Monday, more information was released on the three new maps available for Halo 3. I'm eager to try them out - it can get annoying playing Snowbound six times in a row. From the Bungie site: In the US, the Heroic Map Pack will cost 800 Microsoft Points ($10 USD). Eventually, these maps will all be released for free, as they were with Halo 2.

Rat’s Nest

Rat’s Nest is a massive level set in the corridors and tunnels of a Human Base near Kilimanjaro. You may recognize parts of it from Halo 3’s Campaign mode. Effectively, it’s a giant Oval, kind of like an underground NASCAR track, with lots of vehicles and plenty of tunnels criss-crossing the center area. It’s designed for big team games, Objective and Slayer, but also works brilliantly for game types like Infection and Territories.

Foundry

Foundry is a very unique map – designed from the outset to be the most customizable Halo 3 Forge map ever created. It’s a large Warehouse, which can be empted quickly and then rebuilt any way you like, with a brand new palette of objects such as walls, ramps, Mancannons and more. Stuff you never had access to before and objects that can be used to create fully functioning level designs, rather than simply altering our existing map.

Standoff

Standoff is a big-ish symmetrical map, great for Team Slayer, excellent for Objective games and big enough for a couple of vehicles. It has locked-down Bunkers for bases and lots of cover for players trying to make their way from one base to the next. Although some say it has a similar feel to Blood Gulch, the geometry and terrain is very different.