Halo: Reach Defiant Map Pack DLC

Bungie, the developers behind the iconic Halo series, have been creating Halo games and content for nearly 10 years now, garnering much critical and commercial success from nearly everything they've touched. So it's hard to see any other developer filling the rather large boots left behind now that Bungie are off exploring new IPs, but that's exactly what 343 Industries and Certain Affinity have had to do in the second map pack for Halo: Reach.

The Defiant Map Pack brings three new multiplayer maps to Halo: Reach: Condemned, Highlands and Unearthed, each map giving a different perspective on the fall of Reach, from an abandoned refinery on Reach to an Orbital Space Station that's barely survived the onslaught of the Covenant forces.

The first thing that players will notice is just how visually stunning the new maps are. Condemned, for example, takes place onboard a battered and damaged orbiting space station called Gamma, with burn marks, bent doors, sparking electronics, and even blood splatter, helping to deliver the appearance of a ship that has seen heavy fighting. What will stop players in their tracks, though, is the absolutely breathtaking view looking out of the space station. The ethereal glow of the galaxy stands as a backdrop to a UNSC ship making its last stand against the Covenant, while Reach is consumed by a massive fireball down below.

While Condemned isn't the smallest map around - it's aimed at 6-12 players - it can still play well with less players thanks to the circular map layout. In the middle is the Center Core room, which acts as a quick and easy gateway to the other sections of the ship. There is a disadvantage in using it, though, and that's the lack of gravity. Crossing the room is slow, making you an easy target, so it's a case of risk versus reward in modes such as CTF. At the same time, it makes for some highly entertaining "space battles", giving you the opportunity to creep up on your enemy Dead-Space-style in the eerily quiet vacuum. The map is well balanced, and after just a few rounds, you'll soon become familiar with the varying access points and levels around the space station.

In complete contrast to the look of Condemned, the new Firefight map Unearthed takes place in an abandoned Titanium refinery on Reach; as yet untouched by the Covenant, but still foreboding in nature. It may not have the vibrant colors of the other maps, with its dusty and arid setting, but the grand scale of the whole thing, along with a fantastic looking meteor crater in the background, means it's certainly not without merit. While players can look to funnel enemies into the middle allowing for more close quarters style gameplay, the outer perimeter offers up a sort of race track, allowing for firstly, plenty of open ground fighting, but more importantly, room to use the vehicles on offer, such as the Warthog with rockets, or a hi-jacked Ghost. There's a real need for team work to complete this map on the harder difficulties, and it certainly will be a welcomed addition to the already fantastic line-up in the Firefight modes.

Finally, we have Highlands, which fits somewhat in-between Unearthed and Condemned in regards to timeline. It's another large map, taking place in a top-secret Military Wilderness Training Preserve previously used to train Spartan super-soldiers. While it's mostly untouched, the war with the Covenant is clearly visible, with a downed Pelican marking the centre of the map, while in the near distance a Covenant ship is glassing the countryside, setting the distant mountain tops ablaze.

The map is perfectly suited for big team modes (8-16 players), with plenty of vehicles and a large open expanse in the middle between the two main bases. Unlike other large maps such a Hemorrhage or even Spire, close quarters combat in-between the bases is a far more common occurrence thanks to the surrounding infrastructure, with teleportation points and somewhat concealed tunnels allowing for quick access to other areas across the map, meaning vehicles aren't the only way to get around quickly. The end result is that Highlands will be a popular choice for big team battles and even smaller slayer games.

I started this review with a somewhat apprehensive introduction, because it sums up my feelings when I heard that a new developer will be handling the next maps for my beloved Halo. Bungie has set a precedent for quality when it comes to well-balanced Halo maps, and its a hard act to follow. But after spending time with the new map pack, I can confidently say that Certain Affinity and 343 Industries have passed with flying colors. The Defiant Map Pack is one of the most visually stunning map packs I've ever seen for Halo, and the mix of medium and large versus maps, as well as a Firefight map, make this a must have for Halo fans.

The Halo: Reach Defiant Map Pack DLC will be out Tuesday, 15 March for 800 MS Points.

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