Halo 3 has already set records at retail, and it might get the chance to make some new benchmarks in the downloadable content space as well. Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 first-person shooter will receive an array of downloadable multiplayer maps, starting with a Heroic Map Pack on December 11.
The Heroic Map Pack will include three maps, and will carry a price of 800 Microsoft points ($10) when it debuts on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Standoff is an outdoor map designed for midsize games, while the Rat's Nest is an indoor map with an emphasis placed on vehicles and intended for large-scale team skirmishes. Finally, Foundry is an industrial warehouse level designed with the game's Forge mode in mind.
As with the multiplayer map packs for Halo 2 and Gears of War, the Heroic Map Pack will eventually be made free to download. Microsoft has said it will drop the fee for the three maps in spring 2008, just before the next selection of new multiplayer maps becomes available.