Back when controllers had wires and save-games came on cards, there was a videogame about a green man who came from the sky and shot aliens in the face. Since the launch of the original Halo, Microsoft/Bungie have had four subsequent games (not to mention numerous tie-ins) in which to explore the game's universe of fanatic aliens and the noble humans that immolate them... and the release of new multiplayer DLC for Halo: Reach shows they're not done.
Above: A trailer for the Halo: Reach Defiant Map Pack
The Defiant map pack, created in collaboration with indie map-builders (and Halo 2 veterans) A Certain Affinity, offers three new maps for the game's Firefight and competitive multiplayer modes. The series' accumulated mythology lends orbital-platform map Condemned damaged areas and locked-off zones from past battles, whereas the obligatory forest area, Highlands, doubles as a decommissioned Spartan training facility. Unearthed is a claustrophobic refinery once used to source materials for Warthogs and Halo opening location the Pillar of Autumn.
A misty forest, spacey space-station and rusty factory level? Sure, well-worn tropes all... but what the pack lacks in brand-spanking ideas for gameplay locations, it aims to make up for with story details that'll delight Halo fans. The rest of you, of course, are paying 800 Microsoft Points for three new zones in which to bullseye online competitors, and 150 Gamerscore-worth of new Achievements, so everyone's happy. Will you be downloading the Defiant pack? Let us know.
Feb 14, 2011
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