COD4 New Content

For those of us getting tired of sniping the enemy from a bombed out house in "ambush" or running around like a madman on "backlot", there's a light beyond the barrel of your M16. The downloadable content for Call of Duty 4 is finally almost upon us.

First off, remember the TV station level in the single player campaign, entitled "Charlie Don't Surf"? It seems that one map, "Broadcast", has been constructed using the TV studio section of the mission. Just as in the current multiplayer maps based on single player levels, "Broadcast" has been significantly jazzed up to make it more suitable and exciting for online multiplayer action. Various extra rooms and corridors have been added, opening up the entire second floor of the building, an area largely out of bounds in the single player campaign. As the map is predominately based indoors, helicopters and airstrikes will not be as effective as they are on other maps. There are some outdoor areas however, so with good timing you could wipe out a few bogeys with a precision airstrike; and we know how good helicopters are at shooting through windows, right?

Small, cramped firefights make Broadcast an "intimate" map

One of the other maps in the pack is totally original, not based on any COD4 environment currenly in the game. Entitled "Creek", the map is an extremely large scale affair with a huge ravine running down it's centre complete with small pathways scarring it's walls, perfect for camping out with a sniping rifle, if that's your thing. There is a small collection of houses at one side of the ravine, strategically placed for a skilled team to be able to hold down for extended periods of time as the enemy try to attack from the ravine. As well as this the map also contains a waterfall located at the base of the ravine, and a winding cave that cuts through the rock leading out through the other side, a perfect trap. "Creek" looks as though it will have ample oppurtunities to clock up kills for both snipers, and players with a lot of patience who look to ambush the unprepared. This original map looks perhaps the most interesting, partly because of it's layout and partly because the graphics and scenery are all totall new, the sky and foliage for example are supposedly much brighter and more colourful than the current multiplayer maps.

The thick undergrowth lining the ravine will be perfect for sniping on "Creek"

In total there will be four maps included in this downloadable pack. The other two maps, "Chinatown" and "Killhouse", not too much is known about at this point, but rest assured that they'll live up to the high standards we have come to expect from Infinity Ward and their design team. Be sure to look for this downloadable content over the coming months for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 - no word on release dates yet for PC gamers, perhaps Infinity Ward are trying to work out how you get them to pay for this content, seeing as how PC gamers are so used to getting extra content for free.

More on the release dates for these maps when the information becomes available.