Hands-on with COD Black Ops Annihilation DLC

The latest round of downloadable content is coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops, and we went hands-on at Treyarch's studio in Santa Monica.

Growing weary of the current map selection in Call of Duty: Black Ops? Never fear! The Annihilation DLC pack is finally here, bringing new maps and additional content for the game's ever-popular Zombies gameplay mode.

While the DLC is TBA for PS3 and PC owners, Xbox 360 players can buy the content today for 1,200 Microsoft points. The four included maps are:

• Hangar 18 - A section of the infamous government installation known as Area 51, SR-71 Blackbird and alien autopsy room included
• Hazard - A golf course set on the coast of Cuba, with plenty of bunker and water hazards to hide in
• Drive-In - An old school drive-in movie theater, complete with concession stands and other enclosures to snipe (and camp) from
• Silo - A partially-constructed Russian missile base, where the cover is comprised of incomplete silos and control rooms

I didn't get any time with the new Zombie content, but I did get to play a few rounds of Domination and TDM with some NBA stars. Dubbed a "grudge match" the showdown was between world champion Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry and Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay. I played with Terry and four other teammates in a first-to-three battle across all of the new maps.

While they were good sports, Terry and Gay had definitely made the right choice in being professional athletes at basketball rather than Call of Duty e-sports. Terry was partial to the Commando AR and the Tomahawk throwing axes. In the end, Team Terry took four of six rounds, making the Dallas guard a champion in more ways than one.

Say what you want about the formulaic approach Activision takes with the Call of Duty franchise, but there's no denying that the new Treyarch-designed maps are a lot of fun to play on. Hangar 18 is my favorite by far, but the other three maps are still a lot of fun to play, regardless of game mode.

On our way out after the event, I noticed an LCD TV hanging from the front of the reception desk, wired up to an ominous, doomsday-looking red button (complete with plastic cover). When pressed, the button activates the display, which - in real time - shows cheaters and hackers getting banned from Black Ops. Hopefully your gamertag has never graced this display...I know mine hasn't!