Halo 2 expansion pack revealed

By Ellie Gibson Published 29 March, 2005

Bungie confirms rumours of a multiplayer add-on complete with nine new maps. And they might even be free. Eventually.

Following last week's confusion over a possible Halo 2 add-on, Bungie has confirmed that a multiplayer expansion pack will indeed be in the shops by the end of June.

The Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack contains nine new maps set in a wide variety of environments including Delta Halo's frozen tundra, the winding streets of Old Mombasa and the remains of an ancient temple - take a look at Bungie's full overview for more details.

The disc will also contain two videos: an animated single-player side-story set in New Mombasa, and a short documentary featuring interviews with the developers. It will be available from June 28 priced £14.99.

However, Xbox Live subscribers will be able to download four of the maps from late April onwards. 'Containment' and 'Warlock' will be free of charge, while 'Sanctuary' and 'Turf' will be available for purchase only - a UK price has yet to be confirmed, but US gamers will pay $5.99. Subscribers will then have the option to buy the remaining five maps on June 28 (US price $11.99).

Interestingly, Bungie's official website says that "by late summer, ALL the maps will be available for free" - something Microsoft's official press release neglects to mention. "The specific timeline and details will be released soon," according to Bungie. Microsoft was unavailable for comment at the time of writing.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (16) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • PhatCat #1 7 years ago

    Ambassador Bungie, with your expansion pack, you are really spoiling us.

  • MikeP #2 7 years ago

    So, it's the first content update and it may be free if you want to wait for ages.

    Compared to UbiSoft, who offer a lot of free material for the Tom Clancy titles this seems a wee bit mercenary, IMO.

    Tut tut, Bungie/Microsoft, it's not as if the franchise isn't already raking in the dollars.
    Edited by 2 at 29/03/05 @ 12:11

  • drumbaby #3 7 years ago

    Give me an 'M'
    Give me an 'E'
    Give me an 'H'
    !

  • el-bandito #4 7 years ago

    I assume you use the update disk on more than one xbox... 5 of me mates have Halo 2... that's £3 each for all the maps... I can live with that ;-)

  • NAC #5 7 years ago

    Lol drumbaby heres your Meh. I was thinking the same thing

  • jumpdeveraux #6 7 years ago

    Microsoft are just introducing you to the way their DLC will work with XBox2 going forward and their strategy for micro-payments...

  • IronGiant #7 7 years ago

    Sell them gaming cack more like ;)

    Halo i adored.. Halo2 i didn't.. Halo3 im no longer that bothered about. As for selling extra levels at the same price as Halo2 can be bought for, meh.

  • Syrette #8 7 years ago

    what are you lot complaining about?

    it's not as if you have to pay for them all. if you want the charged ones then you have the option of getting them early or waiting for them to be free and in the mean time you're given a few maps for nothing anyway.

    hardly asking too much.

  • Johnson #9 7 years ago

    Given how Bungie kept saying "DLC will be free, DLC will be free", I'm not surprised people are complaining. Although I'd rather they made multiplayer decent and stopped people using modems to win games unfairly. But that would require lots of effort and gain no revenue so... new maps it is.

    Moh. (Is that right?)

  • Hunam85 #10 7 years ago

    yeah, but expensive for what it is

    Saying that, battlefield road to rome was only 6 maps, but they were the best damn 6 maps you'll ever see
    Edited by 1 at 29/03/05 @ 13:50

  • Lothar Hex #11 7 years ago

    So, I can either:

    1) Buy the disc and have all 9 maps.

    2) Download 2 free off live, and pay for the rest.

    3) Wait and download them all for free.

    *Chooses option 3*

    Nice to have the option at least. And Johnson, the DLC will be free if you want to wait. Still a bit of a bugger but I don't mind waiting.

  • Pots #12 7 years ago

    Johnson, you ill-informed fool, Bungie ARE making updates to stop standby-cheaters. With the new maps comes a new patch, with all sorts of bug fixes (read their site), all designed to improve the experience of multiplayer. To suggest this expansion pack is purely a money-making exercise is nonsense. Read anything on the Bungie site to see how much they care about their games and their community.

    They never said DLC would be free, and it isn't their decision anyway - Microsoft obviously hold the purse strings so they say what goes. All will be free by the end of summer, so quit complaining before you know what you're talking about.

  • Genji #13 7 years ago

    Wow... that's so insightful. I guess you're right. Daikatana has nothing on the shitfest that is Halo 2. LONG LIVE THE PS2!!!!
    Edited by 1 at 30/03/05 @ 09:26

  • #14 7 years ago

    Now i'll know who to blame when we have to pay for EVERYTHING we download.

    Thank everyone who rolls over and pays for this kind of stuff. Pay for Live, pay for PGR2 content, and pay for maps on Halo2 (You know your gonna if they give you no choice)... You'll be buying ammo for your gun in-game next with your credit card... Sure it'll only be 1p per clip... at first... You'll say what great value it is bacuse you can reload your gun whenever you want insted of scavenging off the people you kill...

    Edit: MM was actually drawing the line, so I take it back.
    Edited by 2 at 30/03/05 @ 09:47

  • symmetry #15 7 years ago

    We live in a capitalist society, it's the nature of the beast.

  • preetyforu #16 4 years ago

    christ on a bike! they dont hang about do they?! BF2 has only just come out itself!

    preety
    webmaster
    http://www.entert ainmentvenues.org