14 DAY TRIAL // We've known since last week that Infinity Ward and Activision planned to launch the Stimulus Map Pack for the Xbox 360 on March 30, with versions for the PC and the PlayStation 3 from Sony coming at a later unspecified date. What we did not yet know was what the first map pack for Modern Warfare 2, the best sold videogame in 2009, would include. Now, statements from Robert Bowling, the creative director at Infinity Ward, reveal that there will be five new maps introduced via the Stimulus package for the price of 15 dollars on launch day.
The bad news is that not all the maps included are actually new. Three of them are built from the ground up for Modern Warfare 2, while two are popular maps from the first game in the series, which have been slightly updated.
The three fresh maps include: Bailout, based in a multi level apartment complex and favors close quarter fighting; Salvage, built around a fortified scrap yard covered with snow and littered with old destroyed cars, and Storm, played in an industrial park with heavy machinery spread around to offer cover and good vantage points.
The two maps coming back from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are Crash, the scenario inspired from the movie Black Hawk Down, and Overgrowth, which favors sneaking and quick kills. But the big surprise with the Stimulus Map Pack is that the price point is 15 dollars or 1200 Microsoft Points, which is more than players were expecting. It's not clear whether players are ready to spend more than 10 dollars for five maps, two of which are not actually new.
On March 30, DICE, the creators of Modern Warfare 2 rival Battlefield: Bad Company 2, are planning to release the first two fresh maps for their first person shooter, which are free for all those who bought the game new.