First stop this time around is a blast from the past. Welcome to Skyrise, a refreshed version of Modern Warfare 2 fan favorite Highrise. It takes place on a skyscraper roof with two additional main structures situated along the north and south boundaries. The “middle” section is relatively flat, but is livened up a bit with spots of cover and small elevation points. An underground tunnel system allows for quick flanking opportunities into the main spawn points inside the aforementioned buildings. By most accounts, the blueprint of the map has been largely untouched from the 2009 original. The biggest difference between then and now is the advent of Exo. Now, those Herculean attempts to get atop the most advantageous sniper lookouts in MW2 are now just a double jump away. Effectively, these perches are now just has hotly contested and fast paced as anywhere else on the “ground level.” Despite the relatively small stature, Skyrise plays host to all three sightline ranges (close, medium, far) with proficiency. Because of this, TDM and Kill Confirmed are great selections. In terms of objective games, Uplink felt like the most consistent and fun. But the points of interest for Domination make it one of the worst maps for that match type yet conceived for AW.
Despite Guy Fawkes Day being months away, you can get plenty of revolution practice on Parliament. A larger map with a few medium sensibilities, the layout is one of the more “open” maps to be found in multiplayer. The deck of a docked battleship has two flat “base” pieces divided by a relatively open middle structure. The two side areas offer varied paths of travel and cover, but don’t really afford the safe passage as they might appear. The amount of square footage is definitely higher than most maps, but I didn’t think it had a ton of long, viable, snipe-centric spots. An assault rifle with a red dot or hybrid sight seems to be the best option for most scenarios. The biggest problem with the map is consistency. I’ve been struggling to put my finger on what either makes or breaks a match, but sometimes the pacing is either too quick for the open motif or slows down to a crawl due to excessive camping. And flanking becomes quite the chore in the latter situation. Of the four, I think Parliament is the weakest. Hardpoint, Uplink, and Grapple games work pretty well because it forces movement, but TDM is often more frustrating than entertaining.
Amongst the giants, we have little ol’ Compound. Reminiscent of an outdoor paintball arena, the action is hyper fast and unrelenting. With a bunch of multilevel and underground features, there isn’t much first floor space to be had. Additionally, you’ll want to avoid those areas with impunity, as being on the ground marks you good as dead by tangos with top position. At times, it’s almost dizzying how quick the pace can be in slayer heavy matches, but that’s usually a good thing. Because of the emphasis on scaling and verticality in AW, you’re one platform hop away from lading an easy “two piece.” Although, it can be tough to extend a long killstreak because of the helter skelter nature. Try to keep a good mindset about the high action, and you’ll probably find one of the more purely fun maps in MP. This is one of the best Kill Confirmed selections across all DLC and on-disc libraries, but Hardpoint falls flat from the stubby paths.
The last on the list is the best of Supremacy. Kremlin is the biggest map in the pack, and perhaps the largest et al in AW. The place is massive. The frigid Russian styling of snow and ice offer a nice aesthetic among the long range chaos. Get ready for medium and far engagements a plenty, but because Exo tempers the effectiveness of any sniper outlook, be sure to periodically check your flank if you plan on camping. Two huge structures (one being the Kremlin itself) occupy the majority of the landscape with a slightly tilted bridge as a second level pathway between the two. For those using the bridge, beware. Both buildings have top level windows and each side is fashioned with a highly effective mounted machine gun. Using a smart, low angle on the opposite side to keep the windows clear is crucial to safe movement and map control. Under the bridge is a sizeable, flat area for more close in skirmishes, and there is a decent sized area in the back of each main structure to make entry and exit quite the interesting affair. Despite its hugeness, Kremlin’s architecture is very well thought out, and consistently exhibits top notch balance. Despite my personal preference to fast paced SMGing, I thought this was a great map for pretty much all match types, particularly Hardpoint and Domination.
Shape up and ship out for another adrenaline fueled chapter of Exo Zombies! Dubbed Carrier, part three continues with three previous survivors: Jim (Jon Bernthal), Lillith (Rose McGowan), and Kahn (Bill Paxton). New to the team is Lennox, voiced by the king of cult classics Bruce Campbell. The terror takes place within the bowels of an Atlas Corporation aircraft carrier, which is quickly revealed to be yet another secret shop of inhuman horrors. From this setting, expect to wage war in a few tight corridors and rather small rooms. There are a few bigger areas to take advantage of Exo abilities, but when the heat gets too hot, you may be forced to bail into safer, but more constrictive confines. To assist with this potential problem, you’ll find Carrier affords new offensive options. Exo Stockpile is an available upgrade that increases ammo reserves by 20% for all firearms and allows for an additional lethal and non-lethal grenade. Fresh power-ups also make their debut. Explosive Touch creates a furious blade sphere around each survivor, shredding walkers as you sprint through the horde. Think of the “star” power up in Mario, just a lot more bloody. Open Fire gives your guns a brief period of unlimited ammo AND doesn’t require reloading. With an SMG or AR, this can provide a huge boost in a late round when your backs are against the wall. The LZ-52 Limbo is a new “wonder” weapon, that projects a laterally moving laser across the immediate area, causing serious damage. If you’ve seen the opening scene to the 2002 horror flick Ghost Ship, you kind of get the idea.
Outside of the regular run-ins with lame brains, Carrier offers another adversary with which to deal. Periodically, a pair of mysterious human soldiers will plant a bomb in a certain area of the map. When this happens, you’ll have just a minute or two to take down the heavily armed operators and defuse the device. Take them and their device down in time, and you’ll be rewarded with sweet power-ups. If you can’t deal with the problem for one reason or another, don’t fret too much. These events won’t end your run, but it will make that particular room inaccessible for the remainder of the round. In terms of the overall “feel” of the gameplay at this locale, I think it shows the most balance and level of “fairness” compared to the first two Exo Zombs outings. Outbreak was just too cramped for its own good. It’s not a bad map for solo training runs, but it really becomes cramped for a team of three or more once you hit double digit rounds. Infection at least solved the problem of space, but the demands on the players with increased zombie counts and no dependable map specific offensive “buffs” stifled firepower and was often inordinately frustrating. So far, Carrier has felt like a solid compromise between the two. The tricky choke points are there, but offer reprieve if you apply the right movement and weapon strats. The open areas are effective, but don’t allow excessive freedom of movement as to “cheat” that part of the map with camping there indefinitely. At the very least, you’ll need to visit other areas to get ammo, upgrades, hit the printer, et cetera. Making really deep runs is still tough, and requires all four players to have a good understating of the map layout and gear locations, but it doesn’t feel like a wildly unfair fight either. Carrier encourages more than it discourages. That’s not something I can necessarily say is true for its predecessors.
This is without a doubt the most solid DLC release from Sledgehammer yet. Of the four MP maps, only one doesn’t consistently work as intended. Compound is one of the best small maps, and Kremlin is, for my money, the best large map in AW. And Exo Zombies might be finding a formula that works well with the game’s design and features, as Carrier stand as the most consistent exhibition for the co-op mode. For regular CoD:AW players, Supremacy is a very valuable addition.
