I feel like this list is long over due, and could generate some interesting debate (at least this is the kind of thing I love talking about). In order:
10. Guardian (Halo 3 - xBox 360): This is still, despite my placing it 10th, my favorite H3 map. The reason I don’t rate it higher is only because it has a tendency to snowball, which can be REALLY frustrating if you’re on the wrong end of the spree, but can be super satisfying if you’re the one on the killing frenzy. Also, the sniper tower tends to encourage camping (guilty as charged, and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but…), which tends to force a majority of the action to that corner of the map.
9. G5 Building (Perfect Dark - N64): I only wish they would have used a different texture on the walls so that everything didn’t look the same. Very close quarters for PD, and it was possible to be super cheap against the Sims by holding up in the dead-end hall at the top with the window, get your magnum doubled up, train your sites to head level and wait for them to pop out from the end of the hallway. Incidentally, that ended up being one of the big problems with many of the PD maps, too many dead end hallways that you could get yourself set up in.
8. Sandbox (Halo 3 - xBox 360): I know, this is a very new map (well, really 3 maps in one), but I have extremely high hopes for it, and love customization. This forgeable canvas promises to have all the flexibility and functionality that Foundry lacked.
7. Prisoner (Halo CE - xBox): I always liked this level, even though I was never all that successful at it. I liked the balance of two clear strategies, snipe and cover the over-shield or roam the bottom with rockets, AR and invisibility. The plasma rifle was also great in this level, catch a guy on one of those gangways, stick him with the gun until you ran over and punched him. I always wanted an official remake of this level for H2 & 3, but without fall damage, it probably wouldn’t play nearly as well.
6. High Ground (Halo 3 - xBox 360): It took me awhile to warm up to this map, but it plays with a great balance of long, mid, and short range combat, plus vehicles work, but it isn’t so big that 4 player games slow down. You can play a post up game, or roam, good lines of sight, but plenty of cover to allow safe travel across the map.
5. Stack (GoldenEye - N64): This map usually ranks behind the Facility and Temple, but I always thought it was a better map than either of them, there weren’t any bottle necks, the bi-level courtyards made for interesting shoot-outs. I chose the Stack above the Library mainly because the Basement wasn’t all that fun, and really made the level too big for even 4 player matches.
4. The Pit (Halo 3 - xBox 360): This map plays so balanced. Again, there is a nice mix of long, mid, and short range combat, definitely multiple strategies and playing styles can be successful which makes for more interesting and exciting games.
3. Villa (Perfect Dark - N64): The quality of multiplayer maps in this game was one of the big strikes against it, but this was a great map. Unfortunately, it was one of the very very few maps in which the Sims didn’t get too bogged down in a loop somewhere and turn into a shooting gallery. Great lighting, hill games here were super fun.
2. Chill Out (Halo CE - xBox): Small maps are my favorite, so its no surprise that this was my favorite map from CE. The remake for H3 really shows how different the game has become.
1. Complex (GoldenEye - N64): Simply the best. There aren’t any natural bottle necks in this level, it flows so well with multiple routes to anywhere on the map, all parts of the map are played. I have fond memories of shoot-outs in all of the sections. Its sad that this was also the best map on PD, for some reason, Rare wasn’t ever able to replicate the magic they created with this map. Making a forged Sandbox version of this map for H3 is priority #1 for me.
