The Countdown Has Begun! Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack Available From June

25th March 2005 - Microsoft Game Studios has announced a 28th June release date for the highly anticipated Halo 2^® Multiplayer Map Pack. The multiplayer expansion pack, which is the first of its kind for a console title, contains nine new multiplayer maps to push gamers' skills to their limits. The retail package also contains two new videos: an animated side-story from the single-player story in New Mombasa and a mini-documentary that includes interviews with the map designers, combat strategies and fly-throughs of the new maps. The retail pack also allows gamers who prefer offline play via system link and split-screen to upgrade their Halo 2 experience with new maps. The retail version of the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack carries a suggested retail price of £14.99.

As a special bonus, Xbox Live subscribers will get an early chance to check out four maps from the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack in late April. Two maps, Containment and Warlock, will be presented by Mountain Dew at no cost to Xbox Live subscribers. Two additional maps, Sanctuary and Turf, can be purchased via Xbox Live. To complete the Map Pack collection, subscribers can purchase the five remaining maps via Xbox Live on 28th June.

Set in a Forerunner environment on Delta Halo, Containment is a massive, icy outdoor environment suitable for vehicle combat and large team objective games such as Capture the Flag. Warlock, a small to midsized indoor arena set in ancient Forerunner ruins, offers ample opportunities for a variety of gametypes such as Territories, Slayer, Team Slayer and more. Located in the streets of Old Mombasa near the wreckage of a downed Covenant Scarab, Turf is a midsize asymmetrical urban combat environment with narrow streets, dark alleyways and heavily defended buildings. The sunlit remains of an ancient Forerunner temple, Sanctuary is medium-sized symmetrical environment excellent for Capture the Flag, Assault, Territories and Slayer games.

More information on the individual maps and the Multiplayer Map Pack can be found at http://www.bungie.net.

Halo 2, the most popular Xbox game to date, has sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide since its November 2004 release. Launched to critical and consumer acclaim, the game has earned more than a dozen awards, including several for "Game of the Year," "Best Soundtrack" and "Best Shooter."

Pushing the Xbox hardware to its very limits, Halo 2 expands on everything that made the original game great, while adding a wealth of technological and gameplay advances. Significantly improved graphics, enhanced artificial intelligence (AI), an advanced real-time lighting engine and destructible interactive environments are just a small part of Halo 2's evolution of design and technology. Every improvement in Halo 2 is designed to take game-play to a new level - and in the end, to tell a more compelling story.

Utilising Xbox Live to redefine online play, Halo 2 delivers superior online multiplayer capabilities. Whether playing with a clan on a new multiplayer map, boarding a friend's Warthog, dog-fighting in Banshees or checking player stats, Halo 2 brings the social experience to a higher level via Xbox Live. More information about Halo 2 is available at http://www.halo2.com/.

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About Bungie

Bungie was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep game-play, and then sell enough of those games to achieve the real goal of total world domination. Over the past 10 years it produced games like the "Marathon Trilogy" and the first two "Myth" games, hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world. "Halo 2," its latest game, has achieved phenomenal success on the Microsoft Xbox video game system. More information on Bungie can be found at http://www.bungie.net/.

About Xbox

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About Xbox Live

A new frontier in imagination and extraordinary interaction, no one else offers the richness of online game-play found on Xbox Live. The world's only unified global online console games service, Xbox Live is continuously innovating to provide members with unparalleled experiences. This unique service unites gamers together in a dynamic community where they can experience the best online games, exclusive programming and continuous downloadable content. Xbox Live launched in the United States in November 2002 and is available in 24 countries. Please visit http://www.xbox.com/live for more information.

About Microsoft Game Studios

Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the Xbox^® video game system and Windows and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse games for Windows (http://www.microsoft.com/games/), including such franchises as "Age of Empires^®," "Flight Simulator" and "Zoo Tycoon^®"; Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/), including such franchises as "Halo^®," "Project Gotham Racing^®" and Zone.com (http://www.zone.com/), the official games channel for the MSN^® network and home to such hits as "Bejeweled" and "OutSmart^TM."

About Microsoft

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