At least for me, a Halo title has always been defined by it's maps. The Halo series has created some of the best competitive play areas in FPS history, with maps such as [i]Blood Gulch, Beaver Creek, Hang 'Em High, Ascension, Headlong, Lockout, Midship, Ivory Tower, Guardian, High Ground, Valhalla, Narrows, The Pit, Countdown, and Powerhouse[/i] only to name a few. (I know, that was more than a few. But let's face it, Halo has some great maps. Also, I intentionally did not list any Halo 4 maps as to not disrupt the nostalgia)
Every game will have it's bad eggs, for example [i]Chiron TL-34, Isolation, and Boardwalk.[/i] But more than any other FPS franchise, Halo has always been able to deliver fun and memorable maps. When I reflect upon past Halo games, the most iconic image in my mind are the maps. Of course core gameplay mechanics are a major concern as to the success of a title, and everyone has their own taste when it comes to this, but maps are usually what bind a Halo multiplayer experience together.
With that being said, I believe Halo 4 has some of the best entries in the series. Up until the release of the Crimson Map Pack and that damn map [i]Wreckage[/i] there wasn't a single map in the game in which I would loathe to play. Often times I would groan after [i] Ragnarok[/i] or [i]Haven[/i] would be upvoted, but hey, that's only because I play them so much and that really says something about their design. Halo 4 has some very solid maps in its lineup and that's what keeps me coming back. The very fact that I enjoy playing in the spaces makes the game pretty memorable for me. I've already written a lot, so I won't delve much deeper, but the reasons I feel this way are thus...
-Great flow
-Easy to navigate
-Controllable locations
-Good mix of asm/symetrical, large, medium, and small
-Defined play areas
-Memorable, various, and distinct scenery/environments
-Compliment gameplay mechanics
-Distinguished call points
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Halo Reach and 4's maps are complete bologna.