E3 06: Xbox 360 Call of Duty 2 maps incoming

Xbox 360 gamers might want to duck and cover, as Activision today announced plans to bombard them with nine new multiplayer maps for its World War II first-person shooter, Call of Duty 2. The maps will be released in two waves, with some downloadable for free and others available for purchase from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The first four maps are set to arrive this spring in two separate packs. One pack will include maps in Vossenack and Wallendar, Germany, and will be a free download. The other two maps (Kalach, Russia and Beaumont-Hague, France) will be sold in a "skirmish pack" on Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 Marketplace points ($5).

The second wave of maps will hit the Marketplace in July as one big bunch. This "invasion pack" features maps set on the French battlefields of St. Louet, Antoville, and Amaye sur Seulles, as well as Alam Halfa, Egypt, and Rostov, Russia. That pack will cost 900 Marketplace points ($11.25).

Activision has said it will debut playable versions of the first wave of maps in its Call of Duty 2 Lounge at next week's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.