Fashionable Warfare 2 gamers are having a “blast” on Santa Seña Border Crossing, a brand new map centered round explosive close-quarters combating on the US/Mexico border. Whereas some professional avid gamers are confused by a map the place everybody will get annihilated by explosions within the very first minute, Santa Seña has been welcomed by many gamers for its simple structure and tense gimmick.
Santa Seña breaks away from the standard 3-lane construction of CoD map design, channeling gamers by way of a maze of deserted sedans and jack-knifed semi vans. The dense site visitors leads to an absurd quantity of explosive automobiles laid finish to finish in a roughly straight line, each abandoning a waist-high scrap pile to make use of as cowl.
Every car explosion not solely offers deadly injury to anybody close by, it additionally kicks up an obscuring cloud of mud and smoke, shortly remodeling Santa Seña from a minivan minefield right into a brutal, bumper-to-bumper shootout.
However not everyone seems to be ecstatic. Esports org FaZe clan mocked the map on Twitter:
🚨 BREAKING: Name of Responsibility reveals designer of Santa Seña Border Crossing in #MW2 pic.twitter.com/9SQQELNT01October 28, 2022
One other fashionable COD Twitter account, TheGhostofHope, positioned the map at the bottom (opens in new tab) of their day-one rating. “I refuse to imagine a degree designer made this by alternative,” pro player Muddawg wrote on Twitter (opens in new tab), saying that the map would not current gamers with fascinating choices of the place to go. Even a passionate meteorologist dived in (opens in new tab), calling it “the worst multiplayer map ever launched in any sport.”
Pushing again towards this criticism, gamers have been fast to counter that collection favorites like Nuketown, Cargo, and Rust all deviated from the 3-lane design format. Reddit person CredDefensePost911 says “I’m having a blast on this map. In single-life modes the vehicles are a extremely enjoyable mechanic, and in respawn modes they’re all blown up inside a minute.” Consumer MurfMan11 adopted by saying that Santa Seña was “100% my favourite map that I performed final evening.”
A number of extra enthusiastic feedback that floated to the highest of Fashionable Warfare 2’s Reddit web page:
- “I believe this map is hilarious not each map must be critical. It’s very handy for launcher challenges too lol” —rj2448
- “The map is definitely actually enjoyable, i don’t actually see the issue with the vehicles both since they’re all achieved exploding after the primary minute.” —antoza
- “I really like this map, so hectic and all weapons are viable right here. Snipers can go on high, shotty cab be used cqb and many others. All the things has a spot on this map” —fatedninjabunny
- “I prefer it as a result of it has fully totally different gameplay. Not each map must be small and three lane. One map that has fully wacky gameplay is okay.” —danyaylol
- “Particularly in the event you get the Javelin, factor is hilarious to randomly hearth off at first of a one life mode and see how many individuals you may kill.” —Mazzanti
Each map would not must be some boring 3 lane aggressive snoozefest.October 27, 2022
The dialogue round Santa Seña highlights a divide between the informal and hardcore playerbases in expectations round map design, with many informal gamers welcoming the dynamic and unpredictable chaos of explosive car-to-car fight. Up to now, Santa Seña is an early PC Gamer favourite. Our very personal Morgan Park (opens in new tab) famous that Santa Seña has a definite stream in comparison with the opposite launch maps, forcing gamers to decelerate and interact in extended gunfights. With restricted avenues for flanking, and the flexibility to detonate the duvet that your opponent is hiding behind, the eruptive opening salvos give option to a a lot slower and methodical tempo.
In the end, Santa Seña appears to have struck a chord with gamers who need extra distinctive and interactive maps within the Fashionable Warfare 2 roster. Of the ten 6v6 maps in at launch, a number of others additionally match that invoice: there’s Crown Raceway, a box-shaped area set throughout an energetic F1 race, and Zarqwa Hydroelectric, an city battlefield with a community of underwater tunnels.
