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Bungie shows off their favorite things
In celebration of the Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack becoming free, a new video has popped up on Xbox Live Marketplace. The video features some of Bungie's favorite creations set in the Heroic Map Packs included maps Foundry, Rat's Nest, and Standoff. It's a pretty short video, but there are definitely some cool bits in there. We particularly like the Forge built house, the Brute shot wielding monitor, and of course, what appears to be Optimus Prime. Enjoy.Also, if you've got some sweet Halo 3 creations, don't forget to submit them for our Community Content feature. We just might feature your custom maps and gametypes.
Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack finally free [update]
Update: The Heroic Map Pack is finally free, folks. Go get it! We're sure all the fanboys out there were awake late last night, waiting for the Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack to become free at 2AM Pacific last night. Those who did were greeted with sour news: the maps remained at their original price of 800 Microsoft Points. As of this post, the content still isn't free. We're not sure what the problem is, but Bungie.net members are (understandably) miffed. At any rate, the maps should be free sometime soon. Keep an eye out on this post; we'll update once the maps are available free of charge.[Thanks to Lewis for the image]
Friendly reminder: Halo 3 Heroic maps free today [update]
Happy free Heroic Map Pack day everyone! For those with a little patience, you'll be rewarded today with Halo 3's former $10 set of maps for the cost of air (but not PerriAir; that the Spaceballs still charge for). The pack includes Standoff, Rat's Nest and Foundry. While we'd love to tell you all about these levels, we're getting our first taste of them today.With all that said, there's currently a hiccup in the system and the content – which was supposed to be free at 2AM pacific last night – is still listed for $10 on Xbox Live Marketplace. Bungie's forum has a nice thread (about to break 100 pages) on the issue and we're trying to get an answer from Major Nelson for the Microsoft angle. We'll update when the map pack actually becomes, you know ... free.Update: It's free now, go get 'em.%Gallery-10581%.
Is new Halo 3 DLC worth the coin?
We're sure that a certain portion of you couldn't wait to slide that cool sawbuck into your 360 and get the new Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack. Heck, we'd imagine that you're still playing them right now, eyes reddened and bleary from lack of sleep and pants soiled beyond all recognition for fear of being kicked from your l33t party.Just for a moment though, we'd beg of a you a rare moment of altruism and ask you to help those who are still on the fence. The holidays are tight times, and $10 could go a long way towards a hydrofoil for your uncle or something. So we ask for your impressions: How do you like the new maps? Which is your favorite? And, of course, the big question: Were they worth your hard-earned cash?%Gallery-10581%
First look at Halo 3's Heroic Map Pack
We've done it again fanboys. We've gone and stayed up all night (and morning) painstakingly editing a multiplayer map walk through video for your enjoyment and entertainment. What can we say, we're hardcore. Our Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack walk through is embedded above and, just like our Gears of War Hidden Fronts walk through that was posted a few months back, we break down each map, give you a glimpse at what is offered and show off a few highlights. It's an X3F original video and we think it's worth your time. Even if you're firmly against purchasing the DLC.On a side note, we don't recommend the consumption of three energy drinks at two-o-clock in the morning. Not only will you get sick of the patented energy drink taste, but you'll also get a nasty stomach ache to boot. Sleep deprivation and energy drink stomach issues aside, our Halo 3 Standoff, Foundry and Rat's Nest video preview awaits your viewing ... just push play.
Reminder: New Halo 3 maps available now
We know that with the slew of new games being released, it's easy to forget about a little indie title called Halo 3 that came out in late September. But don't you miss those first days? Don't you miss that feeling you got when you first ripped open the plastic, greedily snatching the disc within and sliding it into your 360, praying all the while that the rings would not choose this day to visit you?Now, you can reclaim a bit of that old wonder with the new, 800-point Heroic Map Pack, which is now available on Xbox Live. For $10, you can get three new maps (Foundry, Standoff and Rat's Nest) and remind yourself why even old, old, old men can recognize Halo 3's greatness.%Gallery-10581%
Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack available for purchase
The planets Halos have finally aligned and the time has come ... Halo 3's first downloadable content is here. Available for download off the XBLM is the 800 Microsoft point Heroic Map Pack featuring three multiplayer maps including Standoff, Rat's Nest and Foundry. You can take a looksy at the new maps via the gallery below, read over Bungie's Heroic Map Pack FAQ or you could just jump in and make the purchase already. We're off to download now ... time to pwn some n00bs in the Foundry.%Gallery-10585%
Bungie discusses playlist tweaks for tomorrow's Heroic Map Pack
