Bungie invited Destructoid out for a glimpse of some new hot Halo action this week. Of course, being close to Seattle and an unabashed Halo fangirl, I answered the call with the enthusiasm reserved for special clients only.
In addition to some juicy Firefight action, I was able to preview the new Mythic Map Set and, as expected, get my ass kicked in some new locations, including the much anticipated Midship remake.
Let's be honest -- all three maps give me a Bubble Shield. In my pants. Hit that jump.
Halo 3 DLC (Xbox 360)
Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft
To be released: September 22, 2009 Halo 3: ODST will ship with all three map packs (Heroic, Legendary and Mythic) on a separate disc -- and it will also include three new maps to add to the Mythic collection. "Heretic," "Citadel," and "LongShore" are the new additions to the family; the first two being smaller symmetrical arenas good for team matches, and the third being an asymmetrical, more open map designed for larger parties.
"Heretic" is the shiny new remake of the popular Halo 2 map "Midship." It feels the same, with the key weapons in place, and those who loved "Midship" should expect some heavy nostalgia. I always found this map to require way too much jumping around for my liking, although that speaks more to my jumping "ability" than it does the map. It's definitely more fun with the Carbine and an Energy Sword on hand, and a bit of fancy footwork to navigate some tricky corners. The Pious Inquisitor is looking sharp as ever, too, what with the upgraded textures.
Man. I love purple. The hue of my armour looks so pretty against it when I'm being slit toe to head.
"Citadel" is probably my favorite of the three, seemingly based on a Citadel from the Ark's Cartographer. It's symmetric, providing ample ducking spots, but demanding some serious attention to angles of opportunity for you and foes. You can run laps around the thing, which pretty much ensures a bloody encounter every two seconds, and if you're really quick there are quite a few sniping chances.
Lots of multiple target encounters and teaming up on enemies in this one -- just be sure to watch each other's backs while you're doing it, because gameplay is quick and weapons are plentiful. I found good old Team Slayer to be ridiculously fun in "Citadel," even if a little cramped at times. I love it when a level makes me just a little paranoid.
"Longshore" is the largest of the three new Mythics, and the only one with vehicles. We played a full 16-player game of Capture the Flag, and I only wish I'd had more time to enjoy the glee that is this map. It's intricate, with multiple paths to your destination if you're playing one flag CTF or Assault. The defending team is really forced into cohesive gameplay, which is refreshing -- I'm getting sick of maps allowing the defenders to huddle around the flag throwing grenades at me, and not really deploy into tactical positions.
"Longshore" has too many angles of approach to allow the defenders to stick around at the flag; the incorporation of a switch-triggered extending bridge above the flag base means that at least one player has to advance to guard the switch ahead. As soon as that bridge is activated, it becomes incredibly difficult to keep eyes on all targets coming from ahead, above, and below.
The two Ghosts are tricky to maneuver around the structures but definitely useful to take out suckers on the ground, and the turrets kick some butt as always. Make sure to check out the freezer; there's some handy stuff in there, too. Definitely going to be one of my more played maps when I get the game.
All in all, nice stuff. It's great to see Bungie listening to suggestions, as they mentioned the main reason for bringing "Midship" back as "Heretic" was fan service, and they seemed excited about being able to release it as close to a pixel for pixel reconstruction as possible. Always nice to feel like the audience is being heard.
Check the gallery for some pretty epic screenshots.
yeah it reminds me of that first flood level in the campaign
cant remember its name
08-14-2009, 08:22 PM
Lex Lugor
already know heretic is gonna get TOO much play
will every odst and not only the special editions ship with these?
they will also be available to download im sure?
ahhhh thank god bungie isnt waiting until the holidays to release this like so many others:mexico:
08-14-2009, 08:24 PM
NIGHT MAYOR
yeah what will happen is the game will come with TWO discs, one with the campaign and firefight games for ODST. the other disc will be a multiplayer disc, with EVERY multiplayer map inc. these new three.
it will cure the problem of the loading, its tricky getting the original mythic maps to load if you have a close to full hard drive.
http://www.bungie.net/images/News/TopNews09/citadel.jpg
Last week we unleashed a media blitz focused on the exclusive Halo 3 multiplayer maps included with Halo 3: ODST. Today we’re lifting the lid on Citadel with a little guided tour with designer Lars Bakken, artist Blake Low, and art director Justin Hayward pointing out the areas of interest. If you already had a good, long look but still want to know more, you’ve come to the right place.
Justin Hayward - I provided art direction when needed.
Blake Low - After many painstaking hours of architecting work being done over and over by the very talented (and slightly disturbed) Paul Russel, I took over ownership of the final game play space and worked alongside of Lars to bring it home!
The Citadel that exists now went through more iteration than most small maps ever should. Paul and Lars did the leg work to trim the fat. Then I jumped in and hit it with my spice weasel. Bam!
Q. The fictional setting is obviously Forerunner. Any other clues or hints as to its whereabouts or purpose?
LB. Justin or Blake can speak more to this, but it does happen in a Forerunner structure sitting high above a desert. It's very remote.
BL. I think this was a Forerunner day care. The Forerunner would bring their young here and drop them off while they went off to work to Forerunner it up. The little baby Forerunners would spend most of their infant life here in this facility playing in the sunlight or sleeping in the shade. And now it’s a battleground. War has made monsters of us all.
