New downloadable Halo 2 maps dated

On the same day Bungie released its latest Halo 2 auto-update, the company dropped another piece of good news for fans of the popular first-person shooter. The first batch of new multiplayer maps for the game, originally vaguely scheduled for "late April," will be available April 25. Not since November 9 (Halo 2's 2004 release date) has a date meant so much to the Halo 2 community. The servers should expect to be tested next Monday when four new maps, two for free and two for $5.99, are unleashed on the public.

The two free maps are titled Containment and Warlock. Containment is a massive level blanketed with snow, and Warlock was influenced by the Halo: Combat Evolved map Wizard. The Killtacular Pack will include Turf and Sanctuary, and it will sell for $5.99. Turf is set in the narrow streets of Old Mambosa, and Sanctuary is a dilapidated Forerunner compound set on Delta Halo. For those who can bear waiting, the Killtacular Pack will be free on June 28.

Five additional maps, Terminal, Elongation, Gemini, Backwash, and Relic, will be available for download on June 28 for $11.99. Halo 2 players who aren't connected to Xbox Live can purchase the retail package of all nine maps, as well as every update from Bungie, for $19.99 on June 28.

Halo 2 and the Multiplayer Map Pack are both rated "M" for Mature. For a detailed preview of the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack, head over to GameSpot's recent preview. To learn more about Halo 2, read the full review.