| Halo 3 Mythic Map pack impressions |
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Halo is a series that is at the front of nearly every Xbox faithful's mind, and there's one thing that completes and makes the Halo experience whole, and that's multiplayer. Halo 3 has already seen its fair share of map packs released, and fans that can't get enough of the action have the opportunity to play and compete on three of the six new Halo 3 maps that come in the Mythic Map Pack.
The maps, known simply as Sandbox, Orbital and Assembly can be acquired early by purchasing Ensemble Studios latest strategy game based on the popular Halo universe in Halo Wars. The maps are only available by purchasing the Limited Edition version of Halo Wars, or you can try your luck by entering our Halo Wars competition here.
Halo fans who are eager to get a head start on the competition will most certainly be looking to acquire these maps, one way or another. We delve into the maps here to give you an idea of what to expect from this Mythic Map Pack taster. The remaining maps, Citadel, Heretic and Longshore can be expected to release alongside these maps when the Mythic Map Pack hits the Marketplace at a later date.
As with all Halo maps, there's always something that seems uncannily familiar, and it's no coincidence, well, I am sure it is not most of the time. The majority of the maps featured in Halo games usually bear some resemblance to their Campaign counterparts, whether it feels and looks like some unexplored section of a level or in some small way, pays tribute to old map favourites.
Assembly
This map, much like the Halo 2 classics Midship and Gemini, is of a very distinct Covenant theme. That's probably due to the overall pink-ness glaring out of the screen, perhaps it's the Covenant's favourite colour or something, or more likely they just ran out of paint... that's probably it.
While Assembly resembles Midship in colour, it's very much its big brother, as the layout is vastly different. Assembly for one, is larger and in more of an open environment. This makes it especially more useful for long range attacks using weapons such as the Carbine, with the optional Rocket Launcher being available by way of your customary gravity lift. The Grav Hammer itself is also featured within the centre of the map, and is great for lurking around in the more confined hallways picking off enemies as they pass – the fact that there's an achievement for getting five hammer kills on a Mythic Map should also be motivation enough.
Assembly proves to be a frantic choice for the typical Team Slayer variant, but most certainly provides high-octane moments on Assault and Oddball match types. Overall it's a great map, in particular for the aforementioned Team Slayer, and naturally free-for-all slayer, with or without Oddball. I'd go as far to say that of the three currently available Mythic maps, that Assembly is the best of this bunch. While it's pretty large, the map is essentially a large circular bowl with interconnected bridges and small hallways located off to the side. Usually nearly everyone upon spawning is almost in view, with very few places to hide, the fight taking place is sure to rage on without a dull moment until its conclusion.
Sandbox
In its description it's suggested that there are some hidden secrets buried within. Now while all the Mythic Maps contain hidden skulls, the secret truly lays deeper within Sandbox. Once you pull the proverbial plug in Forge, there's a good chance you may have seen its deepest secret already if you've been playing some Team Mythic matchmaking. Deep within Sandbox lays a hidden tomb, and it is this underground area that you may first see whilst playing the Team Mythic playlist in either Grifball or Team Swat. In a similar regard to the Foundry map, not only has this convenient tomb been placed for these specific match types, it's also going to prove, much like Foundry, that the Sandbox map will be one of the more popular maps for advanced Forge manipulators.
The typical playable area of the map initially looks rather small, and isn't even much to look at, as it's probably of the three maps on offer here, the least detailed and initially underwhelming at first glance. However, we find it difficult to hate on something such as Sandbox, purely based on the potential it has for esteemed Forge users, and we're sure that we are going to see some pretty sensational manipulations of the entire map, from top to bottom.
