Multiplayer Mayhem, Hardcore Style

By Hardcore

After what seemed an eternal wait, the Halo® 2 Multiplayer Map Pack is finally here! On hearing the good news, I put on a joyous display of cheering and celebration, fired up my Xbox® console, slapped in the new disc, and got down to business. Did I mention fragging is my business? And business is good …

Lame eighties metal jokes aside, I cannot stress it enough—if you consider yourself even a casual fan of online first-person shooters, you owe it to yourself to get this goodie-laden expansion. I know, I know. I can hear your feeble excuses now. "But Hardcore, I already finished Halo® 2 and I am in the middle of playing [insert lesser game title here]. Why should I get off my tender buttocks and pick up the Multiplayer Map Pack?"

Oh, let me count the hardcore reasons why you should buy the map pack. Last I checked, there were about nine of 'em. They go by the following names:

• Relic—This is a comfortable, medium-sized map suited for Capture the Flag and Assault games, but it's also a playground for wild stunts. One player hops inside the Ghost while you get into position atop the floating guard tower. Pull off a wild west-style stunt and land on the back of the craft as it zooms by.
• Elongation—Nobody ever said a warehouse job would be easy, but playing a match on Elongation is probably the most fun you'll have with conveyor belts. Create your own carnival-style shooting gallery with your friends in this one. Simply find some hapless volunteers to hop on top of some moving crates, and fill 'em with lead from the catwalk above as they roll by.
• Terminal—It doesn't take a genius to see the destructive potential in this map. Park the Warthog on the monorail tracks and take turns playing "chicken." I guarantee the train will win every time.
• Backwash—Put away that banjo and whip out them fisticuffs. A backwater map like this deserves some melee combat.
• Gemini—The anti-grav pad in the central chamber begs you to play "shoot the monkey" with your buddies. While one guy floats in the air, everyone else takes turns with the Brute Shot.
• Sanctuary—Bikini contests are out of the question, but grenade matches aren't. Whip some fastballs at your friends. Now that's some "high heat."
• Turf—This is a good-sized map, and not one that you'd expect to go head-to-head against a friend in. Use your best stealth tactics and stage an ambush against a single opponent in a Slayer match to mix things up.
• Containment—This is a big outdoor map just begging for some Top Gun action. Take to the skies and put on an airshow. Haven't got a Banshee? Steal one.
• Warlock—Hardcore likes active camo. Grab the power-up and brain an unsuspecting foe with a well-timed melee attack to maximize your 1337ness by a factor of seven.

Whether you're multiplayer fragging on Xbox Live®, System Link, or split-screen, these new arenas are just the thing to get your hardcore Halo 2 fix. If nine new maps aren't enough to convince you to get the Multiplayer Map Pack, the extra video content included on the disc will. Bungie Studios threw in some exclusive documentary footage on the disc that features a behind-the-scenes look into the creation of the new maps. As if that weren't enough, there's also an animated short that fills in a bit more of the story from the perspective of the marines in Old Mombasa.