[Editor’s Note: Not sure that’s canon, Blake. –Urk]
JH. It is a small section of the Forerunner structure that players first saw in the Halo 3 multiplayer map Epitaph.
Q. Word on the streets is that Citadel was once a radically different space. What changed from conception to completion and what remained the same?
LB. Originally, it was much closer to the campaign space it's based around. Well, sort of. It was a much bigger level, with two elevators (one for each team) and really was designed for 2-sided objective games. We basically scrapped most of that design and it became a much smaller symmetrical space. The only thing remaining is the setting.
BL. To be honest the Citadel that exists today is in almost no way the same space as it was once intended. The short version of the story is that the map was too large, complicated, confusing, and easy to get lost in. I think the only major element that still remains is the idea of having a large open center room with a platform to jump to and from. However, even the size and shape of that room changed. The new design works much better in focusing the combat and objectives.
JH. It started life big and sprawling, but we wanted small and tight. And so it came to be.
Q. What was the most difficult element for you to get just right?
BL. Player orientation on the map. Being a symmetrical map, it sometimes is really hard to tell what side of the map you have ended up on or how to relate to teammates where you are or where the action is. We decided to open up some windows, so to speak.
LB. Probably the sight lines. We wanted it to be a small space but feel like you could defend certain areas, and hide as someone who was trying to get away from combat.
Q. What role is Citadel intended to play in the Halo 3 multiplayer space and what game types work the best?
LB. It's very much the small symmetrical map that fans have been asking for. It works very well for small Team Slayer, but it's really great for Multi Flag and Assault as well.
BL. This is meant to give people that hot, dirty, 4v4 action. Everything unfolds at a pretty fast pace and involves some quick thinking and an even quicker trigger finger. You are never far from the action.
Q. Being symmetrical and a bit on the small side, seems players could get turned around easily. What kind of steps do you take to make sure people stay oriented?
BL. Originally there was only a color change from one side of the map to the other, but we wanted something a lot more apparent and in your face. What better to be in your face than the blinding sunlight right? We populated one half of the map with large windows which allowed for some very nice warm light contrast. I think the result was pretty successful.
JH. It's subtle, but effective.
LB. The great thing about Citadel is that the outer loop will always take you to one of the two "bases." Basically, you can pick a direction and just go. You're guaranteed to run into a skirmish or find a good weapon. It doesn't take long at all to get oriented, because you can just pick a route and start running.
Q. What role does weapon layout, equipment, and power-ups play on Citadel?
LB. Like all symmetrical maps, weapon layout is the same on each side. There are a couple of Overshields that are usually grabbed in the first few seconds of play. The equipment comes back pretty quickly in the default setup, which makes for a lot of equipment usage. Some players will find this refreshing, while others may opt to take it out.
BL. The big weapon of the map is the Rocket Launcher that’s placed right out in the middle of the map. Everyone gravitates toward it pretty quickly, so it ends up being more of a prize for the remaining survivors of a firefight. However I think the energy drain comes in far more handy on this map than those of the past. You can cut off paths and force flag carriers to take a longer alternate route giving your team more time or throw one down a hall and weaken a cluster of enemies. I can’t wait to see the variety of tactics people use when they don’t veto it. :)
http://www.bungie.net/images/News/TopNews09/odst_1.jpg
A small Bungie team will be busy playing Firefight with the folks at Gamescom this week, but if you're reading this, you've probably been left behind. Don't worry, we’re not going to leave you empty-handed. Though your feet have been stayed, we know you are no heretic. Rest your eyes upon the latest Firefight offering:
RALLY POINT
Sector 10 inside the city of New Mombasa has seen better days. The air is heavy with acrid smoke parted only by the constant arrival of enemy drop ships. Lucky for you, the crossroads that converge on the entrance into ONI’s Alpha Site offer up a textbook choke point. The Covenant has come to claim access. You and your squad of ODST’s are going to stop them at all costs.
Alongside this pair of images we’re also screening the latest Halo 3: ODST ViDoc for those in attendance at Gamescom this week. While we’re not quite ready to drop that onto B.net, you should definitely stick around and keep your eyes peeled. We’ll rally and serve it up as soon as we can.
Stay Tuned.
08-26-2009, 02:05 AM
NIGHT MAYOR
:cheerlie:
08-26-2009, 02:28 AM
Lex Lugor
*(:)dude fredy we doin this or what
08-26-2009, 03:33 AM
NIGHT MAYOR
im there holmes, are you on my friends list ? i loose track of who's who
09-02-2009, 02:42 AM
Lex Lugor
ah man as soon as i get online i shall let you know
in the flesh ? dam how are they going on the current mlg tours ? i barely hear anything of the tours in aus. they been RIPPIN shit since halo 2
09-06-2009, 02:21 AM
NIGHT MAYOR
fuckin AWESOME
:clap:
09-06-2009, 02:28 AM
NIGHT MAYOR
09-06-2009, 02:56 AM
bamboo
I saw those Red vs Blue vids the other day, pretty funny material hehe
Man I can't wait to play firefight, that shit looks mad!
I'm having second thoughts about getting Operation Flash Point 2 so soon after this game, it may have to wait until January haha
