Game developer Treyarch has announced via their Twitter page, that the first map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops, dubbed “First Strike,” will be coming February 1st. The video below introduces the four new multiplayer maps. The fifth map in the set, specially made for zombie mode and titled Ascension, has not been revealed.

The first map is called Kowloon and takes place in Kowloon, China, much like the mission you encounter during the single player campaign with things adjusted a bit for online play. The stand out of this map is that it has zip lines, which you can use to move quickly around the map. Unfortunately, you can’t use your gun while you’re on them, making you an easy target. I’m sure I’ll use this once, get shot and never use it again.

The Gold Box spotlight deal of the day over at Amazon today is the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops for only $39.99 (that’s 33% off the list price of $59.99).

Note, this deal is valid only for today (Saturday, December 25, 2010) until midnight PST while supplies last.

The discount is available for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC versions for the standard edition.

The Nintendo Wii version is available for $39.54 (that’s 21% off the list price of $49.99).

Right now, Amazon has several limited-time-only deals on Video Games and to help you with your last-minute holiday shopping, the company is currently offering FREE One-Day Shipping on Video Games within the continental U.S., when purchased from Amazon.com. That means you’ll receive your items in time for Christmas!

Visit the Video Games product list to view eligible titles. This offer is limited-time only. Below are a few of the titles eligible for the free one-day shipping:

– Red Dead Redemption
– Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
– Michael Jackson Experience
– TRON Evolution
– Madden NFL 11
– Call of Duty: Black Ops [For this title, for a limited time, if you buy it for PS3 or Xbox 360, you’ll get a $10 Amazon.com Credit. See product page for more details.]

Also, the Buy 2 for $79 deal is still valid. For a limited time, buy any two of the video games listed in the selection for $79 when they are purchased together in the same order. A sample of the selection is Fallout: New Vegas, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, and Medal of Honor, and more.

There’s also a Buy One, Get One 40% Off video game sale on titles like Mass Effect 2, Beatles Rock Band, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Dead Space, and much more.

Call of Duty: Black Ops
PLATFORMS: PS3/Xbox 360/Wii/PC
DEVELOPER: Treyarch
PUBLISHER: Activision
RELEASE DATE: November 9, 2010

When reviewing a game like Call of Duty: Black Ops, one would assume the reviewer has probably played other Call of Duty games into the ground, but this is not the case at all.

I entered Black Ops as a complete noob, really. I’ve toyed around with previous installments — mostly playing with family in co-op modes — and even have Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare waiting for me to finally try it out. But technically, I’ve never really taken one of these games head-on.

This, I would have to say, was a good thing. I entered the game knowing what to expect but not exactly how well I would do or progress — especially when it comes to online multiplayer matches, which I’ve always been undeniably bad at and wanted to see if with enough practice and virtual death, this humble gamer could eventually hang with the big boys.

Activision, the publisher behind the Call of Duty franchise, has released sales data for the newest entry in the series, Call of Duty: Black Ops, which was released on November 9, 2010.

This sales data covers the first 24 hours that Call of Duty: Black Ops was on sale, and only in North America and the United Kingdom. In 24 hours, in just those two areas, this game sold 5.6 million copies, earning about $360 million in profit for the developers.

To put it in context, last year, when Modern Warfare 2 was released, Activision made a huge deal about its sales numbers. Black Ops sold almost a million more units on day one. These are astounding figures, and I can’t wait to see the first week’s numbers, which should come out on Monday.