good twist on things. A Russian NASA-like facility gets overrun and you have to fight as long as you can. There are Nazi Space Monkeys and they will freak you out. One more thing, the level is in black and white until you fire up a power switch.

Overall, First Strike offers much more than previous map packs in Call of Duty games, especially those from Modern Warfare 2. As I said before, you should grab this now. The maps are all brand new and offer something different than before and that is something every map pack should at least strive to achieve.