From the North Pole comes word that two waves of maps for Call of Duty 3 are heading towards Xbox Live, one of which will be free.

The free map, dubbed “Champs“, will take players to Port Royal de Champs, France for infantry-based combat; it is said to be great for small to medium-sized online games. The Valor Map Pack, which will be purchasable for 800 points, will contain five multiplayer maps that take players through a maze of French locales, offering “intense close-quarters action, whether via online, split-screen or System Link play.”

Both map packs will be accessible after the holidays.

This Holiday season has seen the introduction of three new Xbox 360 bundles across UK, thanks to Microsoft and its battle for winning the console war. Already available, the new bundles include a copy of Gears of War, Call of Duty 3 or WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007, a premium Xbox 360 console and a 30 day trial of Xbox Live Gold.

All bundles will retail for £300.

Call of Duty 3

Tony Hawk’s Project 8

Halo 2 for Windows Vista

Activision CEO Robert Kotick revealed the launch titles for both the PS3 and Wii. This coming November will see both next-gen consoles launch with three games from the publisher, with both consoles receiving Call of Duty 3 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. The last title will be Tony Hawk’s Project 8 on PS3 and Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam for Wii.

In related news, he noted that most PS3 titles will be priced at $60, keeping in line with pricing of Xbox 360 games.

Activision proudly announced that Call of Duty 2, a Xbox 360 launch title, has sold more than one million units in the US for the aforementioned console. According to NPD Funworld, the game is the best selling Xbox 360 title to date and is among the highest rated games for the platform.

The sequel, Call of Duty 3, is scheduled for release this November for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Quite a few new screenshots from the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Call of Duty 3 have been released. Click on the appropriate thumbnail for viewing the galleries.