"Last week, Infinity Ward announced that a cure for Modern Warfare 2 "mapathy" would be coming to Xbox Live on March 30th. Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling guested on the most recent episode of Xbox Live's Major Nelson Radio to provide details of the "Stimulus Package" map pack, and they confirm the leak from a few weeks ago. But don't get excited just yet.

According to an Xbox Live Marketplace listing, the Stimulus Package will comprise five levels: three all-new arenas, and two that are "slightly reworked" versions of "fan-favorites" from the original Modern Warfare:

* New maps: "Bailout," a multi-level apartment complex
* "Storm," an open industrial park littered with heavy machinery
* "Salvage," a snowy junkyard fortified by stacked debris and crushed cars

* Modern Warfare maps: "Crash," a war-torn urban environment
* "Overgrown," which features a massive dry creek bed

Activision and Infinity Ward have the audacity to charge 1200 Microsoft Points -- i.e., $15 -- for the map pack. This is outrageous enough when you consider that they priced the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare "Variety Map Pack" at $10 for four maps. But when you realize that you're paying 50% more and you're getting one fewer new map, well, then it becomes somewhat infuriating, if you ask me.

I'm sure Activision and Infinity Ward are charging this much because they know that people will pay it, if reluctantly. Let's do the math that they likely did: the MW2 user base consists of more than 25 million players, so even if only 20% of them buy the Stimulus Package, that's still $75 million of revenue.

I certainly won't be forking over the 15 bucks for these maps when they come to the PlayStation Network at the end of April. Will you?"

I love how pc ALWAYS gets these free... Eat it console users...

What on earth makes you think PC users will get this for free? Surely forcing the use of Steam upon us is solely to ensure they can charge us too for all DLC.

I also imagine those of us in the UK will be expected to stump up £15 for this meagre offering.