Ah, the Legendary Map Pack. Halo DLC always has a lot of hype (Halo anything always has a lot of hype), but the content of this particular map pack put the expectations at an all-time high. And unlike the Heroic Map Pack, which really did absolutely nothing to catch my interest when it released, the Legendary pack had me just as intrigued as everyone else. Like thousands of other fans I waited for the pack to hit the marketplace, intending to download it as soon as it hit, and I would have too if I hadn’t fallen asleep with my laptop on my stomach (which, as it turns out, gets hot) as I was trying to control the seemingly endless number of countdown and anticipation threads on the forums. I woke up eventually though, played the maps, and can now give you my impressions of stuff you probably already know. So read on, or don’t, because this thing was really nothing more than excuse to take more screenshots...

When Blackout was announced, Halo 2 fans rejoiced. Despite Guardian being a spiritual successor to Lockout (and that was enough for me, but I’m not as fanatical about Lockout as many other fans) and having many common characteristics, the fanbase cried for a direct remake of Halo 2’s most popular map. Bungie, being the noble developer that they are, obliged, and as such got the fans to cease their constant whining polite requesting.  

Taking place at a remote polar outpost adjacent to an ice shelf, Blackout is the first multiplayer map in the franchise to take place at night (does that not surprise anyone else?). The setting is actually a very cool idea and a nice adaptation from Lockout, and the auroras in the sky are especially impressive. There was some confusion going in over whether or not Blackout took place on a drilling platform or a weather station, since Bungie seemed to refer to the two interchangeably. The presence of ice core samples on the map seem to indicate that the station is in fact both, so story nuts (including myself) can now put away the pitchforks that they get out every time a story discrepancy pops up.

Blackout has been advertised as a straight-up remake of Lockout with very few alterations, and that’s exactly what it is. So as expected, it feels extremely similar to its predecessor. The default weapon spawns are nearly identical to that of Lockout, and people seem to try and control the exact same places as before, using the exact same tactics. Almost immediately into my first game on the map I told my team “yeah, this is Halo 2,” and still hold to that statement. Blackout is pure nostalgia, plain and simple, and there is no other map out there that makes Halo 3 feel so much like Halo 2. Assault Rifle spawns change the dynamic slightly, but still not enough that there are any real changes in tactics or gameplay from that of Lockout. Those who long for the days of Halo 2 and the thousands of Lockout die-hards out there are never going to get bored of the map. 

You'll find yourself using the exact same tactics again in Blackout. Break out the Halo 2 guide...

Still, despite being a direct and faithful remake, there are still some subtle changes that have been throwing me off in the matches that I’ve played. Ramps are a bit wider than they were before, and the area on top of BR tower seems considerably larger. Some doorways have also been moved ever so slightly to the left or right, which has been causing me to back up into walls when I think I’m leaving the room and has cost me my life on more than one occasion. I’m sure I’ll adjust to it rather quickly, but for now it’s proving to be a slight irritation (perhaps the more amusing thing is I still instinctively know Lockout so well, despite not having touched it since Halo 3 came out). These very minor changes still pale in comparison to the number of things that are identical to Blackout’s previous incarnation though. For all intents and purposes, Blackout is Lockout.  

Sidewinder, the classic horseshoe-shaped map from Halo, is probably one of the only maps in the Halo series that could rival Lockout in terms of sheer popularity, demand, and nostalgic memories. Fans have been demanding a remake for years, and Bungie has heard their cries. However, rather than a straight-up remake like Blackout, Avalanche is a “reimagination” of Sidewinder. Avalanche is very clearly a descendent of Sidewinder, and rivals it in terms of fun and engaging gameplay, but fans who wanted an exact remake of their beloved classic are going to be disappointed, at least until they get used to the changes (and there are a lot of them).  

The first change many players will notice is that the bases are completely different than that of Sidewinder’s. Instead of being somewhat narrow but extending deep into the mountainside, Avalanche’s bases are shallow and run along the map’s edge. There is a safe zone inside where players can spawn, but the entire second floor is positioned along the base’s facade and leaves very little room for people to maneuver, exposing them to any hostiles that may be outside. The tunnel system that contained the overshield and active camouflage in Sidewinder has also been completely removed, denying players that shortcut between the bases. This is actually a good change though, since it forces players to put more emphasis on vehicular combat, which should be the focus of large maps such as Avalanche. The tunnel closer to the map’s bend is still there, and has been expanded to include mancannons, allowing players to get to the center of the map on foot quicker than before, which should lead to an interesting dynamic between vehicles and infantry. There are additional mancannons at the base, leading to the base, and along the map’s far walls, which probably creates the single-biggest gameplay change from Sidewinder. They allow both infantry to quickly reach the center, and are great for getting vehicles places quicker as well. I’ve noticed more and more people piling in Warthogs and Mongi and just clogging the enemy base full of vehicle wreckage after going through the mancannon positioned there.    

