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COD: Black Ops 'Escalation' DLC bringing Hollywood's zombies to PS3 on June 10
Afte arriving exclusively on the Xbox 360 back in May (per previous agreements) and on PC yesterday, Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC "Escalation" is now getting the PS3 treatment on June 10. Beyond the four regular mutliplayer maps it adds, the much loved "Call of the Dead" level -- starring a quartet of movie stars -- is also included. Like the PC launch before it, when the DLC arrives on PlayStation 3 next week, it'll spark a double XP outbreak all weekend on PlayStation Network. No official pricing was given in the release date announcement, but we don't imagine it'll be magically less expensive than the $15 asking price on Xbox 360 and Steam. Update: An Activision rep confirmed to us that the PS3 release will be "consistent with previous Escalation pack pricing."
Escalation drops on Black Ops PC today; double XP and free Steam multiplayer weekend
While some of us will be frantically packing and chewing our finger nails down to the bone in preparation for E3, many out there may just be looking to kick it. If that's the case and you're looking for something to do on that PC of yours, Steam's got a whole lot of Black Ops stuff going on. First of all, the latest DLC pack, Escalation, is now available for download on Steam at $14.99 -- four multiplayer maps and the celebrity-filled Call of the Dead are included. On top of that, Steam is offering a free multiplayer weekend, meaning anybody can download the game and sample its multiplayer side absolutely free, from right now until June 5 at 1pm PT. This weekend, all XP earned in multiplayer will also be doubled. Finally, if you've found Black Ops to be to your liking, you can decide to pick it up at a reduced price this weekend: $40.19, 33% off its normal asking price.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 'Escalation' DLC hitting PC on June 2
"Escalation," the latest downloadable add-on for Call of Duty: Black Ops, will be released for PC early next month. Activision sent out a note announcing a June 2 release date, and signaled the impending end of Xbox Live's exclusive grip on five additional multiplayer maps. The $15 "Escalation" pack houses four urban Black Ops battlegrounds -- Hotel, Zoo, Convoy and Stockpile -- and an unusually elaborate map for Zombies mode, dubbed "Call of the Dead." Assuming you don't find it distasteful when those who were presumed dead are unexpectedly resurrected, you'll get a real kick out of seeing Robert Englund, George Romero and Sarah Michelle Gellar again. An announcement regarding the PlayStation 3 version of this DLC will be made "soon," Activision says.%Gallery-121609%
Call of the Dead actors sound off on being in Black Ops
For each celebrity participating in Call of the Dead, there's a different motivation -- well, on top of the core motivation of sweet cash money, of course. Check out some videos past the break where each tells us what Call of Duty means to them.
Black Ops: Call of the Dead's Wunderwaffe-ful Easter egg revealed
It's no secret that the new Call of the Dead map for Call of Duty: Black Ops packs some major star power, but it also contains some well-hidden firepower. NextGenTactics details how to unlock the map's secret Wunderwaffe DG-2, an Achievement and some hilarious cameos in the video after the break.
Making the Call of the Dead: Treyarch on Black Ops' celebrity zombie-fest
Most of the content in the new Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC is pretty standard for the military shooter genre -- a few new maps for $15. But the "Escalation" has one obvious standout in "Call of the Dead", a new map for the game's Zombies mode. Out of the blue, Treyarch hired B-movie legends like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Robert Englund, Michael Rooker and Danny Trejo -- all posing as themselves -- and pitted them against the unrelenting waves of the undead, and even brought zombie master George Romero into the mix as a boss. The Zombie mode itself has always been presented as tongue-in-cheek fan service (the original mode from World at War had players fighting Nazi Zombies, and maps since then have included zombie monkeys and mad scientists), but "Call of the Dead" takes the goofiness even further. So, how exactly did this happen? Joystiq cornered Zombies creative lead Jimmy Zielinski at a press event for the map pack earlier this week, and asked him how the developer decided to use some of the most familiar names in horror and monster film history for just one map in an add-on pack.
Black Ops Escalation DLC includes 'Call of the Dead,' stars George Romero (as himself)
Well this is certainly ... wow. Activision has revealed "Call of the Dead," the previously unnamed Zombies Mode map in the Call of Duty: Black Ops "Escalation" DLC. "Call of the Dead" is no ordinary map, however, as Treyarch is throwing in lots of zombie-related fan service, starting with George Romero. The famed horror director stars as himself in the Zombies episode, alongside the likes of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Robert "Freddy Kreuger" Englund, Machete's Danny Trejo and Michael Rooker, who plays Merle Dixon in The Walking Dead. Treyarch's Mark Lamia promises that "Call of the Dead" will provide "an exciting new zombie experience" that "takes Zombies to an insane new level." Check out some sceens in the gallery below and watch a (very Robert Rodriguez) trailer after the break. Oh, and we call dibs on Danny! %Gallery-122317%
