Some free stuff content is coming to Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. That’s right, I said the magic word: FREE. Ubisoft will be releasing the Fan Pack containing three new maps, further ranks to obtain past Elite, some gameplay balancing tweaks, and a new tactical-based gameplay mode called High Stakes.
If you aren’t playing R6: Vegas 2 online, you’re definitely missing out. It’s one of the best online shooters out there, right along with CoD4, Bad Company, and Halo 3. It definitely sticks out from the crowd with it’s unique gameplay modes, especially my favorite: Terrorist Hunt.
The Fan Pack is scheduled to hit the Xbox 360 and PS3 in late July, so stay tuned as we get a firm release date from Ubisoft. Should be a good summer for gaming.
Seems EA dropped the ball somehow with the release of the free Army of Two Map Pack. If you live in North America, you can get the maps today for 360, but not PS3. If you live in Europe, you can get the maps today for PS3 but not 360.
Come on people, what the hell. You announce some free maps, you put out some nice trailers, and now you have a delay that’s more confusing than quantum physics? Why do different systems get it at different times in different locations? You think this would have been worked out by now.
Either way, I don’t think people will be jumping at putting their Army of Two disc back in the system to stop playing GTA or Call of Duty 4. We’ll see though…
Want to know what the fastest selling DLC is on Xbox Live? That would roughly be the Variety Map Pack for Call of Duty 4. Activision sent over a press release to let us know the maps sold over one million copies in its first nine days.
Additionally, Xbox LIVE members played more than 30 million sessions and logged more than 30 million hours of gameplay.
That’s pretty impressive! You all know my stance on buying maps, but the Variety Map Pack and the Legendary Map Pack for Halo 3 are two that are really worth it. If you haven’t bought either and play the games regularly online, go buy these maps now.
Halo 3’s second map pack was released to much fanfare. Consisting of three maps and new Forge elements, the Legendary Map Pack has a little bit for everyone. I’ve personally never been a big fan of paying for maps, but I had to make an exception here. Bungie put together three really great maps that fans of the game will definitely want to play.
The first map that came up in the DLC Slayer playlist for me was Ghost Town. The map is a bombed out, battled hardened water treatment facility outside of Sierra 117, the area where you begin the campaign in Halo 3. The map is pretty big with a nice asymmetrical layout. There are a hell of a lot of places to hide in Ghost Town, so expect some campers. There’s also a few decent sniping points and some good perches that I found rather quickly with some well placed grenade jumps. You really want to be on the second floor or higher in Ghost Town. If you’re running around on the ground, you’re going to get killed rather quickly. The map has a Mongoose on one end, which I really don’t understand. The map is fairly cramped on the ground with all of the debris and bombed out parts of buildings, so there’s not too far to go. You can take the Mongoose up the stairs if you really want to, but other than for a few good laughs, it serves little purpose. There is one major flaw on the map: the rocket launcher is right next to the overshield. Whoever gets one will undoubtedly get the other, which puts everyone else at a serious disadvantage. Hopefully Bungie can address the weapon placement to balance the map a little better.
The much anticipated Halo 3 Legendary map pack is ready for download for the cost of 800 MS points or 10 bucks. The map pack is the second add on to be released for Halo 3 with the Heroic pack being free as of a few weeks ago.
The Legendary Map Pack blends old and new. Ghost Town’s asymmetrical mix of confined spaces and long lines of fire makes for frenetic games. Avalanche re-imagines the original Halo classic, Sidewinder, with new features, tweaked vehicles and massive outdoor spaces. Significant changes bring big improvements to the map, yet its contours and cliffs should provide a welcome sense of familiarity. Blackout, on the other hand, is the purest remake to date – all time favorite Lockout gets a graphical overhaul, but retains its challenging mix of ramps, platforms, tunnels and hallways. There are no refunds for this item.
You can also download a Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack theme for the dashboard as well as some new gamerpics. These are both free. For how long, no one knows. Be sure to grab them as soon as you can.
There is a general discontent with downloadable content from gamers nowadays. More frequently than not, its an attempt from a developer to grab a few extra bucks for content that probably should been packaged with the original release but withheld for the aforementioned reason. The Variety Map Pack for COD4 on the Xbox 360 (the PS3 version is identical, have not played it yet) does not meet that criteria. Activision’s add-on brings gamers four new and totally different maps to further expand their already record breaking multiplayer. Furthermore, each map also seems like it was designed for a specific game type and that adds to the replayability even more.
The first map, Chinatown, is a complete rehash of Carentan from COD1 and 2. That’s where the similarities end. Though the maps’ skeleton remains, its skin has been completely redone. From DVD shops to markets to empty apartments, few maps give the frenzied feel that Chinatown can. There are strategically placed gun turrets as well which add to the overall wildness of the map.
We got a ton of new screenshots for the Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack. There’s 25 in all for the new maps: Avalanche, Blackout, and Ghost Town. I personally think these look amazing and may actually be buying this map pack (for once).
Don’t fret, PS3 players of Call of Duty 4. Your maps are coming. Infinity Ward announced that the Variety Map Pack and ensuing patch went off to Sony for certification and is on schedule for release on April 24th on the PlayStation Store.
No release dates are final yet, so it could vary slightly, but I’d expect it to hit right on the expected time frame.
Xbox 360 owners have been loving the new maps, especially Chinatown. I’m sure it’s going to be the same on the PS3. Hopefully this patch brings rumble to CoD4 on the PS3 as well with the new DualShock 3 controllers.
Check out the latest trailer for the much anticipated Halo 3 map pack. It looks good. Real good. Cannot wait for this one to drop, though I fear many a person to wait until its free in about 3 months.
Yeah, it’s getting to be ridiculous and confusing to keep up with the release date for the Variety Map Pack. The truth it they’re aiming for a release later today or early tomorrow morning. Even though their websites and such have changed to show April 10th, Infinity Ward is stating on their blog that the maps have not been delayed.
As of right now we’re pushing certification for an on-time release for April 3rd or 4th. As of right now though, I’m being told that it’s a good chance it will be released worldwide (except for Japan) tomorrow night / early-Friday morning.
So there you have it people. Just keep checking Xbox Live and see if the maps are there. Who really knows at this point.
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