There are 10 types of people in this world; those who understand binary and those who don't.

As most of you know I was invited down to LA this week to get a chance to preview the upcoming MP2 in a community "First to Play" event. Six members, including our friendly moderators, were taken to the Treyarch Studios to get a chance to play the three new MP maps, Sub Pens, Corrosion, & Banzai, plus play the new Zombie map Shi No Numa!

I have to start by thanking everyone involved in putting together this event. Everyone was really nice and the treatment was first class all the way. Thank you guys for making me feel like I was at home in your house & giving me a chance to play the new maps that you all have worked so hard on.



Banzai: Pacific Theater

“Deep in the jungles of Japanese controlled territory, battle to control the tall river bridge in "Banzai" a bright, medium sized jungle map featuring a waterfall, villages and hidden caves well suited for deadly snipers, surprise attacks and all out gun battles.”

This was the first map that we played & honestly I would have to say that it might have been my favorite. It is a tossup between this map and Sub Pens. The map is larger in scale but very detailed in the lay out. There is room to use a lot of different classes effectively in this map due to some very long open areas mixed in with some tunnels & buildings. You can just as easily be a run & gunner or a sniper effectively. We had a chance to play CTF, War & TDM on the map and the locations for the objectives are well thought out from what I gathered. The graphics were very detailed and nicely done. All-in-all the map is a good addition to the game.

Corrosion: European Theater

“In "Corrosion" face down your enemy in a deteriorated Russian train yard. Sprint under, over and through the shattered pipelines and war-torn train cars in this midsized map great for full out team combat. Keep your head on a swivel as your enemy could be above or below you!”

This was another good map. It was a bit smaller in size but very much so a CQC type map. There are multiple objects creating cover everywhere and some buildings that you fight in/around. You definitely need to keep an eye out because every time you round a corner there is the potential of someone sitting there with a flame thrower *cough MaTtKs cough*. There are also some neat things like being able to climb/jump and get on top of some pipes and be partly concealed up higher. It really is a map that you will have to spend some time on to make sure that you figure out all the nooks and crannies on. We played some CTF & HCS&D on this map and the map size and locations of the objectives made for some pretty insane CTF games. For HCS&D I would make sure you have bomb squad on! Like I mentioned before there are plenty of spots where Betties could be waiting for you right around the corner.


Sub Pens: Pacific Theater

“"Sub Pens" offers a close-quarter bombed-out Japanese submarine base littered with live ammunition, breached subs and idle fighter planes. Wipe the monsoon rains from your eyes and struggle to control key choke points in this tight map designed for exciting and deadly battles.”

This had to be my favorite map out of the three. I am biased because I enjoy the smaller maps and the chaos that comes along with them. It is a fairly narrow map with a sub in the middle and some building & walk ways on either side. This is a very CQC type of map and if you enjoy playing with a shotty you will be stoked. Lots of corners and smaller rooms where having a sawn off would really give you an advantage.
We played a few game modes including CTF, HQ & a FFA while we were there. The HQ spawning seemed to be better than that of MW in the fact that the team that had just captured the HQ doesn’t automatically spawn on the new HQ. The CTF really made for some good times too because of the closeness of everything it turned into complete mayhem. During the FFA we really had a blast I even put JD’s Jugg to the test with my sawn off double barreled shotty. Out of the three I really enjoyed this one the most, but like I said before I am a tad bit biased on this one.


Shi No Numa: Pacific Zombie Map

“Keep moving to survive the unending Zombie horde in "Shi No Numa", the all new addition to the four player co-op fan favorite. Imperial Zombies rise from the misty swamps and flaming Hell Hounds blaze through the jungle as players struggle to find Perk machines and the deadly new Wunderwaffe DG-2 to stay alive. This new map includes 10 new Achievements/Trophies.”

“First off, just wait until you guys get to see the Official Trailer for this addition to the game – it’s face meltingly sick. I’m not a Zombie guy, but that trailer is frickin sweet - heart pumping, fist clenching, amazingly cut and composed. Dude really earned his paycheck. I mean damn, we watched it 3 times and were glued to the movie screen each and every go around.”

This is a quote from CHEFS about the trailer we got to see for the zombies and I couldn’t have put it better myself. Honestly the individuals that put it together were very talented. It gave me chills every time we watched it. It was all done in house including making an original song just for the Trailer. I’m not 100% sure when it is to be released but it really was great!

As some of you may know I’m not a big zombies guy. I can honestly count on both hands the number of matches I’ve done in zombies to date. I did get a bit of practice in with some friends before I went on my trip so I could be a bit more versed in the game mode before my skills were put to the test. After playing Shi No Numa I have come to the conclusion that I might have to start playing zombies a lot more! It is more thought out than the other maps and the size of the new map is huge compared to the previous two.
The traps they made for the new map include some of the older favorites like the electric fence but there is an awesome new addition in the “Flogger”. This is a mechanical spinning device that spins a log with spikes around through a passage way. I got to see firsthand the carnage of it in action when a herd of zombies chased us to the point and it was used to its full potential. There was blood and flying zombies everywhere. Honestly it was great!

Some of the other additions include a zip line that allows you to get out of trouble quickly in a pinch! I actually had to use this a couple times and it can really be helpful. With the addition of Random Perk machines you never know what perk will be spawned in the various out buildings so each time you play you will get a different experience. The only perks I found while playing were Jug, Speed, & Quick Revive.
Now it is time to talk about the Wunderwaffe! I know that most of you are looking forward to using this new gun and rightfully so! It is a beast! I actually did get it from the gun box once and I tried it out. The gun isn’t a spray and pray like most of the others including the Ray Gun. That is because the ammo you get with it is very limited. Even with limited ammo it is definitely worth holding on to. That is because you can kill an entire group of zombies with a single shot! Seriously who doesn’t look forward to hitting a pack of zombies with a bolt of electricity and watching their heads pop right off! You can also hold on to this gun and get a Ray gun as your secondary weapon and do some serious work!

As an addition to the new map they also included a new foe you encounter. Hell Hounds! I was sitting next to CHEFS while we were playing and I’m still laughing about his shriek when we first encountered them. They are brutal and come out of nowhere running straight for you. Your best bet is to back yourself into a corner and hope for the best. They were tough but lots of fun to kill. They are randomly spawned instead of zombies roughly every 5 levels +/- one or two to keep it random. You have no idea what you are in for in the tougher levels!

There is no way a person could really recap the entire level but I tried my best. The new zombies map is definitely a win in my book. Just being able to go outside and use some of the new traps have me excited for its release. Another thing you can keep in mind is this is in a swamp and you can wade through the water, but it slows you down, and the zombies are still chasing you. God it was great and I know you will enjoy it too.

If someone asked me if it were worth the $10 I would definitely say yes. I’m not just saying this; many of you know that I held off on getting MP1 because of connectivity issues with the game. I was informed that the PS3 patch will be released with the MP2 so I am definitely going to be picking these maps up.
If you have any questions about the new maps or anything regarding the release please feel free to post them in here and I will try to answer them all. I hope this helps you guys out.

Lastly I would like to thank Treyarch and Activision for putting this together. It was really cool to get a chance to play your new maps and get a chance to meet some of the people that I talk with on the forums on a regular basis. Everyone was really cool and I’ve honestly gained a new respect for most of these guys. I hope you enjoyed your birthday cake JD!