Review

Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack

  Posted: 17 April, 2008 21:13

Written by Craig Anderson
Content Monster

After Activision recently released new maps for their first-person shooter, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, I didn’t think I would ever go back to Halo 3... until now!

Bungie have released their second map pack for their ‘Legendary’ first-person shooter, Halo 3. I was especially excited to hear that they have made a return for my personal favourite map - Lockout from Halo 2. Named after the hardest Campaign mode, Legendary, this map pack gives gamers access to three new maps - Ghost Town, Avalanche and Blackout.

So with this new release we thought we’d review the maps and give you, the readers, an insight into what to expect for the 800MS Points they are charging along with some Monster Tips for once you have purchased the maps.

Ghost Town

The only one of the three to be a brand new map, Ghost Town is a great addition to the map pack. A deserted war-ravaged hydroelectric plant set in the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, Ghost Town is brilliant for small to medium sized team games, mainly Team Slayer. Several interconnecting floors, both inside and outside the hydroelectric plant, make this map perfect for the Battle Rifle (BR) perfectionist; easily picking off opponents who dare run out into the open. Also a lot of close-quarters-combat inside the hydroelectric plant, where if equipped with the Shotgun, you can become deadly.

Monster Tips: Stay high, use BR on top floors of map and the Shotgun for any close-quarter-combat in the hydroelectric plant.

Monster Map Score - 92%

Blackout

Blackout should need no introduction, but for those not fortunate enough to play Halo 2 I’ll give you some details. Blackout is a re-make of the Halo 2 map Lockout. Built specifically for small team games and free-for-all matches, it’s perfect for all weapon types; BR for on top of the tower’s and any other weapon down below. For those who have played Lockout on Halo 2 the map feels the same. After all, it is a re-make of probably one of the best maps ever created. There are a few alterations though. Rooms below the surface are more spacious than before and the scenery has had a complete revamp - now taking the form of something futuristic. The only bad thing I can say about Blackout (after the good memories of playing Lockout come flooding back), is the feeling that you have played the map for years starts to kick in and eventually the ‘been there bought the t-shirt’ scenario arrives. Overall though it’s still an awesome map to have.

Monster Tips- Don’t run out in the open. A Shotgun in free-for-all matches is a must. Gaining a BR is also advisable.

Monster Map Score - 90%

Avalanche

Based on the original Halo map Sidewinder, Avalanche is to say the least, massive. With almost every vehicle and weapon thrown into this map, it’s perfect for large team-based games. Warthog, Mongoose and the Hornet are a few of the vehicles available in this mammoth map and if you love your objective game-types, then Avalanche will become your new best friend. One flag CTF (Capture the Flag), Multi-flag CTF and Neutral Bomb game-types work very well with this map. Team tactics are a must however, as going it alone Rambo style will result in you easily being picked off by your opponents. There's certainly plenty of exciting situations where you will find yourself shouting down the microphone at your team-mates to hurry up with that warthog to avoid you dying with the bomb. Overall, Avalanche is by far the best large scale map in Halo 3, if not the entire Halo series and is definitely one for the objective enthusiasts.

Monster Tips - Don’t run it alone and move in packs of two or three to avoid being picked off easily. Use the vehicles provided as they’re not there for nothing.

Monster Map Score - 96%

Overall Monster Map Thoughts: For 800 points you couldn’t ask for much more. You get arguably a re-make of the best map ever in Blackout, the best large map in Avalanche and to top it off, a brand new map in Ghost Town. If you’re a fan of the Halo series but are waiting for these maps to go free, our tip to you is DON’T! Go buy them now or you’ll be missing out.

Overall Monster Map Score - 93%

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