Perhaps the most disappointing change for me is the lack of slippery ice on Avalanche. Sidewinder’s ice was very slick, and a Warthog could very easily lose traction on it, making for some hilarious moments when playing otherwise serious matches. My friends and I would often just grab Warthogs and attempt to crash into each other or do tricks on the ice; it was a very simple aspect of the map that never ceased to amuse us. However, the ice patches in Avalanche feel no different than the snow, and are there purely as an aesthetic element, doing nothing to alter the gameplay. It’s not a huge deal, but having slippery ice would have been a nice touch and connection to Sidewinder.

The Scorpion makes it triumphant return to matchmaking, and now sport very cool camo (pun intended? I'll never tell)

Thankfully, most of these design changes do not hurt the flow of the map. On the contrary, Avalanche is nothing but fun to play. The horseshoe-shape gives each team enough protection at the start of the game and the size of the map helps put an emphasis on vehicles without making it overly difficult to traverse on foot. I’ll admit that I have not been too thrilled with Halo 3’s selection of large maps (with Valhalla being an exception), but Avalanche truly is well-designed, and I find myself actually going into DLC Objective voluntarily in order to play it. We’ll see what happens in the long run, but initial impressions leave me very pleased and for the first time in a very long time not shuddering at the thought of objective big team games.

Ghost Town probably had (and among the masses, still has) the least amount of hype surrounding it. While Blackout and Avalanche brought back some of the most beloved maps in the Halo series, Ghost Town came off as another generic new asymmetrical map, with nothing really distinguishing it from the rest of the crowd. However, after having the chance to play it, my impressions have changed considerably, and it may very well be my favorite Halo 3 DLC map thus far. In terms of the story, the map takes place in a remote water pump station in the jungles outside Voi, where meltwater from Kilimanjaro is purified and then distributed throughout Africa. Like most of the structures seen in campaign’s Sierra 117, the buildings of Ghost Town are run down and being reclaimed by nature. Simply put, this aesthetic is awesome, and looks even better than the stuff in the campaign. Exposed rebar, trees and vines growing out of shattered concrete, debris being consumed by vegetation and earth, all of it creates a great synthesis of artificiality and the natural.

Ghost Town's environment is one of the best in the game. Nature kicked our ass.

However, as cool as the environment is, that’s not what makes Ghost Town my favorite map in the pack. The map is just about perfect for slayer matches, with plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in for close combat and just as many areas for those who are mid-to-long range players. The screenshots make the map come off as mid-sized, but in actuality you can get from one end of Ghost Town to the other in a matter of seconds. It’s the map’s complexity, number of hiding spots, and multiple levels that make it feel so big. Because of these aspects, the map plays very much like Halo 2’s Turf, and being a huge fan of Turf, this feeling is very welcome to me. Also like Turf, Ghost Town lends itself well to certain objective gametypes, such as one-flag CTF and assault, despite coming off as mainly a slayer map. It’s versatility like this that many other maps lack, and having a new map that can work so well in different gametypes is always a good thing. The only bummer is the lack of a Warthog on the map. There are a couple of Mongi scattered around, but a Warthog could still work in the same capacity that it did on Turf (i.e.: crashing into everyone and everything, with hilarity ensuing). Still, I say there should be Warthogs on every map, so this might not be the most valid of complaints. There’s not much more to say; Ghost Town excels in just about every aspect, and is the sleeper hit of the map pack.

All in all, the Legendary Map Pack is superior to the Heroic Map Pack (which I never did write my impressions of, since the pack had already been out for a decent amount of time by the time I got around to downloading it) in just about every way. While the Heroic maps didn’t add too much that was new to matchmaking (Foundry was a very cool concept, but does not work well in regular games), the Legendary maps should please both fans that want a return to Halo and Halo 2’s classic maps, and those fans who want a taste of fresh content. It adds a phenomenal new slayer map, and supplies a very much needed large map that is actually fun to play (sorry Rat’s Nest, we still like you as a friend). There are also cool new forge options that I didn’t even get into here, but will please video and screenshot aficionados, and people who just want to be a little trippy when playing. If you’re a Halo fan and are getting tired of the same old maps, you should seriously give the Legendary Map Pack a try.