Call of Duty Ghosts Review

Whether or not you buy into the theory that Call of Duty's momentum is slowing (or that the series is even in trouble), you can't say that the developers at Infinity Ward aren't hedging their bets. With Call of Duty: Ghosts, the additional DLC looks to include new maps, a new alien-infused campaign, and more.

Set to arrive first on Xbox come January 28, 2014, the Onslaught DLC brings four new maps, one new weapon, the first dose of the new Extinction campaign, with the developers even teasing that a new take on the 'Michael Myers Mode' is also on the way.

The developers confirmed the January 28 release date for the first batch of additional content after promotional materials for the Onslaught DLC was leaked on NeoGAF. Including four new maps - Fog, Bay View, Containment and Ignition - the DLC also unlocks the new Maverick AR/Sniper Rifle. Neither IW nor Activision have yet released more information on the maps or weapon, but fans may be able to catch a few quick glimpses in the previous Season Pass trailer.

In addition to the multiplayer maps and weaponry, Onslaught also includes the first episode of a four-part Extinction campaign, pitting cooperative players against waves of alien invaders. The first episode, dubbed Nightfall seems to be in keeping with the horror aesthetic and style of the early Extinction trailers, but the campaign may hold more variety than assumed.

Via Infinity Ward's Twitter account, the developers released a new look at one of the (presumably higher difficulty) enemies that will be encountered. And as they rightly point out, players with a fear of spiders are in for an unpleasant surprise.

Take a look:

Clearly assuming that it's better to be safe than sorry, the developers clearly feel that if new maps, weapons, and the chance to take on alien monstrosities aren't enough to grab players' attention, perhaps a dose of horror from the community itself (in the form of a new game mode) will?

The studio has teased that "something menacing" would be joining the Onslaught, with a brief clip of gameplay footage. The music, the weaponry, and the tone should be impossible to miss for any fan of classic horror movies:

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Set on what looks to be the Fog map included with Onslaught, and adopting the music from the Halloween film series, the message is clear: the studio is going to be adding the 'Michael Myers Mode' to the menu. Setting a single player as Myers, equipped only with a knife - or, in this case, an axe - is tasked with chasing down and killing the other players. If the unarmed players can keep their distance, then Myers fails, and horror movie fiction is changed forever. If he succeeds, well... you get the idea.

Which of these additions are you most intrigued by; maps, weapons, aliens or slashers? Sound off in the comments. We'll all find out how well IW's experiments pay off when Onslaught arrives January 28, first on Xbox.

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Call of Duty: Ghosts is available now for PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: NeoGAF, MP1st, Infinity Ward