Bungie patches Halo 2, unlocks multiplayer map
As well as speeding up connection to games, there's a new playground for those of you who hadn't managed to unlock it through conventional means.
Bungie has patched Halo 2 to solve a few of the outstanding issues that have come to light since the game's release earlier this month. The first "auto-update" for Halo 2 will be automatically downloaded with your permission the next time you log onto Xbox Live.
It doesn't cure all of the world's ills, but it should speed up the process of finding games using the Quickmatch and Optimatch facilities, and it also makes previously unlockable multiplayer map Foundation available to all. Up to now the only way to get hold of it was to complete the game and activate a "training event" on the final level, which Bungie has since decided was too much to ask of the majority.
And, although it won't apply to those of us playing the PAL version, Bungie has also improved HDTV support so that none of the image is cut off the screen in the US Xbox's high-resolution display modes.
It's worth noting that this particular auto-update is not mandatory, but it does come highly recommended by Bungie, and shouldn't keep you from your fragging for much longer than necessary. Meanwhile, Bungie says that we can expect another update addressing things like gametype playlists "relatively soon" as part of its ongoing support for the Xbox title.