Three new Halo 3 multiplayer maps announced!

Tuesday 20th November 2007 - 17:00

Microsoft announces multiplayer maps for points, Assassin's Creed takes the chart top spot and The House of the Dead Wii screens

Microsoft has announced the news that many gamers have been waiting to hear. No, the company isn't about to start giving away Xbox 360s, but it has released information on the first of hopefully many downloadable Halo 3 map packs.

Halo 3 players will be able to enjoy three all new multiplayer maps on Dec 11 as part of the Heroic Map Pack, the first in a series of downloadable content from Bungie Studios to come via Xbox Live.

Available for 800 Microsoft Points each map presents a totally different play style. Standoff's symmetrical valley, with its entrenched bases and fields of boulders is ideal for mid-sized objective and Slayer game types, while Rat's Nest's vast, labyrinthine passages bring something new to the Halo multiplayer experience: an indoor vehicle arena, strongly influenced by the Campaign mode, ideal for big team battles. Finally, Foundry is touted as the ultimate Forge map - players can edit every single object in a massive industrial warehouse, place stairways, walls, bridges and tunnels to create whatever type of arena that suits.

The best bit? If you don't fancy spending your hard earned cash on Microsoft points the company has revealed that all three maps will become available for free download in Spring 2008, just prior to the next wave of all new multiplayer maps.

Meanwhile it's all change in chart land once again as a new number one is crowned king of the videogames all format charts. Ubisoft's new next-gen stealth game Assassin's Creed has swept in to take pole position ahead of Activision's epic soldier shooter Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The Simpson's retains third spot with Super Mario Galaxy debuting at number 5 - and it would no doubt be higher if there wasn't a Wii shortage!

Finally, check out the latest screenshots of an arcade classic set to get the next-gen treatment. The House of the Dead forthcoming on Wii combines two episodes in the zombie blasting franchise that will make sure gamers are standing in front of their TVs firing off rounds on the Wii Zapper or Wii Remote for all they're worth! A full release is scheduled in early 2008.

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