The map itself contains the usual assortment of weaponry and vehicles, even though it's typically of a small scale, there are uses for the Mongoose's, Brute Chopper's and Warthog's that are contained within. Whilst Sandbox is small for vehicular use, I guess that's what grenades and Rocket Launchers were kindly invented for. Now that's not to say in objective based games that vehicles don't have their uses, as they certainly do, this being Halo and all. It's just its a very short distance in vehicle from Blue to Red base. I guess while the vehicles stand out of place to begin with, they assist in causing all out chaos, especially with the Brute Choppers and Warthogs there to unleash the damage on opposing teams. Fortunately there are small structures around the map to dive into for cover, as well as of course the trusty Bubble Shield being available, and yes, we've already mentioned the Rocket Launcher and use of grenades for said vehicles. Whoever decides to go on a rampage in a vehicular assault, well their spree is sure to be short lived within the confines of Sandbox. With the rather open nature of the map, and it generally being of a smaller scale, upon spawning nearby you team, the opposing team will be in your field of vision across the way. Whilst, as mentioned, there are smaller structures to hide in while waiting for health to regenerate, or quickly dash to, to avoid death and imminent tea-bagging. However, it is the Red and Blue bases themselves that hold the most cover.
Like many maps, either side is identical, distinguishable only between hovering blue and red orbs on Sandbox, which are raised above the respective bases, as well as nearby pillars being coloured for quicker recognition during the heat of battle, which is ever so vital for team games such as Assault and Capture-the-Flag. The small size of Sandbox makes it ideal for FFA and Team Slayer games in particular, but the mentioned objective games work flawlessly also, and with regards to Grifball, Team Swat, and Forge in particular, these work flawlessly beneath Sandbox as well.
Orbital
Perhaps it's a design for Bungie's offices of the future, where they can ride a Mongoose or real-life Warthog from their station to the cafeteria. It's certainly of the three, the more visual of the maps on offer, and is somewhat complex in its design too. Along the many hallways there's plenty of computer terminals on display, and plenty of what looks like network cables being trekked along the ceilings. Orbital has a rather distinct blue theme to it, that some what reminds me of the Halo classic, Damnation. The two maps have literally nothing in common, but there's something there that just make it feel somehow familiar, though that's probably just me being somewhat nostalgic.
Orbital in gameplay terms, while quite large with several long hallways, and narrow shortcuts proves to be most entertaining under nearly all the more popular modes of play, including Team Slayer of course. We can also imagine something such as Oddball or Juggernaut proving fairly chaotic, with being able to make use of those narrow shortcuts and hallways. Orbital is a rather in-genius map that fits the bill for everything, it's large in scale for an indoor map, but quick to get from A to B if you know where you're going. On something such as Team Slayer or Rumble Pit, the encounters can be heard and seen as taking place all over the map. For a map that is based indoors only, it certainly has the feel of something that's familiar for the more slightly large and open environment maps. By default there is a Mongoose based within the facility, which we think is a first for a Halo map that is indoors only, which should be a testament to just how large the map actually is. The Mongoose is not of particular great use, it's handy for a head start to get to an objective or weapon of choice, or something of the sort, it's of no real benefit in non-team games, and will easily get some unwanted attention in the more Slayer focused matches. Weapon wise, there's a handy Rocket Launcher up top which can quickly dispose of said Mongoose, as well as the Sniper Rifle being up for grabs as the two main primary weapons at your disposal.
The maps are a welcome addition to a seemingly ever growing selection of Halo 3 maps, once more they also push the boundaries of available achievements, with Halo 3 being the first Xbox 360 game to go beyond the typical total of 1250 Gamerscore barrier that so many other games have to fall in line to. Much like with the Legendary Map Pack, many of the achievements are very familiar and some not so, such as being rewarded for finding hidden skulls located within the new Mythic maps, and for accomplishing such things on the specific map pack, such as Double-Kill's and the usual Killtacular. In this regard the achievements kind of feel wasted, as many just feel like the same achievements all over again for the sake of new maps, and it seems very little thought has gone into them. The achievements are indeed fine at least but offer no longer term goal to ultimately aim for, fans and gamerscore-whores in particular will appreciate them being slightly easy to acquire. While there are some more tougher ones on offer, I feel that things such as Double Kill and Killtacular achievements could be awarded for say having got such an accomplishment on each of the new maps, instead of only having to get it once on just one map. Achievements however are just cannon fodder, and are merely there to sweeten the deal. The fact remains that if you've been playing Halo 3 vigorously since its release, then you will be chomping at the bit for these new maps, and they are most certainly worth doing battle on.Halo is a series that is at the front of nearly every Xbox faithful's mind, and there's one thing that completes and makes the Halo experience whole, and that's multiplayer. Halo 3 has already seen its fair share of map packs released, and fans that can't get enough of the action have the opportunity to play and compete on three of the six new Halo 3 maps that come in the Mythic Map Pack.
