Bungie's New DLC

On March 25th Bungie released their latest addition to the existing multiplayer maps with two remakes and one new all original map. The first map is Ghost town which i've mentioned before, after playing the map you truly get the feeling of being in a war, and this chunk of real estate is the frontline. The map itself is a varitable maze of different levels, broken cover, and some strategically placed weapons. The only game pace i've seen thus far on this map would be frenzied. The map is small enough that you have to move immediately upon spawning for fear of being gunned down by someone happening across your path. After playing a few FFA games and Team Slayer games, I feel like the best suited would be team based games, be it Team Slayer, Team Objective, etc.

The second map of the release is Avalanche, Avalanche is a rehashed version of Sidewinder from the Halo:CE multiplayer. The map features some impressive man cannon arrays, nicely balanced bases, and a unique cut across to speed up on foot travel. Avalanche is the only multiplayer map in Halo 3 that features the Hornet, it was repainted and the weapons were scaled down a bit (missles removed, machine guns made weaker)All the UNSC vehicles recieved a cosmetic upgrade as well. Each vehicle was given a "snow camo" paint job. The map itself has a variety of situations to suit every players fighting style, and the addition of vehicles make for some "legendary" moments, or incredibly humorous game films.

The final of the three new maps is nearly an exact port from Halo 2, Lockout. The map has remained as close as possible to the original layout, but has also recieved a new setting. Rather than the Forerunner Flood facility under a rock cliff, the newly renamed "Blackout" has become a UNSC research platform in the arctic. Gone is the rock wall, and in its place a spectacular view of the glacial shelf, the moon, and the aurora borealis. The maps gameplay remains largely unchanged from the original, short of a wall or ledge being moved down,up, or back a bit. The games still hold their "no holds barred" attitude, and unlike many of the maps that have been released, players playing on Blackout for the first time, need no learning curve. Lockout was one of the most succesful Halo 2 multiplayer maps and was the single most requested map remake for Halo 3.

Forgeries Amok

Another of the pleasant surprises Bungie rolled out for players in this DLC was the inclusion of some new and unique forge objects once again. In place of some of the "just for show" elements players were able to put down, Bungie put in pieces that allow the player to change how a map plays, with ramps, towers, and other objects. Even more remarkable however is the fact that these additional pieces all fit the enviroment they're in. For example all the building elements available in Avalanche are designed like forerunner architecture (save the bridge, its still good ole UNSC material). The new objects allow players to further manipulate the maps to create anything their fevered minds can come up with. With the success of all the available forge editions of Foundry, one could speculate this is why Bungie placed these objects in the DLC. The final addition to the DLC would be the inclusion of filters. Filters can be placed on the maps in forge and will apply to everyone who plays that map variant. Pen and Ink, Old Timey, Nova, Gloomy, Juicy, and Colorblind are the available options. Surprisingly enough, these filters can really change the way a map plays. Some allow more cinematic effects to be used by budding directors making their machinima, but some can add a unique atmosphere to the game. My imagined gametype to best explain this would be an Infection game type on a map where the Gloomy filter has been placed. Gloomy leaches the color out of everything, and makes the entire world seem darker and more foreboding. My first thought was this could either be Saving Private Ryan, or Dawn of the Dead.

The most pertinent question on many peoples minds is whether or not this DLC is worth the 800 microsoft points its going to cost you. In short, YES! This DLC is worth every point you pay, not only does it give you new and interesting maps to play on in matchmaking, Bungie plans to release some playlist updates that will be Heroic and Legendary Map pack required playlists, one of them being the SWAT playlist. This DLC can add many more hours of gameplay to a game thats already worth playing alot.

Phantom Limb

Its been long dead but I can still feel it.
The blood has long since run dry.
I sit here and I could swear that its still with me, but in the end just a trick of the mind on my body. It only happens at a certain time in the day, but when it does it brings all the old pain right back to the surface.
And no matter how many times it happens and I'm let down, the hope punctured and deflating like a forgotten birthday balloon.
I can't help but still wish, that someday my phantom limb would not be phantom, and once again I could pick up and hear your voice at the other end.

