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As Modern Warfare 2's downloadable Stimulus Pack prepares to drop on March 30 for Xbox 360 (no release date yet for PS3 or PC), we caught up with Infinity Ward Creative Strategist Robert Bowling to learn more about the included five multiplayer maps. What type of player will like them the most? Who will hate them? And what gives them their "soul"?
Bowling breaks down each map for us; plus, we ask him about the possibility of seeing downloadable Spec Ops missions and whether we'll ever get more multiplayer perks and rewards. Screenshots and video included....
(click on any screen for a larger version)
Stage: Bailout
On what gives this stage its personality:
Robert Bowling: It's one of our only American maps -- it takes place in an American apartment complex.
From a gameplay point of view...it's one of the most versatile maps, whether you're talking about a small free-for-all or a big objective team game. It's a larger map -- it has large outdoor areas, but it also has large indoor areas.
On what this stage reminds him of:
RB: Visually, it pulls the most from when you're going through the rich neighborhood in the single-player of Modern Warfare 2 -- the suburban American apartment complex in Pennsylvania. Anyone who lives in an apartment complex there will know [this look] very well.
On which type of players will like this level:
RB: If you just want to be the run-and-gun guy who sticks to the interiors, you can play the map that way. Or if you want to snipe outside where you have the long sight lines, or if you want to rush for the objectives, it also has a big portion for that.
On which type of players will hate this level:
RB: Bailout is the one that really has areas for every type of player. If you're just sprinting around, and you really like to get that momentum going, it's going to be good for you. If you're sniping, there are good spots. It's definitely the most versatile.
Stage: Storm
On what gives this stage its personality:
RB: Storm is an industrial park. Its most defining feature is probably its massive warehouse...or rather, a series of warehouses that connect through the whole thing. It's really unique gameplay, because you get in there, and there are multiple levels, and there are offices and walkways and a bunch of cover points down below. That's what people will remember most about this level.
Visually...you have lower visibility because there's a storm coming in, so there are weather effects, there is rain coming in, there's the booming thunderstorm...it's a really great atmosphere for a firefight.
On what this stage reminds him of:
RB: If you really enjoyed Downpour from Call of Duty 4 multiplayer -- the really open farm map that had the rain -- it's what [Storm] reminds me of the most. It's the same atmosphere and the same cool feeling.
On which type of players will like this level:
RB: Probably the run-and-gun TDM [team deathmatch] player. This is the kind of map that has those key points that players gravitate to, and you find yourself fighting there, and there are always good firefights. It has some really cool chokepoints that I think the run-and-gun players will have a lot of fun playing TDM in.
On which type of players will hate this level:
RB: It's definitely not ideal for the run-and-knifers.
