Bungie introduced yesterday the first extra-pack of Halo 3 multi-player maps in the most hilarious manner, giving the guys from Rooster Teeth (remember Machinima-Red vs. Blue videos from Halo 2?) the mission to introduce gamers to the new downloadable content.

Dubbed Heroic Map Pack, Bungie's first creation after the split-up with Microsoft will cost 800 Microsoft points, but will eventually become free, just as it happened with most of the extra-content for Halo 2. The pricing was Microsoft's decision, Bungie had no involvement in this rip-off domain. HMP contains three new environments, called Rat’s Nest, Standoff and Foundry, "each providing a unique Halo 3 multiplayer experience", according to Bungie.

All you have to do to play them is log on to Xbox Live Marketplace, go to the Marketplace tab, select “Games” and then look in either “New Arrivals” or “All Games” for the Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack. You should later press A to select the HMP and then Marketplace should walk you through the purchase steps. Initially, the Map Pack will be heavily advertised on Marketplace and you should be able to select any of the "ads" featuring the Map Pack as a shortcut.

Bungie warns its younger fans that because of regulation, all content on Xbox Live Marketplace will be age-rated from now on, so if their Xbox 360 is set not to accept M (mature) content, the maps will not be downloaded.

Here's a short description of them:

• Standoff. Standoff is a big-ish symmetrical map, great for Team Slayer, excellent for Objective games and big enough for a couple of vehicles. It has locked-down Bunkers for bases and lots of cover for players trying to make their way from one base to the next. Although some say it has a similar feel to Blood Gulch, the geometry and terrain is very different.
• Rat’s Nest. Rat's Nest is a massive level set in the corridors and tunnels of a Human Base near Kilimanjaro. You may recognize parts of it from Halo 3's Campaign mode. Effectively, it's a giant Oval, kind of like an underground NASCAR track, with lots of vehicles and plenty of tunnels criss-crossing the center area. It's designed for big team games, Objective and Slayer, but also works brilliantly for game types like Infection and Territories.
• Foundry. Foundry is a very unique map—designed from the outset to be the most customizable Halo 3 Forge map ever created. It's a large Warehouse, which can be emptied quickly and then rebuilt any way you like, with a brand new palette of objects such as walls, ramps, Mancannons and more. Stuff you never had access to before and objects that can be used to create fully functioning level designs, rather than simply altering our existing map.