First Halo 3 DLC priced, dated

By Tom Bramwell Published 19 November, 2007

Heroic Map Pack next month.

Microsoft has announced that Halo 3 will receive its first premium downloadable content on 11th December.

The "Heroic Map Pack" features three new maps and will cost 800 Microsoft Points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.30) to begin with, before being made available for free in spring 2008 ahead of another map pack's release.

The three maps in this one are called Standoff, Rat's Nest and Foundry.

The first, Standoff, is described as a symmetrical valley map with bases at either end and a field of boulders in the middle, and is said to be ideal for medium sized objective and Slayer game-types.

Rat's Nest, meanwhile, promises "vast, labyrinthine passages" and an "indoor vehicular paradise" that claims to have been influenced by the Campaign mode, and works well for big team battles.

All three maps are compatible with Forge for editing, but the final map, Foundry, gets a special nod in this sense, with Microsoft identifying its industrial warehouse confines as ideal for tweaking, with every single object manoeuvrable, allowing you to place stairways, walls, bridges and tunnels as you adjust its layout to suit your multiplayer objectives.

Microsoft also says that this week's Xbox Live Arcade game will be Undertow, the much-trailed underwater shooter from Chair, which will cost 800 Microsoft Points when it releases at 9am GMT on Wednesday, 21st November.

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About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (38) Latest comment 5 years ago

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  • Kraftwurm #1 5 years ago

    zzzzzzzzz

  • captainrentboy #2 5 years ago

    A definite purchase for moi, COD4's multi-player held my attention for all of 2 hours, before getting mightily fucked off with the matchmaking system ''Ohh you're a noob huh? Here you go, you're against a team of level 35+s, have fun'' :/

  • Xerx3s #3 5 years ago

    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!! 10 € for 3 maps! You can stuff those where the sun doesn't shine. Unfucking believable, cheeky bastards.

  • SeesThroughAll #4 5 years ago

    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!! 10 € for 3 maps! You can stuff those where the sun doesn't shine. Unfucking believable, cheeky bastards.

    ?

    Comparing to other DLC, it's a reasonable price.

  • M83J01P97 #5 5 years ago

    Considering just how much money the market has plowed into Microsoft/Bungie because of the Halo games and other themed products, they really should be giving us these maps for free... especially when you take into account the fact that BioShock will have free content (at some point in time) as will The Orange Box, two games which didn't sell as well but were far more groundbreaking and engaging than Halo 3.

  • lennon #6 5 years ago

    Just wait then it will be free in the spring.

    Jeeeesus some people.

  • miiiguel #7 5 years ago

    CoD4 MP just isn't working for me - in the like of captainrentboy - most people who play this online, just play this online, and obliterate me in few seconds.

    I'll finish Vet, than I'll get this, 10Eur is two packs of Marlboros which I'm not buying anymore (knocks on wood).

  • Xerx3s #8 5 years ago

    Comparing to other DLC, it's a reasonable price.

    Maybe that's because other DLC is overpriced as well?

  • miiiguel #9 5 years ago

    Halo 3 must have the best match-making ever. It seems to level the players almost perfectly, and it's rather fast.

  • sd99 #10 5 years ago

    Considering the full retail version of the game cost me £34.99 on release, and for that I got a full 9 level campaign with 11 multiplayer maps, £7 is quite pricey in comparison. £7 should have got me 1.8 campaign levels and 2.2 multiplayer maps.

  • Xerx3s #11 5 years ago

    COD4's multiplayer is vastly superior. Its like counter strike but almost better. And I love the matchmaking system. You get a much stronger sense of progression. Halo 3's matchmaking is like the auto leveling in Oblivion. Its also completely meaningless as most people playing online have been playing halo 2 for years anyway so their skill rank means nothing.


    Errrr lol? You got things a bit mixed up there. H3 actually has a skill system based on performance. COD4 has a skill system based on how long you have played. COD4 is also vastly superior to CS but completely different from H3. Comparing them is like comparing fifa and madden.
    I also think that it's safe to say that many people could only wish for COD4's matchmaking system to be as robust & functional as H3's.

  • DUFFKING #12 5 years ago

    "COD4's multiplayer is vastly superior. Its like counter strike but almost better. And I love the matchmaking system. You get a much stronger sense of progression. Halo 3's matchmaking is like the auto leveling in Oblivion. Its also completely meaningless as most people playing online have been playing halo 2 for years anyway so their skill rank means nothing."

    So its not better at all, it's just personal preference?

  • miiiguel #13 5 years ago

    yay thx Nicky, home alone at night it feels like something's missing, and sometimes the urgency of CoD4 Vet campaign doesn't help, but..., I think I'll do it.

    As a matter of fact it's easier when with friends than when I'm alone.
    Edited by miiiguel at 19/11/07 @ 19:53

  • KD #14 5 years ago

    With cod4 and the maps already on halo 3 i think i'll wait til spring to get these for free, I did the same with halo 2 and gears of war.

  • Aretak #15 5 years ago

    "Comparing to other DLC, it's a reasonable price."

    Comparing to other 360 DLC perhaps. The Resistance map pack on PSN was only £2.99 for two maps.

  • peterfll #16 5 years ago

    I thought Bungie might announce what their new IP would be. Imagine my disappointment (relative to a Halo player who does not care for the online multiplayer component).

