The Hunt Is On – Zero Dark Thirty Map Pack Review

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

Medal of Honor: Warfighter players now have a bit more to do within its online multiplayer, as EA has released a new map pack for gamers to fight across.  Entitled Zero Dark Thirty, this collection of levels is based around locations in the movie of the same name and features two new levels, Chitral Compound and Darra Gun Market.  Are these maps a nice addition to the title, or are they as dangerous as their real world counterparts?

The first of our two levels is Chitral Compound, which is set in a fortress in Pakistan once believed to be a hideout for Osama Bin Laden.  This foreign location features several deep and narrow rocky passages perfect for setting up ambushes.  Be careful though, as these attack points may leave you pinned by enemy gunfire.  Following the mountainous area is the actual compound, which is full of tight roadways and uneven footing – making it a difficult area to invade.  Defenders will have an advantage here, but if the attacking team can take key point then their victory is nearly ensured.

Second on our list – and the highlight of the pack – is the Darra Gun Market.  Set in a tribal town full of small arms craftsmen and dealers, what makes the map so interesting isn’t its twisting and turning market streets,  but rather how it’s layered.  Battle doesn’t just happen across a flat plain, as the map features several rolling hills, overlooking buildings, and overhead walkways – making players look up and down as much as they would left or right.  Darra Gun Market’s maze-like design makes it not only the key feature of Zero Dark Thirty, but the best map to grace MoH: WF yet.

The only issue with the map pack has little to do with the levels themselves, and that’s how much you see them.  Currently, there are no servers dedicated purely to the additions, and they’ve simply been cycled in with all the others – making them come up only once in a blue moon.  In fact, it wasn’t until I specifically filtered my server search results to only contain the two new maps that I actually played them for the first time, as the first ten rounds I played found normal maps.  Putting the last eagle in the casket was the fact that about 70% of my search results looking only for those two maps listed original maps, making the ZDT pack levels few and far between in your average round – a shame since they are easily the best maps available.

So, what about pricing?  Well, if you’re one of the owners of the Limited Edition of MoH: WF, your download of the map pack will be absolutely free!  If not, though, it will cost a whopping 800 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360 players or $9.99 for everyone else.  While this is the standard for map packs in all games, most of the game’s competing titles offer at least three or four new levels to add to your roster – some even including new gameplay aspects or weapons and all for the same price.  Should you have been on the fence about the latest in the Medal of Honor series (and one can’t blame you based on the previous game’s multiplayer experience) and didn’t pick it up at launch, $10 of your hard-earned money might be a bit much to ask – even if the maps themselves are brilliant.

The only good thing to come of the price tag is the fact that EA is giving out $1 of each sale to non-profit organizations who support veterans.    Does this bout of charity make up for the cost?  Well, that’s up to the gamer to decide.  Regardless of pricing reasons, the generosity is still greatly accepted and should give non-limited edition owners an extra cause to drop the extra bucks.

All-in-all, the Zero Dark Thirty map pack is a great addition to Medal of Honor: Warfighter, as it brings the title’s best two maps yet.  The brilliant map design is held back only by the fact that you’ll rarely come across the levels, and a bit of a larger price tag for non-limited edition players.  If you feel like spending some extra dollars towards a good cause for some awesome maps, then when you finally get to play them you’ll be glad you did.  I simply fear the cost will dissuade most players, even with the charity aspect included.

Final Score: 4.75 / 5.0 and a counter-productive gold-plated AK-47.