15 Feb, 2011
Regular listeners to our podcast will know that I occasionally (ahem) dabble in Halo Reach, so it should come as no surprise at all that the news of new map pack fills me with barely contained glee.
The observant (and geeky) will note that this pack doesn’t seem to be developed directly by Bungie, but instead by Certain Affinity. Don’t let this put you off – CA have also developed maps for CoD and Halo in the past, so they’re well versed in the particular challenges of this genre.
The new Defiant pack features three new maps – Condemned, Highlands and Unearthed – the latter of which will be Firefight ready, the former for competitive play. Here’s the lowdown on each area:
Condemned: Condemned takes place aboard Orbital Station Gamma, a massive space station high in orbit above the planet Reach. Prior to the Covenant?s overwhelming invasion, Orbital Station Gamma provided long range communications for UNSC fleets and a vital lifeline between Reach and Earth. During the Battle of Reach, the station suffered terrible punishment at the hands of the Covenant but a few fortified sections remain intact, fully pressurized, and ready for combat. Condemned supports 6-12 players in a variety of action-packed game types, including Team Slayer, Team Objective and Free for All.
Highlands: Highlands takes place on the top-secret Military Wilderness Training Preserve on Reach. The Preserve is a large, wooded area where Spartan super-soldiers trained long before the war with the Covenant began. During the Battle of Reach, the Preserve was the site of key battles between the alien invaders and a group of Spartans who used their familiarity with these UNSC training grounds to significant tactical advantage…but not everyone who enters these woods makes it out alive. Highlands expands the fight with massive-scale engagements for 8-16 players in Big Team Battle, Team Slayer and Team Objective.
Unearthed: Unearthed takes the battle for Reach to a large Titanium mine and refinery located in the Viery civilian sector of the planet. This particular mine was built to take advantage of the exposed titanium inside a massive meteor crater. The titanium produced here is used in much of the UNSC hardware, from the chassis of the Warthog to the meters-thick armor plating of capital ships like the UNSC Pillar of Autumn. While this facility was quickly abandoned when the Covenant arrived on Reach, it still has significant tactical (and economic) value and it won?t be long before both humans and Covenant return to battle for control. Unearthed allows up to 4 players to launch a counterassault against the Covenant in Firefight and Firefight modes such as Generator Defense.
And just in case that wall of text doesn’t interest you, here’s some moving pictures instead – enjoy!
The pack will cost you 800 MS points and is slated for release in March 2011, although when exactly in March has yet to be confirmed. Will you be buying it?
Source: Halo WayPoint and Kokatu
Recent Comments