Title: “Combustible” and “Snowblind” Multiplayer Map Packs for Gears of War 2
Platform: 360
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Epic
Review by: Bill Jones
Epic has declared this weekend “Double XP” weekend for Gears of War 2, and the game currently has two multiplayer map packs up for purchase, both running 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Combustible and Snowblind have a total of seven maps between them. Pads & Panels has the breakdown for those still on the fence.
Combustible Maps
The Combustible map pack followed closely on the heels of the game’s release, providing fans three more multiplayer levels just more than one month after the game launched. The pack comprises Flood, Gold Rush and Fuel Station, all of which can be used with general multiplayer and Horde mode.
Flood is definitely the weakest of the bunch. It’s an extremely linear, tight map. Imulsion builds up, enveloping the map and closing in the battlefield. It’s a cool idea, forcing a tight fight in the center, but both before and after the toxic fluid becomes an issue, the map is rather boring. 
Imulsion doesn’t even become a factor in the case of modes like Execution, and the scenery is drab. The goal is intensity here, but that never really pays off in the way the small maps on Modern Warfare have.
Luckily, Gold Rush and Fuel Station pick up the slack. Gold Rush provides a nearly symmetrical map with high and low options. High offers the obvious advantage of high ground and cover, while the bottom holds a mortar. Gold Rush works really well with Annex, as does Fuel Station. The last of the bunch offers a wealth of spots to stage strategic battle, both offensively and defensively. The station itself is the highlight, with an elevator and staircase to the top offering two options for attack. The team that takes the fuel station here is in the driver’s seat for certain match types.
Snowblind Maps
Snowblind offers the second helping of premium (read: the ones that cost money) downloadable maps. The pack collects Courtyard, Fuel Depot, Grind Yard and Underhill, all of which are adorned in a snowy winter theme.
Three are new, while Fuel Depot receives an update from the first Gears of War. And not to cut any of the new ones short, as Snowblind is a solid pack, but Fuel Depot arguably proves the best of the bunch. Teams are placed at opposite ends of the map and race to the middle where three routes are possible. High ground consists of a helipad with cover and a view over the low ground and a warehouse with corridors full of metal crates designed to force close combat. Down the middle is a sort of no man’s land. It’s a straightaway to the enemy base with a bit of cover, but it’s thin, and nestled between the two sides of the level. Special weapons can be found in trucks on either side. The awesome touch to this one is the partially open shutters, where those outside of the warehouse can make things extra problematic for players battling inside.
Underhill is also a well-designed map, giving Fuel Depot a run for its money. It’s a bit more linear in nature, designed as a narrow straightaway. Players can elect to take the high ground on a lifted bridge, but the road is split by a median, meaning enemies can come up either side, using vehicles for cover along the way. Inside the complex at the bottom is a close-quarters battleground with pillars for cover, leading to a garage with a flamethrower in the center. Specific strategies come quick, and it becomes a matter of executing them well while preventing the enemy from doing the same.
Courtyard is the largest of the bunch, and proves to be the best map in the game for Meat Flag mode, as there are multiple levels, staircases and cover to take. It makes teamwork a very important part of staving off an onslaught that can come from all directions.
Grind Yard is probably the least notable of the bunch, but provides good grounds for quick Execution matches. Taking the structure in the middle becomes incredibly important, as it offers a high ground that can only be truly attacked by storming a narrow corridor. It’s not the best of the bunch, but it works, creating major standoffs when only two to four people remain.
Snowblind also comes alongside the latest title update, which fixes certain issues, but more importantly adds an XP/rank system and bots to fill out uneven teams.
The Verdict
Snowblind is clearly the better value of the bunch. While one of its maps is rehashed from the previous iteration in the series, the package contains four maps, all of which are designed a lot better than the Combustible map pack. Both packs offer additional replay value, but $10 is steep for four maps, let alone three that were possibly better left on the cutting room floor. Snowblind offers a fresh new look to the scenery, and provides better stages all around. While all seven of the maps seemed geared toward specific scenarios and fall flat on other modes, they do a good job of extending the experience when monotony and exploits eventually set in with the originals.
For more info, http://gearsofwar.xbox.com
