What? New Halo 2 maps? You can’t be serious; Halo 3 is right around the corner!  

It’s true, this morning the latest two downloadable Halo 2 maps were released on Xbox Live. Developed by Certain Affinity, the new studio founded by former Bungie employee and Halo 2 multiplayer lead Max Hoberman, the two maps are titled Tombstone and Desolation, and are remakes of the Halo classics Hang ‘em High and Derelict, respectively. I don’t want to dwell on what you already know though, so I’ll jump right into my impressions. 

Now, at the risk of being ostracized from the community, I will admit that I was never an enormous fan of Hang ‘em High. Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun map; I just didn’t think it was the epitome of awesomeness that so many other Halo fans believe it to be. That said, Tombstone is an absolute blast, and I can easily foresee it becoming one of my favorite Halo 2 maps. Visually, it is obviously a huge improvement over its Halo predecessor. The setting of a UNSC munitions complex is a lot more immersive and exciting than the giant steel box that was Hang ‘em High. The complex of hallways and tunnels near red base gets perhaps the best overhaul; the addition of computer terminals and flickering lights really add to the atmosphere, in stark contrast to the barren steel halls seen in the map’s Halo counterpart. The removal of the ‘lip’ around the trench in the center of the map is a very welcomed change, and the giant crane is a nice aesthetic. The tombstones that litter the map continue to play an interesting role in the gameplay, just as they did in Hang ‘em High. At one point I was just about to get killed, but by running and swerving around the tombstones I was able to escape. I was then killed by someone else, but that’s not the point. Overall, the map has nothing but improvements, the only change that I’m a little bummed out about being the replacement of the big ramp by red base with an air lift. The ramp was a focal point of many battles in Hang ‘em High, and putting a lift there seems to have diverted attention away from that area of the map. Still, it’s nothing to cry over.  

There were complaints and worries that the map would not be fun without fall damage, since falling to one’s death played such a significant role in Hang ‘em High. However, even without the threat of falling to your demise, Tombstone is still a blast to play. The verticality (Ha! That is a word! I told you guys!) of the map plays a significant role in a player’s strategy, and several times I got killed when my friends used the catwalks above to get the jump on me. Death from above!  

Tombstone, also known as "the remake of that God-like Halo 1 map"

Desolation, the second map, is a remake of Derelict. Let’s not kid ourselves here: Derelict was never a very popular map, and when it was announced that it was being remade for Halo 2, many fans were left scratching their heads. After all, we already have a Wizard remake, and Wizard and Derelict were practically the same thing, right? Wrong. Desolation is strongly reminiscent of its Halo predecessor, and one can certainly draw comparisons between it and other arena-type maps like Warlock and Foundation, but it still maintains enough uniqueness to make it a worthy addition to Halo 2’s map lineup. The ramps lining the sides of the map will make for some very intense and claustrophobic combat, and the two (yes, two) overshield spawns become a focal point in battle. The replacement of the teleporters with gravity lifts takes a little getting used to if you are used to Derelict’s layout, but overall, I think they are an improvement, as it makes it more difficult to escape from a combat situation. As with Tombstone, there is an element of verticality to the map, and you find yourself constantly looking around to see if that red blurb on your motion tracker is on the first or second floor. Interestingly, the map feels a lot larger than Derelict, so much so that I had to ask if the dimensions were changed (as far as I know, they’re not). Still, the larger feel is a-ok in my book.  

Desolation. It's like Derelict, only good.

Despite the maps having a completely overhauled visual design, Tombstone and Desolation feel very similar to their Halo counterparts; much more so than the other Halo remakes in Halo 2. As soon as I started wandering through the narrow hallways underneath red base on Tombstone I was instantly reminded of games that I had played years ago on Hang ‘em High (though for some reason those hallways also now remind me of Marathon). Similarly, the games I played on Desolation felt very reminiscent of Halo 1 multiplayer matches, especially a certain 2v2 game that I may elaborate on in my next Random Gaming Update (whenever that is). Although a number of H2 maps are remakes from Halo, whenever I play on Elongation, Warlock, or any of those other remakes it doesn’t really remind me of Halo 1 at all. For whatever reason, these two latest maps are different. They definitely have the Halo feel, and whether that is good or bad I’ll leave to your discretion.

Many people have questioned the point in purchasing these maps, citing that the Halo 3 beta will be out in only a month. That may be true, but remember that the beta ends on June 6, and after that you’re back on Halo 2 or whatever other games you play. If you have drifted away from Halo 2 at some point over the last two years (as most of my friends have), then these maps are the perfect reason to get back into the game. In this gamer’s opinion, the content is well worth the four bucks and will give Halo 2 the final endurance it needs to keep us entertained until we finish the fight this Fall.