While many Halo fans have recently taken a trip down memory lane thanks to Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, those who are simply looking to augment their Reach experience with some old friends rather than partake in the single-player campaign have another option. The Halo: Reach Anniversary Map Pack.
This pack includes the most content ever released for a game in one shot. It contains 6 rebuilt maps from Halos past, an updated-for-Reach version of each of those maps, plus one Firefight board. That’s a staggering 13 new playgrounds for gamers to frolic on.
Halo CE itself inspired Battle Canyon (Battle Creek), Penance (Damnation), High Noon (Hang ‘Em High) and Solidarity (Prisoner). Added to that array of small and medium sized maps is Installation 04, the firefight scenario that takes place on Alpha Halo (the ring from Halo CE, for those less fanatical about the Halo story). The PC version of the original game also brought the vision behind Ridgeline (Timberland). Add a dash of Halo 2 Big Team Battle goodness from Breakneck (Headlong) and you’ve got a pretty diverse combat recipe for Halo veterans and rookies alike.
One thing you’ll notice right away is the attention to detail paid by 343i and Certain Affinity while building these remakes. They are visually stunning with the vibrant colors and environmental details that you expect from the Halo Universe. Their attempt to immerse you in the scene they’ve set does not stop at the edge of the playing field. Look through any window on High Noon and you’ll see the blue lightning from massive power generators cast against the cloudy orange sky and a setting sun. Penance offers a magnificent cavern waterfall without losing any of its’ Covenant installation feel. Breakneck shows what war has wrought on New Mombasa, with a number of transports crashed into the buildings and fires still burning untended. But while the pure beauty of the maps comes out in such details, the real question has to be what they add to the multiplayer experience of Reach.
I think gamers will find that they add quite a bit. You get a dose of nostalgia from the old maps (including the return of on-map power ups and a more powerful pistol) but you also get a set of tweaked maps that are right at home in Reach. Battle Canyon sports a new combination of lifts and teleporters, to better balance the map in a world that includes Armor Abilities. Breakneck has entirely new open sections on buildings that allow for new strategies to be built. For those of us who never had the chance to play Halo CE on their PC (like me), Ridgeline offers an entirely new patch of ground to test our skills upon complete with an array of vehicles and undulating terrain to help foot soldiers avoid that oncoming Ghost.
The Anniversary Map Pack has already been integrated into Reach, so you can dive right into the action. You will find these maps in the regular playlists that fit their size, as well as a handful of special Anniversary playlists including a 4v4 list that mixes slayer and objective games (Anniversary Squad) and a similar list built for larger 8v8 squads (Anniversary BTB).
If you’ve got an itch to scratch for some Halo and you don’t want to shell out $40, this pack is a great alternative checking in at just 1200 MS Points on the Marketplace. They really add a whole new dimension to the post-TU Reach world. I mean when was the last time we saw a map pack of any kind released that included this much content? In a world where DLC seems to grow more expensive and prominent, this is a very affordable option that I know will add many hours of fun to my Halo time.
