Remember when I said there was lots of snow on these new maps? It’s OK if you forgot. It took me a while to remember, too.

More to the point, there are actually two kinds of snow in the latest serving of DLC: snow that’s on the ground, and snow that’s… snowing. The former sets the frigid base for the overall aura of each map, while the latter provides a slight alteration to the standard atmosphere of GoW 2. And considering how widespread this snowfall is, I was somewhat surprised to find that it didn’t affect the game’s overall performance very often. In fact, I only experienced a single instance in which the frame rate dropped.

The first arena in the Snowblind Map Pack is Fuel Depot, one of the original maps in the first Gears of War. I’ll do my best to describe the map to you, but it may be difficult. First, picture the original Fuel Depot in your head. Got it? OK, now throw a little bit of snow around. Done? That, my friends, is exactly what we’re getting this time around. Whew, I’m really glad I was able to pull off that description. And no, I’m not exaggerating at all. The entire landscape is practically unchanged. Fuel Depot works great with the Annex gametype, thanks to the plentiful cover scattered between each capture point. Horde mode, on the other hand, can be a bit tricky, as the best places to lock down are the two spawn points on the map, forcing your team to shy away from the weapons stashed around the battleground.

Our second territory is Grind Yard, a rectangular industrial yard with immense amounts of cover strewn around the terrain. The flat topography of the map is countered by two sections of high ground. A lookout tower in the dead center of the field provides a clear vantage point over the entire arena. But, this raised area is easily suppressed by fire from the ground troops, and a well-placed grenade can easily wipe out any would-be snipers. The other point of elevation is a long walkway that stretches down one side of the entire map. If teams are able to secure the majority of this path, they can easily impose their will on their opponents. This is especially true in Horde mode, as the two semi-enclosed rooms on the walkway can be blocked off with shields, providing plenty of cover to players. In competitive matches, Grind Yard works fairly well with any gametype. Its plethora of cover combined with its simple layout form an extremely versatile venue for any type of combat.

The third map in the bunch is another remake. This time, Courtyard has made the transition from the PC to the Xbox 360. Players who have finished the campaign in GoW 2 will quickly recognize the architecture in Courtyard, as it bears a striking resemblance to many environments in the latter sections of the game’s story-based mode. The entire area is extremely open, and very few locations on the map feel “secluded” at all. Teams spawn on either side of a long, rectangular battlefield. At one end of the rectangle, multiple staircases lead up to a tall perch that provides a clear vantage point over the entire domain. Skilled mortar-wielders can be extremely deadly from up here, but the platform leaves players extremely vulnerable, and being flanked is a real possibility. Warzone matches quickly devolve into out-of-the-gate races for the high ground. Most other game modes work relatively well here, but the raised lookout can be very tempting for selfish teammates, often leaving a team to fight 4-vs-5 in many battles.

The final, and possibly most exciting, of the four inclusions in the Snowblind Map Pack is Under Hill. Set in an abandoned cityscape, Under Hill displays a delightful mix of close-quarters and long-distance combat. One half of the map is outdoors, with plenty of cover and firepower strewn about, and is accented by a large suspension bridge. Brave players can attempt to rush up the bridge to a waiting mortar launcher, but it’s a very long run, and the entire area leaves the player exposed. The indoor section of the map resides in an extensive garage. This portion of Under Hill may provide cover from the mortar outside, but the lines of site are long enough that players can duel from either side of the garage. Under Hill performs exceptionally well in Horde mode, as the mortar at the top of the bridge can be a formidable weapon. As enemies attempt to attack teams here, they’ll have to cover a great deal of distance and leave themselves extremely exposed, providing ample opportunity for skilled teams to take them down.

Overall, there’s really nothing too surprising in the Snowblind Map Pack. The venues may have changed a tiny bit, but the overall feel of each stage remains consistent with the overall mood of all GoW 2 gameplay. Fuel Depot feels like a complete rip off, as the map remains practically unchanged from its original form. Courtyard can be fun with the right team, but playing with random gamers can be very risky. Grind Yard can work relatively well with almost any gametype, but it doesn’t really work exceptionally with any of them. Under Hill is easily the most entertaining of the four maps, functioning very well with multiple gametypes, and providing a bounty of opportunities for team strategy.

If you’ve continued to actively play Gears of War 2, even through its endless supply of multiplayer issues, the Snowblind Map Pack will be right up your alley. Let’s face it: You love GoW 2, and this map pack is simply more of the same. For the rest of the gamers out there, you may want to sit this one out. There’s absolutely nothing unique or revolutionary about these maps. Epic Games seems to have honed the formula for Gears of War 2 multiplayer, these arenas are simply new results from that same blueprint. The only folks who should shell out for this map pack are those who live and breathe Gears of War 2, or those who want to avoid spring for a little while longer.