14 DAY TRIAL // Call of Duty 4 was, by most accounts, the biggest game of last year. Sure, Portal had much more innovation packed into its 2-hour campaign. Crysis might have had more freedom of action and a more tight gameplay. But Call of Duty 4 provided something that other games didn't: a cinematic experience complete with emotion, well directed cut scenes and well done acting.
The game proved to also be a big hit on-line, fighting with Halo 3 for the crown of most played on-line game on the Xbox 360. And when on-line play for a game is big, a map pack must surely follow round the corner. And Infinity Ward doesn't disappoint with the Call of Duty 4 Variety Map Pack which is due out in a few weeks or days, depending on who you listen to.
The maps included in the pack are pretty varied. Killhouse is set in a closed warehouse that provides a lot of cover, both hard and soft. It's designed to provide a quick and dirty match for teams consisting of no more than 4 players. Broadcast is more well suited for all out warfare between large teams and takes place in the television station that's also a main fighting venue in the single player campaign.
The Creek map is wide open and set in a village. As there are farm buildings and trees around, snipers could make this map their favorite. Chinatown is an updated version of the Carentan map from the original Call of Duty and is designed to please all players with wide-open spaces and night attacks.
The Variety Map pack was announced for early April on the Xbox 360, but early April could mean anything from April 1 to 15. A PlayStation 3 version will be launched after the Xbox 360, while the PC version of the map pack is not announced yet.