The maps, known simply as Sandbox, Orbital and Assembly can be acquired early by purchasing Ensemble Studios latest strategy game based on the popular Halo universe in Halo Wars. The maps are only available by purchasing the Limited Edition version of Halo Wars, or you can try your luck by entering our Halo Wars competition here.
Halo fans who are eager to get a head start on the competition will most certainly be looking to acquire these maps, one way or another. We delve into the maps here to give you an idea of what to expect from this Mythic Map Pack taster. The remaining maps, Citadel, Heretic and Longshore can be expected to release alongside these maps when the Mythic Map Pack hits the Marketplace at a later date.
As with all Halo maps, there's always something that seems uncannily familiar, and it's no coincidence, well, I am sure it is not most of the time. The majority of the maps featured in Halo games usually bear some resemblance to their Campaign counterparts, whether it feels and looks like some unexplored section of a level or in some small way, pays tribute to old map favourites.
Assembly
This map, much like the Halo 2 classics Midship and Gemini, is of a very distinct Covenant theme. That's probably due to the overall pink-ness glaring out of the screen, perhaps it's the Covenant's favourite colour or something, or more likely they just ran out of paint... that's probably it.
While Assembly resembles Midship in colour, it's very much its big brother, as the layout is vastly different. Assembly for one, is larger and in more of an open environment. This makes it especially more useful for long range attacks using weapons such as the Carbine, with the optional Rocket Launcher being available by way of your customary gravity lift. The Grav Hammer itself is also featured within the centre of the map, and is great for lurking around in the more confined hallways picking off enemies as they pass – the fact that there's an achievement for getting five hammer kills on a Mythic Map should also be motivation enough.
Assembly proves to be a frantic choice for the typical Team Slayer variant, but most certainly provides high-octane moments on Assault and Oddball match types. Overall it's a great map, in particular for the aforementioned Team Slayer, and naturally free-for-all slayer, with or without Oddball. I'd go as far to say that of the three currently available Mythic maps, that Assembly is the best of this bunch. While it's pretty large, the map is essentially a large circular bowl with interconnected bridges and small hallways located off to the side. Usually nearly everyone upon spawning is almost in view, with very few places to hide, the fight taking place is sure to rage on without a dull moment until its conclusion.
Sandbox
In its description it's suggested that there are some hidden secrets buried within. Now while all the Mythic Maps contain hidden skulls, the secret truly lays deeper within Sandbox. Once you pull the proverbial plug in Forge, there's a good chance you may have seen its deepest secret already if you've been playing some Team Mythic matchmaking. Deep within Sandbox lays a hidden tomb, and it is this underground area that you may first see whilst playing the Team Mythic playlist in either Grifball or Team Swat. In a similar regard to the Foundry map, not only has this convenient tomb been placed for these specific match types, it's also going to prove, much like Foundry, that the Sandbox map will be one of the more popular maps for advanced Forge manipulators.
The typical playable area of the map initially looks rather small, and isn't even much to look at, as it's probably of the three maps on offer here, the least detailed and initially underwhelming at first glance. However, we find it difficult to hate on something such as Sandbox, purely based on the potential it has for esteemed Forge users, and we're sure that we are going to see some pretty sensational manipulations of the entire map, from top to bottom.
