Review: Black Ops 2 Apocalypse DLC

G'day there folks!

The fourth and final Downloadable Content for Black Ops 2 was only just released only a few short hours ago and I've been playing it to give you folks a quick review. And while this is the final DLC, Activision and Treyarch have definitely gone out with a bang on the road to Call of Duty Ghosts.

The four multiplayer maps are as follows:
Pod: Set in a broken down future town made in the 70's on the side of the cliff. Players can run on the run down boardwalks and edges or head straight through the rust and ruins. While it is open aired and spacious, the center and the few corridor like places around it are great for close quarter combat.
Frost: Players find themselves in a typical European town during the middle of winter, with snow overhead and a frozen lake. This map is mostly for mid to long ranged players, the lake gives a lot of breathing room and quick access to either sides of the map but leaves you mostly exposed. While it's well formed and structured, this is definitely weakest out of the four, since it's mostly a corners map, where gamers hiding behind corners with shotguns are bountiful and spawns are poorly chosen. Prepare for spawn camping on this map.
Dig: Two dig sites near Afghanistan, players can expect a lot of fun from this map. Dig is a reimagining of the World At War map "Courtyard" and is my personal favourite. Very quick paced with many areas to duck, dive, dodge, climb over and move around the large map in a snap. This map is definitely welcomed for short range players but areas towards the centers allow snipers and assault rifle users to shine while heavily exposed to either side.
Takeoff: Possibly a shoutout to the main campaign, players find themselves on a floatable aircraft station in the middle of the Pacific ocean. This map is also a reimagining of the popular Black Ops map "Stadium". Players can expect quick recognition of the area and adapt well. The corridors and open air areas have been extended by a slight bit but this makes the gameplay all the more easier and fun. This map is mostly favours long range weapon users but does have the odd close encounter here and there.

Now onto the beginning of it all. Origins for the zombie fans is exactly that; the storyline is set in 1918 when the original "ancient horror" is unleashed upon humanity and explains some much needed storypoints. I won't spoil them all or what happens but the beginning cutscene is nothing short of genius and brilliance. Collection and crafting items are much larger this time around, even with helpful collectables also to be found. The newest item is the dig option: in the spawning area, a slightly glowing shovel can be found and be used to dig up items on small dirt mounds. However, while these dirt mounts can have goodies like modern weapons or ammunition, others can contain set grenades. This make the dig option both exciting and also much like a Russian roulette. While one mound held a golden shotgun, the other had grenades. Tread with caution!

Overall, the multiplayer maps are what you would typically expect for the Call Of Duty series, however with Apocalypse, the team at Activision have definitely been hard at work to deliver a fun and enjoyable pack. Origins is definitely a Zombie map to return to over and over while the extra maps add a hint of nostalgia with a twist.
And so ends Black Ops 2 but this DLC will still keep fans around after the release of Ghosts.

Black Ops 2 - Apocalypse DLC: B