Havoc is the first of four Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare DLC packs and it is a good one! The pack includes four excellent new multiplayer maps along with the highly anticipated first Exo Zombies map. Read our review to find out what the Havoc DLC has to offer!
Since everyone has been hyped about Exo Zombies, will start by talking about Havoc’s zombies map. Featuring an all-star cast of John Malkovich, Jon Bernthal, Bill Paxton and Rose McGowan, this first Exo Zombies map proves to be a challenge, even for Black Ops/Black Ops 2 zombie veterans. Zombies which can use Exo suits and infect you with diseases pose more of a challenge than ever before and make the gameplay even more tense and fast-paced. Gone are breaks in between rounds, Exo Zombies enjoys putting your under time pressure and not giving you any reprieve from the action.
The celebrity characters featuring in the mode provide some humour in their lines but make no impact on the actual gameplay itself. The first Exo Zombies map also features many easter eggs for you to discover and is overall an impressive display for the first Call of Duty Zombies map from a studio outside of Treyarch. Hats off to Sledgehammer for delivering a fun, unique mode which sticks to the COD Zombies formula, but has its own, unique twist added.
Now, moving on to multiplayer maps, Havoc offers four excellent maps for players to enjoy. Firstly, there is Urban. Urban is a map suited to fast-paced, frantic gameplay. With narrow pathways and little cover, Urban is being called the “New Nuketown” by fans is a fantastic addition to the game. I have a feeling this map alone will drive sales for this map pack and Urban will become a highly popular map in-game. Perhaps we might even see a special “Urban 24/7″ mode in the near future?
Sideshow is a colourful and fun map based around a motel with a clown mascot. This is an open map which is perfect for sniping and is another solid offering in the Havoc DLC package.
Drift is one of the larger maps in this DLC package but still offers excellent gameplay opportunities. Drift is based in a Christmas-themed shopping center which is an odd idea but well executed. There are moving Merry-Go-Rounds on which you can take refuge while hiding from the enemy and the wealth of Christmas trees present provide great cover. This map is balanced and open to many different styles of play, again offering great value.
Unfortunately, the final map included in the package is not great. Core is a desert-style map with many open pathways radiating from a central area. This map is really made for camping and if you aren’t a fan of camping then this map probably won’t be for you. That being said, it isn’t a terrible map and the quality present in the other maps and the Exo Zombies mode more than validate a purchase of the Havoc DLC pack.
Overall, Havoc is a magnificent start to the Advanced Warfare DLC season. If you are enjoying the multiplayer portion of the game, then the included multiplayer maps will provide some fun, new experiences which certainly will not disappoint. For zombies fans, Exo Zombies offers tense, challenging gameplay which mostly follows the zombies formula but adds its own unique twists. I would certainly recommend picking up Havoc!