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For last year's Call of Duty installment, Treyarch took advantage of multiple time periods to tell a unique story based both in the '80s and 2025. The near-future setting had intriguing implications for the multiplayer features of Black Ops 2 with new weapons and advanced military tech.

The first DLC map pack for Black Ops 2 (watch the Revolution videos here) debuted in January and later this month, the second multiplayer content expansion will release. Activision has (officially) unveiled Call of Duty: Black Ops II - Uprising and as rumors and leaks indicated, it adds four new maps and a new zombies mission that plays with the idea of different time periods.

Where the original Black Ops featured the popular Call of the Dead DLC featuring the likenesses and voices of Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street), Danny Trejo (Machete), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer), or Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead), Uprising adds another star-powered zombies mission with a specific theme. Titled Mob of the Dead, the zombie element of Uprising is based during on the prison island of Alcatraz during prohibition-era 1920-30s. Players play as four mobsters planning an epic escape: Billy Handsome (Ray Liotta), Al "The Weasel" Arlington (Joe Pantoliano), Salvatore "Sal" DeLuca (Chazz Palmenteri), and Michael "Finn" O'Leary (Michael Madsen).

Mark Lamia, Treyarch's Studio Head:

"With Uprising, the team has really outdone itself again. In addition to creating four amazing new multiplayer maps, the Studio has been hard at work on the Zombies front to surpass what we accomplished with 'Call of the Dead.' What they've done this time around is nothing Zombies fans have seen before - and if you don't believe me, just wait until you get into Purgatory."

In line with the theme of Mob of the Dead, the playable mobsters - who oddly look graphically dated - must utilize old school weaponry, from basic blunt instruments to time-peripd-approriate firearms, to fight off zombified guards and prisoners. This zombies co-op mission features a new mode called "Purgatory" where dead players return (sort of) but in the afterlife.

For the competitive players, Uprising offers much more than another zombies arena, and as the leaked photos from retailers indicated, there are four interesting and uniquely themed adversarial maps shipping with Uprising as well. As seen in the video up top, the new maps joining the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 playlist:

  • Magma - Modern Japanese village with volcanic eruptions carving multiple paths throughout the town.
  • Encore - Takes place in the aftermath of a deserted London music festival.  (run-and-gun, close quarters combat)
  • Vertigo - Futuristic high rise in India housing a high-tech lab featuring dizzying vistas and multi-tiered pathways.
  • Studio - Contemporary remake of the fan-favorite "Firing Range" and a Hollywood movie back lot with a variety of cinematic themes that range from Sci-Fi to the Old West. (sniper friendly)

Are you picking up the DLC or waiting for the announcement of the first next-gen Call of Duty that may just look like this.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II - Uprising releases April 16, 2013 first on Xbox 360 as a timed-exclusive for 1200 Microsoft Points. The Uprising DLC Map Pack is also included in the Call of Duty: Black Ops II DLC Season Pass.

Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes.