The first bit of downloadable content for Halo 3 is now out on Xbox Live Marketplace - the Heroic Map Pack. It features three new multiplayer maps for the game for 800 Microsoft points. Here’s the deal:

Standoff’s symmetrical valley, with its entrenched bases and fields of boulders is ideal for mid-sized objective and Slayer game types, while Rat’s Nest’s vast, labyrinthine passages bring something new to the “Halo” multiplayer experience: an indoor vehicle paradise, strongly influenced by the Campaign mode, ideal for big team battles. Finally, Foundry is the ultimate Forge map - players can edit every single object in this voluminous industrial warehouse, place stairways, walls, bridges and tunnels to create an entirely new play space and build almost any kind of map they can think of.

The maps can also be edited and customized by the game’s players. They will also be available for free download in Spring 2008, just prior to the next wave of new Halo 3 multiplayer maps.

To celebrate Thanksgiving, a completely free song for Guitar Hero III was released yesterday, offering Xbox 360 owners the chance to rock out to the MJOLNIR remix of the Halo theme. The song has been written, composed and performed by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori, with Steve Vai on the guitars.

This insightful editorial on Wired takes a look at how sucky gamers take on terrorist approaches while playing Halo 3 online. The writer raises some good points without being crass or disrespectful towards people who have been killed as a result of suicide bombings.

Confirming a flurry of rumors last week, Bungie and Microsoft have confirmed that they have split and that the former is now an independently owned studio rather than a Microsoft entity. Bungie was originally founded in 1991 as a Mac-oriented developer and acquired by Microsoft back in 2000 when Halo was first shown to the gaming public.

Microsoft will retain both a minority equity interest in the studio as well as control of the Halo franchise; it also has publishing rights to further Bungie products. However, the studio will retain ownership of any new IPs it creates; it also has the ability to develop non-Halo titles.

Shane Kim, vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, said, “While we are supporting Bungie’s desire to return to its independent roots, we will continue to invest in our ‘Halo’ entertainment property with Bungie and other partners, such as Peter Jackson, on a new interactive series set in the ‘Halo’ universe. We look forward to great success with Bungie as our long-term relationship continues to evolve through ‘Halo’-related titles and new IP created by Bungie.”

Meanwhile, it is not sure what Bungie is up to right now. The company recently stated that it is working on post-launch Halo 3 content and will continue to support the game accordingly. “This exciting evolution of our relationship with Microsoft will enable us to expand both creatively and organizationally in our mission to create world-class games,” said Bungie studio head Harold Ryan. “We will continue to develop with our primary focus on Microsoft platforms; we greatly value our mutually prosperous relationship with our publisher, Microsoft Game Studios; and we look forward to continuing that affiliation through ‘Halo’ and beyond.”

In news that shocks no one, Microsoft announced that the recently released blockbuster Halo 3 has raked in more than $300 million in first-week sales worldwide. This makes it one of the biggest entertainment properties in the world and replaces Halo 2’s past record.

The game has since then gone on to become the most played Xbox Live game, having more than 2.7 million gamers logged in during the first week, nearly one-third of the 7 million members of the service. It also racked up more than 3.6 million hours of online gameplay, and even more.

Physics-developer Havok sends word that it powers the explosions, jumps and anything physics-related in the just-released action blockbuster Halo 3. The company’s technology was used to power ragdolls, the portable gravity lift and the “mancannon”, among other things in the game.

With Halo 3 just weeks away from release, Microsoft has launched its huge marketing campaign for the game. To celebrate the release on September 25, over 10,000 retails across USA will be selling the game at 12.01am and will be hosting launch night events in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Most awesome of all, the first three days of Halo 3’s availability - September 25 through 27 - will see all Xbox Live users upgraded to Gold accounts, letting them duke it out online. This is being sponsored by Best Buy.

In more Halo 3 activities, gamers will be able to play against celebrities and Bungie in online multiplayer matches; Halo 3 content on Xbox Live Marketplace; Play & Win content from Best Buy and even more.

Joystiq reports that Master Chief is the first videogame character to be immortalized by Madame Tussauds, the famous wax museum. The 7′2″ tall and 275 lbs statue is towering over weaklings in the Las Vegas branch of the museum. If you’re in the area, then be sure to check it out.

Through a short note it was let out that the highly anticipated Halo 3 has gone gold and has been released to manufacturing. Three years in the making at Bungie Studios, the game will hit stores worldwide on September 25.

“This is a huge milestone for us and a big cause for celebration at Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios,” said Harold Ryan, Studio Head at Bungie Studios. “This is the game we’ve always wanted to make and certainly the best game our studio has developed. We can’t wait for gamers to get their hands on it on Sept. 25.”

Halo 3 is already set to smash its predecessor’s success with over one million pre-orders in North America alone. It is expected to shatter the day-one sales records when it is released.

The latest Bungie update offers word that development work on Halo 3 is winding down and that the highly anticipated game is roughly 99.9% complete. They are currently doing testing and bug fixing, which is the very important .1% bit, through the Epsilon program. It’s a closed, final phase testing for the game, including a lone single-player mission and three multiplayer maps.

The rest of the update talks about playing the game on a huge IMAX screen, their server-side stuff for the game that offers the option for uploading game movies and screenshots (among other things) and storing them online for public viewing, and a sneak peek at a new multiplayer map called Narrows. They have released a couple of screenshots from the map, one of which I have included in this post.

Yes, it has been confirmed: Halo 3 will include not two, not three, but four-player co-op. In this post on Bungie’s site, the company confirms the inclusion of co-op and details the challenges in making it happen. The mode will be available for up to four players via Xbox Live, as well as System Link with two players on each console.

Apparently, the mode seems to be quite complete as they have been playing it for “quite some time” and having some of their “greatest ever” experiences. Here’s a bit on the gameplay that will be found in co-op mode:

Acting as a team is a fantastic new twist to the Campaign gameplay - something that works as well on foot, in close confines as it does on the battlefield, with large scale vehicle mayhem. Scared of Jackal snipers? Send out a scout to see what dangers lie ahead. Terrified of an open field? Flank your enemies and swipe their rides. The combinations and scenarios are endless - and you’ll be able to enjoy them time and time again in Saved Films of your co-op exploits.

Like every other aspect of Halo 3, this mode is chosen from a Lobby. Simply select Campaign, choose your network (Xbox Live or System Link) and invite your friends to join you, or they can simply join your session once it’s set up and in a lobby (but they cannot join a game once it’s in-progress). They will pop into your lobby instantly, and when you have all the players you need (anywhere from one to four) you can begin the game from the beginning - or from any of your saved checkpoints.

Split-screen co-op is as ever, limited to two players per screen - but they can if they wish join two other friends online or via System Link.

Thankfully, they have decided to add new characters instead of having four Master Chiefs running about. Player one will control Chief himself, with player two joining in as Arbiter. The other two players will don the role of brand new Elite characters, whose biographies have been posted on the site. Interestingly, all characters will have identical abilities, with only their appearance and weapon starts being different.

They’ve also released a nice group screenshots, showing off the four characters posing together. Enjoy:

Microsoft has officially announced that specially marked boxes of Crackdown will include an invite to the Halo 3 multiplayer beta when it launches this Spring. Those who purchase the game will simply use the disc as a key to download the beta from Xbox Live Marketplace and join the action. Crackdown is released in the US on February 20, Europe on February 23 and Asia on February 22.

The company also announced another way to get in the beta: play Halo 2! Beginning February 1, 12.01 am PST, all gamers who participate in at least three hours of Halo 2 multiplayer via Xbox Live till February 3, 11.59 pm EST, and be among the first 13,333 to register at the Halo 3 website will get into the beta. This “Rule of Three” program is open to gamers across all regions.

The latest offshoot from Bungie is Certain Affinity, founded by industry veteran Max Hoberman. He has worked on the multiplayer component for Halo 2 and the upcoming Halo 3; developers from Digital Anvil, Origin as well as others from Bungie make up the rest of the team.

Certain Affinity will have a certain affinity towards Halo it seems, as, according to their announcement, the studio’s first project is developing multiplayer maps for Halo 2, which will be released by Microsoft this Spring. The company is also working on a new Xbox 360 title that will be unveiled at a later date.

For those waiting to sign up for the Halo 3 multiplayer beta, Microsoft has announced that it will open up registration on Halo3.com starting December 4. However, they didn’t give any indication to the criteria that will be used to determine who gets in.

In related news, both Microsoft and Bungie sent word to remind people that a Halo 3 CG advertisement will be shown on ESPN on December 4, between 5:50pm and 6:20pm Pacific Time. Those in the UK will get to view it on TV, when it airs on Channel 4 on December 15 at 22:45. The 60 second ad will also be broadcast simultaneously on Xbox.com and be available for download via Xbox Live Marketplace.

Created by advertising agency McCann Erickson, the highly anticipated ad will provide gamers with a “unique and compelling” look at Master Chief and the world of Halo 3. Attached to this post is a still (full 1920×1080 resolution) still from the advert.

A lone shot of Master Chief holding a gun…