BYOBR*: Joystiq ponies up and checks out Halo 2's latest maps
Mere hours before the call to arms, we found ourselves leisurely strolling through the Forerunner facility that would make up our first field of battle, Desolation. The curious chrips and croaks of local wildlife we heard would soon be lost over the constant barrage of gunfire and wash of plasma. Certain Affinity had truly outdone themselves and while appreciating their masterful work is one thing, painting it with the blood of those damned, dirty blues is quite another.
After all, the real art in these multiplayer death traps is found well below a nice coat of paint.
By now, all of the Halo nation should be aware that yesterday saw the release of two brand-new multiplayer maps, Desolation and Tombstone. As recreations of Combat Evolved's Derelict and Hang Em' High, we've been itching to find out how they stack up to the classics. But in order to really get down to business, we needed worthy opponents. Folks who really know their stuff. So, on the eve of their Hump Day Challenge, we took on the folks at 1UP to get a serious look at how these two maps play out.
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Desolation, other than being pleasant to admire, is an immediate reminder as to how ridiculous it is to spawn with only a single SMG. Despite the map being littered with everything from the Sword to the Sentinel Beam and everything in between, the large, open spaces make any spawning players an easy target for those lucky enough to have snagged a Battle Rifle or better. Switching the default load out to the Battle Rifle, however, makes for an instantly more satisfying game. As Frankie told us, "It's how people in the real world will play, anyways."
While games of Team Slayer largely come down to controlling the power weapons, setting up camp and surviving a barrage of grenades, objective based games are a blast. The often neglected Crazy King variant is a showcase for just how dynamic the map can be when forced into certain situations. it was then that we appreciated the tunnel-like ground floor and learned how to use the twisted middle portion to perform sneaky tricks. The newly placed gravity lifts serve as a great reminder as to how ungodly annoying the original teleportation system was in the original Halo. The end result is a fantastic map, but one that could benefit from improved spawn locations that could make for more shooting and less long-range grenade festivals.
The headliner of the two-map show, Tombstone, is surprising in a lot of ways. Admittedly, we weren't too big on the Hang Em' High of old and the thought of going through it again sans M6D Pistol had us a skeptical. Fortunately for us, Tombstone quickly produced some of the most incredible matches of the night and in a variety of modes as well. While traveling about Desolation had us looking over our shoulders every two seconds, the sheer amount of cover in Tombstone makes it easy to zoom across to the opposing base, despite being the larger of the two.
Hang Em' High was notorious for its long range play. It wasn't uncommon to be fending off both adversaries near and far and while the same rings true for Tombstone, it can be done with much greater efficiency. The added layers to the interior of the red base made for both a compelling, close-range game as well as the perfect spot to camp the Oddball. Legitimate strategy our ass, Shoe!
Even if it was already destined to become a long-time favorite, Tombstone just feels perfect for anything you can throw at it. The recommended single-flag CTF games make for some incredible, high-wire runs while the variety of tactics that can be deployed while running the ground game make it perfect for tight games of Oddball. Even Team Slayer, in all its cross-map, sniping goodness comes down to which team can better work the environment and force opponents into errors. For folks like us who weren't sold on Hang Em' High to begin with, we're rolling in it now.
Good luck on Hump Day, 1UP!
*Bring your Own Battle Rifle
