First Strike was fun. Escalation rocked. But Call of Duty: Black Ops fans want more – they crave new battlegrounds and new experiences. Black Ops developer Treyarch knows this, so they’ve been busy creating another fresh batch of DLC maps: Annihilation. The newest add-on content will be ready for download from the PlayStation Store starting Thursday, July 28th.
Annihilation features four new standard multiplayer arenas – Silo, Hangar 18, Drive-In and Hazard – and the deadly jungle Zombies experience, Shangri-La. “The goals we set were about quality and variety,” says Treyarch’s Online Director, Dan Bunting. “We wanted to make everything feel unique and distinct.”
Annihilation delivers on those goals with five all-new environments:
Drive-In: This one-time American movie paradise once showed war movies; now it’s the location for one. The holes in the screen have been filled with snipers. The popcorn is stale, but they’re still serving up hot lead in the concession stand. “Drive-In is a small map, very fast paced,” says Treyarch’s Online Director, Dan Bunting (the nice bearded man from all those behind-the-scenes videos). “It’s similar to Nuketown in that it’s a fast, close-quarters map.”
Hazard: Ah, the Cuban good life! This swanky golf course features lush greens, oceanic driving ranges, and long-range sniping opportunities straight down its deadly fairway. Never mind getting a hole in one — try not to get lots of holes in you. Those skilled with assault rifles and sniper rifles will enjoy this one.
Silo: If you’ve ever said to yourself, “This is a great map, but what it really needs are missiles launching right next to my ear, so every time I line up to snipe someone, I pee myself instead” – and really, who hasn’t? – this is the map for you. Muddy sloped terrain, a smattering of construction equipment, and a few carefully placed sniper towers make this military outpost a tactical challenge regardless of game type.
Hangar 18: This one’s a tribute to the Groom Lake military base where the government developed the SR-71 Blackbird – or, depending on the conspiracy theories you choose to believe, where they stored a recovered alien spacecraft. Either way, you’ll be in an out of buildings frequently here, not to mention using a multi-million-dollar piece of reconnaissance aircraft for cover. But that’s not the only secret project it’s hiding. “Hangar 18 has a couple of fun easter eggs,” hints Bunting. “I can’t talk about them because it would ruin them.”
Shangri-La: Welcome to the jungle, where the Zombies have taken over an ancient shrine. But be extra careful – the environment’s many hidden tricks and deadly traps can be used against you as easily as your undead enemies. “It’s one of the more creative and clever map designs we’ve got so far,” says Bunting with pride. “The diehard fans are really going to appreciate the story hooks in this one as well.”
Annihilation will be available in the PlayStation Store July 28th — less than two weeks away. And as is the custom, the weekend that follows will offer all players double XP in celebration. See you at the drive-in!