Shadowfall: PRECURSOR

The day drudged along infuriatingly slow for Diggs. Diggs had been born and raised on Earth proper, and when the covenant invasion came he and a group of other teenagers did what they could to help the war effort. Diggs had been ancy to jump into battle then, and that inclination had certainly not dimmed over time. He peered down at his chronometer again, seeing it was still the same time the LAST time he looked at it he had opted to do a walkthrough of the "treehouse". "Bosely! wake up man, you know anything about this place?" "This place? not so much, just that brass deemed it necessary for our beautiful behinds to stay here and guard it, works for me" Bosely replied groggily "but if you're looking for worth in our job, take a look at the device in the center platform, i'm not sure what it is, but if my forerunner translating isn't as bad as Captain Halverez thinks, it is definantly something worth protecting" "really? but if its valuable, why not come in and take it back to a more secure facility?" Diggs asked. "I'm not sure, maybe its being used as bait to see what creepy crawlers climb out of their holes to come and get it." Bosely responded rather matter-of-factly.

N'Kulto felt his heart drop when he heard the humans exchange of words. He checked the status indicator on his HUD to make sure that his translator was working right. If it were, then the humans knew the worth of this device, and were using it as bait...bait he had taken. N'Kulto knew berating his own incompetence at not foreseeing this would have to wait, now all that mattered was that he make it out of here without being spotted by the two spartans. He knew he could return to the Oracle's library and call for his mentor, he would know what to do with the information, N'Kulto would leave it up to him.

"only five hours in and he was already tired, this was going to be a long night."

The hornet flew in low nearly scraping the texture off the rooftops as it flew. Lt. Simms sat at the controls accutely aware he could die today. The Office of Naval Intelligence or ONI had intercepted transmissions from a group of rebels who claimed to have a set of spartan armor and were reverse engineering it to create their own set of the armor. ONI had made it a top priority that it is to be determined whether or not the rebels did indeed have a set of armor, or if they knew they were being spied on and wanted to fluster the UNSC. Simms had been deployed to assess the status of the armor, recon any other enemy elements in the neighborhood such as anti-air weapons, stockpiles, or anything else that might hurt the UNSC soldiers if they attacked. As his HUD signaled that he was nearing his landing zone or LZ, Simms decelerated and brought the hornet to a neat and quiet stop on the roof. Simms recognized the area, at one time it had been part of a busy part of downtown of New Rio, the rail train had taken tourists,commuters, and anyone else to several locations all over the city. The area was now like a fortress, when the Covenant dogs had attacked, the city had been locked down into its segments in order to try and minimize damage done by the attrition from the covenant. After the war finished, there was still little power available to bring all sections of the city back online. This was one of those blocks, the rail station was situated in the center of the block with a small parking garage and machine shop at one end, and a large open pavilion at the other end. The machine shop and parking garage was full of rebels, as well as many in the station with loads stacked on pallets to be placed on the train when it came through. The pavilion however was sparsely occupied, with only two men one at his post on the two turrets directly in front of the station pointed towards the open area. The area itself was large enough a pelican could land unhindered, and it was apparent the rebels had drawn the same conclusion. Simms dropped off the rooftop and into the shadows of the hill facing the pavilion. He engaged in passive camo and slipped under one of the segments of the building behind him, he would wait for nightfall before trying to cross that portion of open ground. Simms fixed himself into position and let the rumble of the passing trains lull him into a light sleep.

Simms awoke with a start and saw that the day had begun to melt into night, the sunset had cast itself into the pavilion and directly into the eyes of the two gunners.

"The machine shop and parking garage was full of rebels, as well as many in the station with loads stacked on pallets to be placed on the train when it came through."

Without a moments hesitation Simms burst from cover and sprinted the distance from his previous hiding place and the decorative planters in the center of the pavilion. Just as the sun cast its final rays, he darted from cover and cut to a small alleyway next to the station before the rays could cast themselves upon him and light his passive camoflouge up like a christmas tree. Panting deeply he checked his chronometer, only five hours in and he was already tired, this was going to be a long night.