The first new maps have dropped.
Activision have taken a different route with how downloadable content will be released with Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, with its Content Season, and this month 2 new maps have dropped for the Elite Premium members, and we got our first taste of some of the content headed our way each month. The 2 new maps this month are, Piazza and Liberation. So, are they any good?
Starting with Piazza, which is the smaller of the 2 maps, that works its way up the hillside of a seaside town in Italy, in a dense and tight cornered area. Those who love Shotguns, SMGs and the knifing people are going to have a blast on this map, and those who don’t are going to have a rough day. Using an Assault Rifle, I kept getting blasted as I came around corners only to be welcomed to a crouching Shotgun to the face, or a knife in the back. Snipers shouldn’t even bother waking up in the morning for this map as you will find no real place to set up shop and pick off your victims. The map circles up the hillside and back down to the edge of the water, and really does a great job at recreating an Italian village. It’s best to find either shotgun or SMG that you like for this map, and personally I had the most success using the P90, for those tight corner surprises.
Liberation on the other hand is a Snipers wet dream, and everyone else’s nightmare. The open area of a fall day in Central Park, gives Snipers plenty of cover to work with as they blend in with the fallen leaves perfectly. If you hate sniping, you might as well just veto this map as often as you can. For the Snipers out there, you will love this map and will find many places to sit and wait for everyone else to run into your crosshairs. I found it hard to even get the jump on the snipers as the map is full of autumn colors and they blend in so well. If you want to try to hide from the snipers, there is an area underground that you can hang out in, but it’s unlikely they will just get bored and come in after you, so you might as well try to sneak around, it’s worth a shot. One cool thing about Liberation is that it has 2 mounted turrets you can jump on, but beware, you’ll probably just end up taking a sniper round to the face as soon as you do, but if you can survive turrets are always fun, and a welcome addition.
Closing Comments
I don’t really play Modern Warfare 3 as either of these play styles, so these maps (particularly Liberation) were more frustrating than fun. I prefer to wander around with an Assault Rifle like the Type 95 and take people head on, over sneaking around with shotguns or lying in wait with a sniper rifle, but for those that do, you will enjoy these maps. The strange part about reviewing these maps is that the only way to get them (right now anyway) is if you purchased the Premium Elite membership, and then these are free so it’s hard to say “buy them” as you already own them, but for those who didn’t purchase the Premium membership yet, these maps are great for certain play styles, but hopefully the rest of the maps will be more well-rounded and not just cater to one style.