The map itself contains the usual assortment of weaponry and vehicles, even though it's typically of a small scale, there are uses for the Mongoose's, Brute Chopper's and Warthog's that are contained within. Whilst Sandbox is small for vehicular use, I guess that's what grenades and Rocket Launchers were kindly invented for. Now that's not to say in objective based games that vehicles don't have their uses, as they certainly do, this being Halo and all. It's just its a very short distance in vehicle from Blue to Red base. I guess while the vehicles stand out of place to begin with, they assist in causing all out chaos, especially with the Brute Choppers and Warthogs there to unleash the damage on opposing teams. Fortunately there are small structures around the map to dive into for cover, as well as of course the trusty Bubble Shield being available, and yes, we've already mentioned the Rocket Launcher and use of grenades for said vehicles. Whoever decides to go on a rampage in a vehicular assault, well their spree is sure to be short lived within the confines of Sandbox. With the rather open nature of the map, and it generally being of a smaller scale, upon spawning nearby you team, the opposing team will be in your field of vision across the way. Whilst, as mentioned, there are smaller structures to hide in while waiting for health to regenerate, or quickly dash to, to avoid death and imminent tea-bagging. However, it is the Red and Blue bases themselves that hold the most cover.
Like many maps, either side is identical, distinguishable only between hovering blue and red orbs on Sandbox, which are raised above the respective bases, as well as nearby pillars being coloured for quicker recognition during the heat of battle, which is ever so vital for team games such as Assault and Capture-the-Flag. The small size of Sandbox makes it ideal for FFA and Team Slayer games in particular, but the mentioned objective games work flawlessly also, and with regards to Grifball, Team Swat, and Forge in particular, these work flawlessly beneath Sandbox as well.
Orbital
Perhaps it's a design for Bungie's offices of the future, where they can ride a Mongoose or real-life Warthog from their station to the cafeteria. It's certainly of the three, the more visual of the maps on offer, and is somewhat complex in its design too. Along the many hallways there's plenty of computer terminals on display, and plenty of what looks like network cables being trekked along the ceilings. Orbital has a rather distinct blue theme to it, that some what reminds me of the Halo classic, Damnation. The two maps have literally nothing in common, but there's something there that just make it feel somehow familiar, though that's probably just me being somewhat nostalgic.
Orbital in gameplay terms, while quite large with several long hallways, and narrow shortcuts proves to be most entertaining under nearly all the more popular modes of play, including Team Slayer of course. We can also imagine something such as Oddball or Juggernaut proving fairly chaotic, with being able to make use of those narrow shortcuts and hallways. Orbital is a rather in-genius map that fits the bill for everything, it's large in scale for an indoor map, but quick to get from A to B if you know where you're going. On something such as Team Slayer or Rumble Pit, the encounters can be heard and seen as taking place all over the map. For a map that is based indoors only, it certainly has the feel of something that's familiar for the more slightly large and open environment maps. By default there is a Mongoose based within the facility, which we think is a first for a Halo map that is indoors only, which should be a testament to just how large the map actually is. The Mongoose is not of particular great use, it's handy for a head start to get to an objective or weapon of choice, or something of the sort, it's of no real benefit in non-team games, and will easily get some unwanted attention in the more Slayer focused matches. Weapon wise, there's a handy Rocket Launcher up top which can quickly dispose of said Mongoose, as well as the Sniper Rifle being up for grabs as the two main primary weapons at your disposal.
The maps are a welcome addition to a seemingly ever growing selection of Halo 3 maps, once more they also push the boundaries of available achievements, with Halo 3 being the first Xbox 360 game to go beyond the typical total of 1250 Gamerscore barrier that so many other games have to fall in line to. Much like with the Legendary Map Pack, many of the achievements are very familiar and some not so, such as being rewarded for finding hidden skulls located within the new Mythic maps, and for accomplishing such things on the specific map pack, such as Double-Kill's and the usual Killtacular. In this regard the achievements kind of feel wasted, as many just feel like the same achievements all over again for the sake of new maps, and it seems very little thought has gone into them. The achievements are indeed fine at least but offer no longer term goal to ultimately aim for, fans and gamerscore-whores in particular will appreciate them being slightly easy to acquire. While there are some more tougher ones on offer, I feel that things such as Double Kill and Killtacular achievements could be awarded for say having got such an accomplishment on each of the new maps, instead of only having to get it once on just one map. Achievements however are just cannon fodder, and are merely there to sweeten the deal. The fact remains that if you've been playing Halo 3 vigorously since its release, then you will be chomping at the bit for these new maps, and they are most certainly worth doing battle on.
Posted By: Wayne Julian
Date: 2009-03-05
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