  • Stiggy #17 5 years ago

    too expensive - vote with your points, be vocal and we may see a Forza trackpack style backdown again...

    I mean for Gods sake, Rez is supposed to be 800pts and thats a classic game!

  • Carlo #18 5 years ago

    LOL. I'm *sure* these were not ready for launch and this is NOt A CYNICAL WAY OF EXTRACTING MORE MONEY from halol fans.

  • Kazzahdrane #19 5 years ago

    As much as I think 800 is a bit too much for 3 maps (if they're fantastic and I like them as much as, say, Guardian then I'd pay 800 gladly), I think it's better than some DLC and I respect MS and Bungie for telling us right away that they will be free early next year. I think I'll probably wait as my Live friends have moved onto CoD4 for the most part, but I'll definitely be going back to Halo 3 when these maps are available for free.

  • morriss #20 5 years ago

    800 Points is pretty cheap. Considering MS are charging 800 points for a game like Screwjumper, with the amount of hours people will pour into these maps it's a bargain I reckon.

  • beastmaster #21 5 years ago

    I like 'em both. Much prefer COD though. Never really been into multiplayer online till I played the beta. Yep, got my ass kicked bit time when I first started but enjoyed it. So carried on playing and it does get better. I think by the time I get around to H3 again, these will be free.

  • LonesomeRoad #22 5 years ago

    XD

    800 points for 3 maps? APRIL FOOLS!!!! oh wait...

  • drumm23 #23 5 years ago

    Woo!
    Well clearly I'm alone in the world; both happy to pay a tenner for more maps AND enjoy playing Halo 3 multiplayer!

  • t8yman #24 5 years ago

    at the risk of being flamed for not being a bungie fanboy, these maps wouldnt appear to add anything to the Halo3 I like, which is sadly the most lacking part of halo3 and the part that needs DLC.
    I said in previous threads that lone wolves is under equipped, there are like - 6 maps, with 5 players max, and you HAVE to play oddball and king of the hill.
    For someone like me who doesnt like team games that much, the game isnt getting any better, just more samey.
    The matchmaking pisses all over CoD4, that is the weakest part of cod4 completely, and bungie nailed it. Having said that, there are probably 6X as many people playing halo online, so the "gene pool" is a bit bigger.

    Before anyone slags me off, I'm trying to be positive about halo, I have been a cod fanboy in the past - but in terms of variety of map, and ability to choose gametype, cod4 still swings it for me.

  • Danoxth #25 5 years ago

    Like all things like this, i'll wait until it's free :)

  • octo #26 5 years ago

    This is why I no longer play video games.

    *knows he still reads about them*

    *knows he only has a GBA*

    *wishes Microsoft had never FUCKING come in to the games industry with their Microtransaction CUNTS*

  • BadDevotions #27 5 years ago

    I'll finish Vet, than I'll get this, 10Eur is two packs of Marlboros which I'm not buying anymore (knocks on wood).

    @miiiguel
    good luck mate - day 9 for me :D

  • rashes #28 5 years ago

    @Bad Devotions + @miiiguel

    Day 2 for me :-(
    Best of luck.

    800 is a bit high for 3 maps... If I was still playing H3 I'd probably pay it though.
    But now my heart belongs to COD4 and Activision can charge me whatever they want for some maps!

  • Garulon #29 5 years ago

    "*wishes Microsoft had never FUCKING come in to the games industry with their Microtransaction CUNTS*"

    Well don't fucking download them then. Or wait six months and download them for free. I like DLC, I understand it costs money to make, if the price is too high for what I get I don't download. I'm sorry it's very fucking presence offends you, your majesty.

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #30 5 years ago

    Sounds like a good pack. Although I think I'll probably wait till they become free next year.

  • Batfink #31 5 years ago

    I can't wait to see what people come up with in the Foundry level.

  • reality_cheque #32 5 years ago

    I'll be getting these, I can't wait to try building my own warehouse variant :D

  • Tiger_Walts #33 5 years ago

    Foundry sounds great but that's a fucking rip-off.

  • The_Programmer #34 5 years ago

    It's $10 in the USA or £6.80 here. Why is it not less here since the dollar is so weak i.e. more than $2 to the £1. Even with VAT it shouldn't be more than £5.88.

  • iter #35 5 years ago

    They will only charge what consumers are willing to pay. I don't understand why people get so annoyed, just don't buy it if you think it is too expensive etc. However what I want to know is - will you be required to have these maps to enter matchmaking? If so, that would suck.

  • Garulon #36 5 years ago

    They way they used to do it is playlists with the new maps and playlists without them, they'd have to keep doing that anyway because Core/Arcade owners wouldn't realistically be able to download these things.

  • themorganator #37 5 years ago

    I'm not sure I can agree that 3 maps for 800 points is reasonable. It should have been 5 for that price, inline with Bungie's previous 'Maptacular pack'. I'm going to be following the Forza formula. Don't buy it straight away, kick up a fuss: the price will come down.

    COD4 is dominating my playtime anyway......

  • miiiguel #38 5 years ago

    I guess some ppl just like to bash..., I bet most of you doesn't know (or at least until someone posted), how much 800pts are...

    It's just "too much"; "wankers"; "cinicals"... yeah - "anarchy in the uk"; "god save the queen" and shit
    LOL!
    Edited by miiiguel at 26/11/07 @ 13:27