All Halo 2 multiplayer maps now free on Xbox Live

What happens if you don't download the maps this week? They go "back on sale" for a price?

you have to dl them this week because next week, Bungie will put ALL the maps into rotation online. so if you don't update now, it will force you to update next week when you try to play online [so everyone will have the same maps].

I haven't played Halo 2 in ages. No thanks.

@ Ross Miller: The DVD isn't useless. Some people don't have Xbox LIVE you know. Tsk tsk.

@Matt

I'm sure I am going to cause a bunch of ire because of this, but my thoughts is if you do not have Xbox Live, then you are probably playing Halo 1. I prefer Halo 1's multiplayer over Halo 2 99 times out of 100; the only catch is a lack of Xbox Live play. So to me, it'd be useless because I'd just say "screw it" and go back to a time where all weapons were on strict timers and the guns required more skill (plus, Warthog jumping was a whole lot more fun)

I'll wait......I lost the credit card I signed up for live with so when they went to renew it I got a message saying I had to update my CC info, and i'm just so lazy I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Hey Ross (or anyone else for that matter), I've felt that too. Halo 1 it seems gets more credability from die hard Halo fans. I myself have played both a lot, but as soon as Halo 2 came out, Halo 1 was no longer played at our LAN parties. But it seemed to me to be much more solid, much more consistent, and much more intuitive. But some of the features of Halo 2 are a welcome improvement as well. So from all you Halo freaks out there, what made Halo 1 so great and what should Halo 3 incorporate or leave out in order to be a true successor? I'm just having a tough time putting my finger on what is wrong with Halo 2 and what needs tweaking, I just know that I was a much different player on Halo 1 and it was much more of a raw and basic talent that you could aquire and succeed compared to Halo 2. Thoughts? Comments?

I waited and got them all free on my Live account,I rule.

And joystiq.com,if you banned my IP for me not having the same ideas on gaming that you do and act like your stooge,you can go f*** yourself,but if it's a problem on my side,I apologize.

I never banned your ip - if someone else did, *shrugs,* sorry, but nope, I've never had a problem with you at all. I think I have had to threaten one person for using racial slurs, but that's about it. Seems to be working just fine, though.

And yeah, sorry, I did edit your comment, but all I did was change a certain f-word to f***; it's part of the job detail.

And to me, what made Halo 1 so fun was the timer was the skill involved. It wasn't about who had what weapon (or weapon combo) because everything seemed more balance - sure, the pistol was ungodly, but only if you had the skill to aim. If you got the rocket launcher, awesome, but at least there wasn't just one. And overshield/cloak were equally nice.

What is also nice (but tangential) in Halo 1 is that you can humiliate your opponent by humping their dead body (just crouch and switch weapons rapidly - your opponent should see you wiggle over their face...because, let's face it, a kill is not a kill without some embarrassing tea bagging).

I so miss the pistol.

http://www.halo2sucks.com/

i think you guys are on the mark in the difference in the multiplayer games. The fact that in halo 2 some maps can be dominated by one good sniper (colossus comes to mind) was an oversight, granted theres some decent cover on the map. the BR start alleviates some of that. in halo1 a good sniper could eventually be taken down (or reload if nobody got him off the sniper spawn), by another player once the sniper respAWNed. i do think the gameplay of halo1 is more fun in general because it felt faster, and a little bit more forgiving due to the shield/health combo, halo2 has some near impossible parts to it because of a lack of the health bar.

The health bar was useless in Halo 1, which I think is why they removed it. Let's face it, once your sheilds are down your're pretty much done for. What else do you need to know?

Oh, and if you want to recreate the Halo 1 pistol in Halo 2, simply create a custom game type with pistols and no shields. You pretty much get the same effect, 2 body shots and one head shot for a kill! Oh, and it's really fun when you dual wield pistols!

Ross Miller,maybe someone else banned my IP for some unknown reason,because I know that I don't use racial slurs.I may get a little over anxious and use the word idiot and dolt,but not racial slurs.

The only way I can get on joystiq.com is with a proxy so.

I didn't play Halo or Halo 2 and I want to ask you questions:
1. Halo is FPS or TPS?
2. Can the player destroy buildings in this game?