'Call of Duty: Black Ops' First Strike Map Pack - Berlin Wall

The newest map pack for "Call of Duty: Black Ops" came out recently sporting four new multiplayer maps and a new zombie map as well.

The new multiplayer maps are:

-Discovery
-Stadium
-Berlin Wall
-Kowloon

Let's take a look at Berlin Wall.

The Layout

"Berlin Wall" is a map that is set up in a rather simplistic manner - there are two sides, each containing an array of buildings that players can go into. In the middle, as you'll see on the mini-map, there is a red area where players can go - but you don't want to, as it signifies the area in which the automatic turrets will attack players. No one is safe from the turrets, and a loud siren will sound immediately prior to the turrets auto-firing, so you do have some time to get out of the red zone before you are converted into Swiss cheese.

The wall, running down the middle of the map, contains multiple pathways to get to the other side - on either side and straight down the middle of the wall itself. Keep in mind that the middle route is generally a grenade-fest, and should be avoided at all costs. The side routes are much stealthier, and generally have much more cover to hide behind in case you engage in a firefight.

The Turrets - Good or Bad Idea?

The red area on the mini-map marks where the automatic turrets will shoot down players, no matter what team they're on. While this seems like a great idea at first - and it is certainly a new idea - the novelty wears off relatively quickly. When comparing the size of the red area to the rest of the map, it seems that about half of the map is red. This means that this map could have easily been thrown together, but Treyarch threw in automatic turrets as a new feature. While the novelty of these turrets is fresh, it's sad to see that the Berlin Wall map has minimal means to get to the opposing side of the map, making the red area seem more like "fill-in." And, to top it all off, the map isn't terribly big.

Overall

The Berlin Wall map is fun, especially when playing game types like Domination, since the middle marker is directly in the middle of the map - the hottest zone. This means that players will actually have to use team work, which is rare to find these days, as gamers generally play like Rambo by running off into the smoke and gunfire to feed the enemy team kills for their killstreaks.

Pro tips:

- Stay away from the middle route, unless it's completely necessary. If you do go down the middle route, I suggest using smoke grenades and flashbangs.
- The suggested routes are the side alleys; stick to the available cover in these routes, too.
- Use the windows that oversee the middle for easy kills. Players can easily net kills by tossing grenades from these windows, or using snipers.
- The Napalm Strike killstreak is great for this level - throw it over point B during Domination for easy kills and keen defense. Either that or lay it straight across the opposing side of the level.
- Claymore placement is essential when playing defense. Luckily there are many "L"-shaped stairwells that are great for claymore placement.
- Explosives such M203s and launchers work great in this level since the alleys run straight through the map.