escalation maps take it to a ho nubba lebel!

User Rating: 9.5 | Call of Duty: Black Ops - Escalation X360
great variety, huge size and fantastic attention to detail - these guys didn't cut corners with the Escalation map pack released yesterday.

Hotel: a ton o fun in an abandoned hotel circa 1958. take a look over the edge, with beaches and city streets hundreds of feet below. run through a steamy sauna, a night club stage, a well-appointed kitchen and a casino. a fantastically structured map. think of it as a much more fun and beautiful "skyscaper" and you'll get the picture. add elevators complete with a cheery "ding!" and surprise unwanted guests with a clip or two.

Stockpile: a comfortably familiar industrial wasteland, but with lots of blind corners and things to discover. this map has a great blend of sniping and close combat opportunities. but snipers - don't get too comfortable or you're gonna get sliced from behind.

Convoy: location 1960s Vegas, i believe. a nice combo of a bunch of classic map layouts. again, lots of nooks and crannies. and hey, drop by the gas station. there's a ding as you run by the pumps. try firing a grenade or two at the pumps as someone passes by and enjoy the fireworks!

Zoo is a feast for the eyes. delightfully run-down and fun to explore, you can even run on the abandoned monorail, above your prey. another great example of a map that allows equal parts sniping and close contact mayhem. dark and foreboding weather adds to the isolated feel. would have loved to have a "loose tiger" kill streak perk.

new zombie map? no idea. couldn't successfully get into a single match in 15 minutes. crapped out every time.

anywho: they could have "called this one in", but they didn't. this pack shows attention to detail and care, along with a real artfulness. great value for the money and a nice surprise. routine haters are going to have a hard time putting these babies down.