New Halo 2 Maps Deliver a Blast from the Past

Like most rabid Halo fans, I've been waiting patiently for fall—and the much-anticipated Halo 3 for Xbox 360, which looks set to arrive in stores around September. In the meantime, I've been dipping into Halo 2—the reasonably diverting if not quite stellar sequel to the original Halo. Call it the nostalgia factor, but I never quite warmed up to Halo 2; the multiplayer maps in that game just don't hold a candle to Halo's expansive ice fields of "Sidewinder" or the death-defying walkways of "Damnation". That's why I'm chomping at the bit to grab the latest pair of Halo 2 maps, which are modeled on two classic levels from the original game.

Slated for release on April 17, the new pair of maps ($4 from the Xbox Live Marketplace) includes a take on Halo's "Hang 'em High" level—a massive, square-shaped arena with two towering bases in either corner connected by all manner of tunnels, catwalks and trenches. Now dubbed "Tombstone," the new map boasts quite a bit more detail that the original, along with an open sky, but the basic structure of the level appears intact. Also coming soon is "Desolation," a remake of Halo's "Derelict" that features a circular playing field, slanted floors and wide pillars that make for deadly hiding places. Now, if only someone would crank out a Halo 2 version of "Sidewinder"...