Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation DLC Comes to PS3 June 10

Hopefully everybody enjoyed the double XP period for Call of Duty: Black Ops in May – neither Treyarch nor Activision wanted to see any of the PS3 fans miss out just because of the technical issues. Now the next round of Black Ops action is locked and loaded: the long-awaited Escalation DLC pack will be available in the PlayStation Store on Friday, June 10th.

Escalation features five big chunks of content – four multiplayer maps and one star-studded Zombies experience unlike any other. For fans of competitive combat, your new battlegrounds await:

• HOTEL takes the sunny splendor of a luxirous Cuban casino resort and turns it into a bullet-riddled war zone. Details like the blown casino safe and poolside bar offer some unusual cover for run-and-gunners, but thanks to the high vantage points at opposite ends, it’s also a great map for snipers.

• Why not visit the ZOO? The big cats and deadly reptiles left this abandoned Russian animal park long ago, but the overgrown, dilapidated facility still plays host to the world’s most dangerous game. Hide below in the bear lair or snipe from above on the monorail track – you’ve got the run of the place.

• If you’re looking for a slice of classic Americana, check out the small-town motel and diner near the ambushed CONVOY. The freeway overpass has collapsed, leaving a missile stranded above and rubble littered below – not to mention a pre-fab house, apparently in transit by truck when the attack hit, now toppled on its side in ruins. Talk about trailer trash.

• STOCKPILE looks like an ordinary town in remote Russia…until you find the warhead hidden in the building in the center of town. Use switches to slide the huge steel doors up and down – good for restricting access during objective-based games.

Last but not least, CALL OF THE DEAD goes meta on zombie lore itself with a unique setup: Cinema’s zombie godfather George A. Romero is making his latest undead epic – starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Robert Englund, Michael Rooker, and Danny Trejo – only to have a real zombie apocalypse break out, infecting the director himself and causing him to stalk you throughout the level. All the stars performed their roles with full motion capture and voice-over, so when you and three friends take on wave after wave of the zombie horde, you’ll do so as some of Hollywood’s most famous monster mashers. Proof positive that there’s a zombie killer in all of us.

Escalation will be available in the PlayStation Store on Friday, June 10, and to celebrate, the double XP will flow once more – enjoy twice the rewards for your efforts through Sunday, June 12. It’s also a perfect time to try out some my unorthodox multiplayer strategies that will keep your opponents guessing.

Enjoy next weekend – I’ll see you online!