Some news for you on the eve of tomorrow's release of the Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack: new playlist info! Via Bungie's Weekly Update, the crew is ready to incorporate the new maps into the general playlists, as well create a playlist just for those folks who don't want to mingle with the unwashed masses (ie: people waiting to pick up the maps for free in Spring '08). Worried about not being able to enjoy a round of matchmaking if you haven't dropped the 800 points ($10) for the maps? No worries, Bungie says, "Relax, you can matchmake fine, and you won't know or really see any difference." But that's not all they're doing. They've got "variety updates" for "almost all of the playlists" including "some long requested [Battle Rifle] Start variants, wider map selection in the Ranked playlists, and a couple of map variants that we're going to try in [Big Team Battle] to start with." Sounds tasty. Expecting more? Well, the cats and kittens at Bungie are sorta busy with the whole map pack thing but you can look forward to December 18th's update, which will include the Team Hardcore playlist. More info straight from Bungie's collective mouth here. %Gallery-10581%
Gaze at Halo 3 'Heroic Map Pack' images
Be honest now. It's not like you have anything better to do than to stare at a series of polygonal environments and pretend you're dashing through them, mowing down multicolored cyborgs and kidnapping defenseless flags. In the gallery below you'll find images depicting the three environments comprising Halo 3's "Heroic Map Pack," which arrives on the Xbox Live Marketplace on Dec. 11th. It'll set you back 800 MS Points ($10) unless you're the patient and/or apathetic type, in which case it'll cost you nothing early next year. But then, we already lost the apathetic readers at the headline.If you've made it this far (kudos to you for putting up with an unreasonable amount of filler nonsense), you'll want to be reminded about those three new maps again: "Rat's Nest," an indoor area rife with vehicles! "Standoff," a valley overshadowed by a large melancholy dish who's always staring off into space! "Foundry," a level you get to strategically clutter up (sometimes with soccer balls) in Forge! The constant use of exclamation marks is unnecessary and annoying!%Gallery-10581%[Via X3F]
Heroic Map Pack FAQs: Satellites and Forging
Ever since the Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack was announced and discussed over at Bungie.net, we've been mulling over a few questions. Questions regarding some specific statements made in the Bungie.net article regarding how Forge will work with Foundry and if we'll be able to take our battles to the satellite dishes in Standoff. And thanks to Bungie super coder Archnos, he cleared up our Heroic Pack confusion over at HBO.Firstly, Archnos confirmed that Forge editing will not act any differently with new map Foundry. No weird object manipulation, no new options, it'll all be the same. What is different and unique is a few new objects and the fact that nearly every object within' Foundry can be removed or relocated. So, that's how that works. The other hopeful question we wanted clarification on was whether or not we could "play" on the satellite dishes in Standoff. Sadly, Archnos confirmed that the massive dishes were only objects out in the distance and cannot be "played" on, but missile silos will be fair game. And we can't complain about that, seeing that missile silos are badass in their very nature, but we'd love to hop around on a giant satellite ... it has become our twisted obsession. A very twisted obsession.
Bungie talks Heroic Map Pack matchmaking
In an update to yesterday's Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack announcement, team Bungie posted a little Q&A about the new DLC including answers to the matchmaking confusion.Taking lessons learned from Halo 2's DLC (which noticeably split up the community into the "haves" and "have nots") all Halo 3 DLC will be dealt with in a more matchmaking friendly way. First off, Halo 3 will receive a special Heroic Map Pack playlist come December 11th allowing anyone who purchased the content to try out their new maps in its own space. Also, the new maps will be put into rotation in all of the current playlists including Team Slayer and Big Team Battle. How exactly will it work? Well, while searching for matches, the matchmaking system will take into account which players have the DLC and who doesn't and, when possible, plop in the DLC maps. Both solutions will allow for less segregation in the Halo 3 community when the DLC gets unleashed. You can read more Heroic Map Pack factoids and map descriptions after the break. On a side note, we're in love with Standoff already.
Halo 3 'Heroic Map Pack' available on Dec. 11
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox_360/Halo_3_Heroic_Map_Pack_available_on_Dec_11'; If you've grown tired of traipsing through Snowbound in your desperate lust to eliminate squeaky-voiced, trash-talking cyborgs, the announcement of the downloadable "Heroic Map Pack" for Halo 3 should be just what the doctor ordered. A strange sort of physician that cures ills with video game news... it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, really. But! Let's focus on the facts: December 11th, three maps, 800 MS Points ($10). Included in the set are "Standoff," a symmetrical valley filled with "entrenched bases and fields of boulders" and, after about 10 minutes, enormous piles of heavily armored corpses. It's joined by "Rat's Nest," which is described as "an indoor vehicle paradise," and "Foundry," a Forge-friendly sandbox that's ideal for shifting stairways, bridges and tunnels to your twisted heart's delight. Build almost any kind of map you can think of, it says here. Additional fact: For the patient lot among you (admittedly not a great strategy in the game itself), the maps will become free on the Xbox Live Marketplace in Spring 2008 -- right before the next wave of maps is expected. %Gallery-10581%
