So much forging to do, so little time

Well I've had the Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack for two weeks now and managed to get some good play in. So time to chime in with some impressions. Before I begin though, in case you were wondering, the Mythic map pack preview codes are only available if you are:

a) In a scandalous, carnal relationship with a staff member at Bungie.

b) Smart (and handsome) enough to pick up the Halo Wars Collectors Edition.

So once you've fulfilled one or both of those requirements you get access to Assembly, Orbital and Sandbox after a short download. Halo 3 all ready has a Mythic games list to search for similar smart, handsome or shameless people with the maps.

'lets just keep going Thelma', sniff, 'okay Louise'

First up, Assembly is the most visually arresting of the three. It takes place in a Covenant Scarab manufacturing facility and a quick glance around the level reveals an impressive backdrop of alien industry. A thick green mist coats the lower parts of the level and all around you can see Scarab parts being shifted around on Covenant energy lifts. It's a rare and interesting look into the often neglected Covenant home worlds. The level itself is a circular rabbits warren split into three levels with a central column which you can leap into at the top level and fall to the bottom. An active camo is just visible at the top with a gravity hammer tantalizingly available at the bottom. While it might seem like a good idea to grab that melee king weapon, the tiny chamber that houses it is basically a death trap/grenade magnet so make sure you're the last person to toss a grenade before you head in. There's also a missile launcher tucked away on one of the far sides of the map and the first team or perosn to grab control of that isn't going to have too much trouble controlling the rest of the map. Halo fans will be interested to note that if you look closely at the tubes of yellow liquid you can see Lekgolo worms crawling inside them, the worms that form a colony to become Hunters and, apparently, Scarab tanks.

Shoryuken!

Next up, Orbital is set on a space station and the two starting zones are at either end of a u bend. Orbital has something to do with the earth space elevator that's used to ferry UNSC personnel onto their various frigates and cruisers before they head out to fight fur humanity's safety (would you like to know more?). It's not quite a symmetrical map as the middle section has a height variance with one team starting low and one starting high essentailly the level is two U shapes with a twist in the middle joining each. One end has two Mongooses and the other has another two plus a Ghost. It might seem like a good idea to hop on the Ghost but a combination of tight corridors and stacks of crates make either vehicle difficult to use and easy to hijack or destroy with a grenade. It's a tough level and Team Slayer games, particularly Team SWAT, are thrilling straight up fights. Two operable doors are important for objective based games as you can essentially force attackers into a single corridor to access your flag. In a nice touch windows actually make it possible to see your enemies main spawn point from your own.

Team killing: still the best way to say "I have a small willy" in any language

Finally, Sandbox is a Forge fans wet dream. Sandbox has three distinct levels that you can build in and on. The sky bubble which is ideal for small matches with plenty of leaping and falling traps, it offers a lot of opporunity for fun and unusual game types such as Infection. the ground floor bares more than a passing resemblance to original Halo 3 map Sandtrap with a vehicle focused symmetrical style. But you are given plenty of opportunity to play around with the layout and shuffle around the massive rock formations that make up the level. It's quite easy (and fun) to create what's essentially a demolition derby with a level full of ramps and man cannons. Finally, deep in the levels bowels lies the Crypt which can be used for a number of game types... but primarily it plays host to Griffball Plus. Enthusiasts of the Halo unique sport game will be tickled pink with Sandbox's new arena of smack down. Sandbox is a level with plenty of surprises and plenty of replay and its well worth digging into with some friends.

Sorry old chap, love to stick around but I'm a little bit on fire you know.

Each of these three levels also has a skull hidden on it which you need Forge mode to find. They're completely inaccessible from plain old walking around. The Sandbox skull in particular is evil difficult to get too. Much like Sandtrap and Snowbound the Sandbox level is surrounded by an invisible perimeter, crossing this perimeter causes the six giant towers around the level to unleash bright white firey death on your ass. The skull is, you guessed it, sitting right between two of these towers. So you need to, in Forge mode, build a tunnel from the edge of the level all the way over to the skull. It's even incredibly difficult to see the skull as trying to scout outside the area with your guilty spark Forge tool results in an attack. The only way I could find the skull was watching my own Forge session in Theater mode and patrolling around with the camera till I found it. Reaching the skull is not an easy task, but the dedicated Halo fan will happily undertake it, then his mates will take advantage of his hardwork and grab the skull using his carefully made tunnel (and yes I saved my map so feel free to message me if you'd like to visit it, the deal is I get to drop a tank on you though, thats another achievement).

Warning: Ghost frequently sideways, especially if I'm driving

The Mythic map packs open up more of the achievements which will all become available as the rest of the Mythic map pack are unveiled. This should be when ODST launches in stores which promises to contain all the map packs released so far; a bitter sweet final gesture by Bungie before they put away their Mark IV Mjholnir armour suits forever. I should also mention that those achievements that required you to complete certain tasks on the Legendary map pack also work with the Mythic map pack so its a good opportunity to get back in there and earn a Splatterspree or get a Flag melee kill medal. I can personally confirm this as I got two of the new achievements using the Orbital map.

Unfortunately there aren't any maps on the scale of Avalanche in this pack, although Sandbox comes close. Still, the Mythic maps are an exciting addition that extend the life of Halo 3 even further than it all ready has. If you were looking for an excuse to pick up Halo Wars the Mythic map pack is definitely a good one.