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| Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack Review | |
| Posted By: BeardedFerret <malachai@iprimus.com.au> | Date: 6/29/05 1:47 a.m. |
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The Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack is the single biggest dissappointment to drop on the XBox since its launch. I have no doubt that it will single-handedly kill the Halo franchise. Just kidding. Stop crying and read on... [Relic] Relic, the island map, is the one I'd been most looking forward to. I love the idea of an island multiplayer map, and Bungie haven't let me down. Single-flag and single-bomb enthusiasts are going to go nuts over this - the map is designed for some awesome games. The floating sniper position, IMHO, is going to be more useful for taking out enemies within the fortress than on their way to it - you get a better field of fire into that area. This makes it an invaluable tool for the offence team, if they can kill the defence sniper who'll inevitably get there first. My score: 5/5
[Terminal] I didn't know what to think of this map when I first saw it online, or even once I'd seen the Bungie writeup. However, after playing it, it's the map that's stuck in my head the longest. After writing this, I'll be playing on it again. It's that good. First thing you should know is that it's really big - bigger than the maps and screenshots of it would have you believe. I was expecting a smaller-sized map, but this is quite a biggie. And it uses its space well - you've got carparks, a train station, a lovely Ivory Tower-esque park area, and heaps of vehicle room, plus the massive set of monorail tracks all set up in the one area. It's a busy, busy map. Now, the trains. I LOVE the trains. Bungie have been telling us that they're lethal, but I always take stuff like that with a grain of salt. 'Like a train's going to hurt me,' I said, foolishly. These are devil trains, moving with the unholy speed of Satan himself. For my first run around, I jumped up onto the tracks and started moving towards the offence spawn from the station. No trains either way. I jumped up, grabbed the sword... -bam- The thing about trains, the truely -evil- thing about them is that even if you're extremely lucky and don't get killed by them, their sheer kinetic energy will still blow you across the map. I wound up back towards the Dukes of Hazard Jump, just from the force of the impact. 'Wow, that was powerful,' I said to myself. 'But I bet I can survive a run along the tracks.' How wrong I was. No sooner was I up onto the tracks when I got hit -from behind- by one of the demonic things. Killed by the Guardians. I was rather expecting some 'Training' pun for train-related deaths, but that's neither here nor there. I also managed to get killed by a train when exploring the limits of the map. I got myself (without dying!) to the end of the train tracks on the map, where they move into a tunnel. The tunnel is blocked with an invisible wall. I turned around to hop down - and got pancaked between the invisible wall and a speeding train. Incidently, how much do you think a train cares if it hits your Warthog while travelling? It doesn't. How much does it hurt? A lot. This map is going to be awesome for pretty much any gametype, and better still, you're going to come away with some sweet war stories. Easily my favourite of the five. My score: 6/5 (Yes, I know. The extra point is for the trains)
[Backwash] This map oozes atmosphere. The fog, the noises (your character squishes as he moves across the ground - very cool) and the return of 2401 Penitent Tangent make for a really immersive map. Tension, here, will be high. The designers have really managed to capture the feel of the swamp level from Halo 1. I never thought I'd want to play multiplayer in a swamp... But my mind's been changed. Incidently, if you want to be a badass, grab the Active Camo, the shotgun and the sword and go hunting through the fog. Very, very cool. Score: 4/5
[Eloooooongation] (Get it?) I know they say it's long, but this map is SMALL. Damn small. It's all about close-quarters fighting here, to break out the Brute Shots and Shottys and get ready to get messy. This is a perfectly symetrical map featuring two moving conveyors and some walkways overhead. Capture points, naturally, are as far as possible from each other, and the map is split into a distinctly blue section and a distinctly red section. That said, there are plenty of oppertunities to move from red to blue and vice versa. I suggest that the first thing you do when you load this map is get to a window and check out the awesome vista of Earth from orbit. Magic. My score: 4.5/5
[Gemini] I was expecting to dislike this map as much as I disliked the High Charity single player levels. In a way, I could have been happier with it - I'm still not a fan of Covenant architecture, and the map itself could be a lot bigger and more immersive - but I have to hand it to Bungie. This map has grown on me. It features a bunch of little rooms and some really big ones, separated by doors that will do a lot to break up the fighting. Imaging killing a bloke, walking away with your shields gone, only to walk through the door and into another huge firefight! That's Gemini. My score: 3.5/5
[A Day at the Beach] This short (and they mean short) film comes bundled with the Map Pack, and it's worth a watch. In a nutshell, it tells the story of the squad of ODSTs (the REAL baddest motherf- shut your mouth! in the galaxy) whose Pelican you find crashed on the beach behind the Hotel Zanzibar. There were a couple of really cool bits in this movie. If you ever got pissed off at the Jackal snipers in Mombasa, you MUST watch this movie. Similarly, it's good to see that Bungie learned something from the Japanese clan they played in a Humpday a few months ago. Very nice touch. My Score: 3.5/5 (I would have liked it to be longer) So that's it. Please note that my scores are based on MY PERSONAL PREFERANCES. I love objective games, so obviously I was happier with maps that were heavily weighted towards them. That said, I've tried to be as impartial as possible. Finally, some awards. Easiest Map to learn: Relic - it's all outdoors and fairly easy to nut out
In closing, these maps all have their places, and will serve to spice up the Multiplayer action on Halo 2. In my opinion, if you don't go out and buy them, you're a fool and you're denying yourself some serious fun. If you have any questions about stuff I haven't covered, please feel free to post them and I'll answer as soon as humanly possible (after I finish playing some more on the train tracks)! | |
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