Joint Operations undergoing Escalation

Today, NovaLogic announced Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising is getting its first expansion pack. Titled Joint Operations: Escalation, the pack will see the first game's conflict expand from Indonesia into other parts of Southeast Asia.

The expansion pack will contain 25 new maps encompassing such locales as airports, radar stations, and missile facilities. Attack helicopters, battle tanks, dirt bikes, and SAM launchers join the list of drivable vehicles, with an all-new optional third-person view for select vehicles. Other new features announced include ceramic body armor, strategically located base defenses, and airborne drops.

The original Joint Operations recently made headlines when NovaLogic announced that the game broke the world record for simultaneous players in an online FPS with 160 concurrent players. It was quickly challenged by SOE’s Planetside, which claimed 500 simultaneous players. GameSpot got a change to try out Joint Operations' mass mayhem for ourselves--read our review for the full rundown.