More Multiplayer, More Zombies

Published June 10, 2009

The popularity of Call of Duty®: World at War™ on Xbox LIVE® is unquestioned, and so too is the community's thirst for new content. Enter the plainly named Map Pack 2, which features three brand-new multiplayer maps and another entry for the cooperative phenomenon, Nazi Zombies.

Multiplayer never looked so good.

Shi No Numa—Imperial Zombies
We begin with Shi No Numa, the new Nazi Zombies map, though "Nazi" may be a bit of a misnomer here as Shi No Numa takes place in an Imperial Japanese controlled swamp. Indeed, it's the swamp that marks Shi No Numa's biggest change from previous levels.

You can now scurry out into the swamp if you're being overrun in a building. Be wary though, as the swamp is the zombies' spawning ground, so the bloody-minded undead may spring up all around you. If you try slogging through the bog, you'll end up slowing yourself down.

Shi No Numa also promises a bevy of easter eggs (Treyarch isn't saying where to look), and access to new weapons, including an electricity-spewing super weapon of dubious authenticity! Perhaps best of all, Shi No Numa adds ten brand new achievements, totaling 250 Gamerscore.

Corrosion
This medium-sized map takes place in a sulfur processing plant, and draws its inspiration from the movie Enemy at the Gates. Its war-shattered environment and industrial motif very much bring to mind the tense sniper battles of that film, but in Corrosion, the action favors more of a mid-range approach.

Strategic use of pipes is critical.

The two story processing plant dominates the center of the map, with its lower floor acting as an excellent throughway, allowing players to pick their way to other parts of the map without finding themselves entirely exposed outdoors. Meanwhile, the upper floor is almost entirely made up of catwalks granting industrious players outstanding lines of sight down onto the first floor and even outside.

Corrosion's defining feature is the vast sulfur pipes that wind and wend through the map. Make use of these pipes to travel swiftly between specific points while encased in sturdy cover. Of course, if you're caught from behind in the pipe, there's nowhere to turn. Teams that control the pipes define their opponent's movements on their own terms.

Sub Pens
Sub Pens marks the first World at War map to employ weather effects, as a steady deluge of gray rain blankets the docked Japanese submarine. The submarine marks the center of the map, so anyone eager to cross over to the other side will have to navigate across, through, or around this formidable obstacle. The line of sight outside by the sub is much more generous, so slipping through to opposite structures takes skill and effort.

Get ready for close-quarters combat on Sub Pens.

On either side of the sub are a series of small, compartmentalized areas, which help to create frantic but isolated combat opportunities. Sub Pens promotes constant action, but smartly, it separates it out, so as you progress through the map you can expect explosive pockets of combat rather than longer range, larger engagements. Dust off your run-and-gun skills if you want to dominate on Sub Pens.

Bonzai
This gorgeous, jungle-themed map is openly acknowledged by developer Treyarch as the most beautiful map in World at War, and for good reason. Its stunning waterfall, tranquil river, and lush detail brings intense warfare in direct conflict with Bonzai's natural paradise.

Apart from the idyllic surroundings, Bonzai sports the most notable landmark of the Map Pack, an enormous wooden bridge built very much with the movie Bridge Over the River Kwai in mind. In fact, Kwai was the codename for Bonzai during development.

To take the bridge or not to take the bridge …

While the bridge can and will funnel the action across its perilous, obstacle-riddled span, it does not take over the center of the map. This means you aren't required to traverse the bridge to access the other areas of Bonzai, including the river, the caves behind the waterfall, or the two villages that flank each side of the map. Of course, those that control the bridge earn an advantage, but thankfully, the other team has more than its fair share of options to win back the bridge or avoid it entirely.

The Map Pack 2 for Call of Duty: World at War is available beginning June 11. See you online.

Article by Ryan Treit