New maps like Turf create great, new settings for one of the best multiplayer action games ever. But they fill a need for even more variety, making marathon multiplayer sessions on Xbox Live that much less susceptible to too many repeats of the same map-and-game-type combination. None of them necessarily fills any obvious voids, since Halo 2 offers a great mix of big and small maps out of the box. In some cases, different modes of play have a noticeable impact even on the layout and features of a map, so the nine new maps here are loaded with long-term potential. You can tell a lot of effort went into making the sum total of these maps feel like a cohesive addition to the Halo mythos, above and beyond the care that clearly went into making sure each of these maps was well balanced and flat-out fun for long-term competitive play.Īs with Halo 2's prefab maps, these have a Swiss Army Knife design that makes them workable with any of Halo 2's different multiplayer modes. If you came into Halo 2 today for the first time, you'd be hard pressed to pick the new maps out of a lineup containing the old ones, which is a good thing. In general, the new maps are marginally more complex than the ones that shipped with Halo 2, and they run the gamut from sprawling battlefields suitable for 16 players and lots of vehicular traffic to rather claustrophobic arena-style settings great for pure on-foot free-for-alls. More than half a year later, Microsoft and Bungie refrain from continuing the Halo storyline and instead release the Multiplayer Map Pack, which simply adds more content to the game's better half, nearly doubling the overall number of maps to a grand total of 21.
#HALO 2 MAP SERIES#
Halo 2's brief single-player campaign left many series fans anxious for closure, but on the other hand, could you think of a better way to get everyone fired up and seeing red, ready to waste some fools online, than with that game's non-ending? Halo 2 shipped with a good number of maps and modes of play, not to mention an innovative player-matching system. A virtually perfect balance of run-and-gun and tactical shooting action, multiplayer Halo 2 delivers near-constant edge-of-your-seat thrills and plenty of surprises thanks to its fantastically balanced weapons and its well-implemented moves and abilities, which let you rob opposing players of their vehicles, flatten them with fierce melee attacks, and more. Now Playing: Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack Video Reviewīefore we go any further, let's make sure everybody's on the same page: The greatest thing about Halo 2 is its multiplayer portion, which remains easily one of the best such experiences ever crafted. Then it's time to throw Halo 2 back in your Box, where it's likely to remain for months.īy clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
#HALO 2 MAP DOWNLOAD#
Oh, and the nine new maps themselves are outstanding, making one of the best-ever multiplayer shooters even better.Ī simple menu system lets you quickly download the maps to your hard drive. The Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack isn't for everyone, but it's perfectly fine for what it is.
#HALO 2 MAP MANUAL#
Besides, the DVD-style extras exclusively packaged with the disc are quite entertaining (though brief), and the 30-page manual is surprisingly insightful, too. So if you were to split the cost of this disc with 15 other friends, it would actually be a pretty sweet deal.
#HALO 2 MAP UPDATE#
As such, the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack seems best suited to those looking to play Halo 2 in a network setting, since it lets you update the game with new content without having to log in to Xbox Live using each Xbox on the network. Diehards will love this content, but nearly half of it is already free for download on Xbox Live, and the rest will be on August 30. Considering Halo 2 was one of last year's most popular, most successful video games, it's strange to see a retail follow-up like the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack, which is only suitable for a very specific subset of Halo 2 fans.