MW3 Map Pack Collection #1 Roundup

Call of Duty ELITE members won't get much out of this bit of news, you guys have been playing on most of these new maps for a while. However, for the lower-ranking but still battle-hardened gamers, this rundown of the new maps and Spec Ops missions will help you decide if the first map pack for Modern Warfare 3 is worth your Microsoft Points.

Maps
Elite Drop 1: Liberation Map
A militarized Central Park stretches across a vast landscape, ripe for long-range sniper and LMG fire. Mounted turrets on either end lend power to anyone brave enough to expose themselves in exchange for deadly firepower. Plan out your movement and always be aware of nearby sightlines to avoid becoming fodder for the enemy.

Elite Drop 2: Piazza Map
This seaside Italian getaway is anything but idyllic, as tight corners and branching pathways pose great risk at every turn. Close-range combat dominates, and the team that best utilizes flanking routes will most often come out on top. Attacks from behind, above and below are an ever-constant threat. Keep up your awareness and don’t get taken by surprise.

Elite Drop 3: Overwatch Map
Overwatch drops you into a construction site atop a New York City skyscraper. The battle takes place along two levels in a near symmetrical layout, with the central bridge and side routes open to attack from multiple angles. Watch your every step, as a lack of safety barriers surrounding the perimeter leaves nothing between you and a 70 story fall to the ground below.

ELITE Drop 04: Black Box
Battle beside a downed Air Force One in “Black Box.” Multi-level homes overlook the neighboring streets, creating a deadly kill zone for players on the ground. With clear sight lines from house to house, however, snipers are far from safe, with counter-sniping an ever-present threat to their dominance. Those that prefer close-quarters combat can succeed in the tight confines of the crashed airplane or in hunting down enemies posted up within any of the surrounding homes.Spec OpsELITE Drop 05: Black Ice
Shred ice from aboard your snowmobile as you infiltrate a diamond mine in the Special Ops mission, “Black Ice.” Melt more than snow when you plant high-grade explosives to shut the mine down forever.

ELITE Drop 06: Negotiator
Cash in all your karma as you head to India for high-stakes hostage extraction in “Negotiator,” an all-new Special Ops mission in which you’ll breach-and-clear rooms and navigate surface streets to secure the safety of your VIPs.

All six of these items will be available in, what is for this franchise, the plainly-titled "Collection #1" DLC. What's wrong, Infinity Ward? No trendy, machismo name for the DLC, like "Apocalypse", or "Gunmageddon" or something? I find that odd. In any event, the DLC will be available to all on March 20th and the next ELITE Drop, which includes Drops 4-6, is out a week earlier, March 13th. No pricing was announced yet, but I'll give you 1,200 guesses at what it will be.