Fans of Halo 3 have a whole new reason to play on Xbox Live today, as Microsoft has released the Legendary Map Pack via Xbox Live Marketplace.
The Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack includes three new maps and expanded options for the game’s Forge map-editing tool. The cost for these goodies is 800 Microsoft Points.
Avalanche and Blackout revive two fan-favorite maps from previous Halo games, while Ghost Town incorporates desolate jungle combat into the Halo 3 experience. Descriptions for all three maps are below. And, with the new options in the Forge, players can also create more-detailed challenges and map variants, plus have access to a variety of visual effects to create unique screenshots and saved films.
Avalanche is a throwback to the massive Sidewinder map from the first Halo, but the snow-covered, vehicle-oriented map adds a twist with new interiors, reshaped exteriors and new vehicle variants. Avalanche also marks the arrival of the Hornet to Halo 3 multiplayer.
Blackout, meanwhile, is reminiscent of the Lockout map from Halo 2. Although fully re-visualized with industrial human design rather than Forerunner architecture, this map is as tightly wound as the original and is just as suited to Slayer.
The Ghost Town map rounds out the three, a battle-scarred maze of narrow passages and dangerous ruins. Collapsed ceilings and shell-battered buildings provide cover as well as deadly traps, with catwalks and stairways that take the fight from the ground to the rooftops. Ghost Town is a mid-sized map ideal for Team Slayer games and smaller objective types.
The Legendary Map Pack maps are available in matchmaking today to those who have purchased the Pack. Additionally, the Heroic Map Pack, which released in December, is now free on Xbox Live Marketplace.