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At E3 2014, developer 343 Industries revealed that the next chapter of Master Chief's journey would begin later this fall with the release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, a single-disc compilation developed exclusively for the Xbox One (and maybe PC). It wasn't the Halo 5 announcement that many had been hoping for after last year's tease, but The Master Chief Collection was still a nice stopgap and a perfect holiday gift for diehard fans.

In addition to setting the stage for what will be the next chapter in Chief's journey in Halo 5: Guardians, the Halo: Master Chief Collection reveal also teased that six of Halo 2's original multiplayer maps would be getting a complete next-gen makeover. However, 343 wasn't ready to reveal all six maps just yet, only one: the precariously staged Ascension.

Now that some time has passed since E3, it was apparently time for 343 to reveal their next Halo 2 map for The Master Chief Collection - and what better place than the Rooster Teeth Expo in Austin, TX. Rooster Teeth became a household name thanks to their Halo-inspired machinima series Red vs. Blue, and since then they've been almost a tangential part of the entire Halo saga.

So what's the new Halo 2 map? Well, since Rooster Teeth's Red vs. Blue series carries the subtitle "The Blood Gulch Chronicles" it only maked sense that 343 unveil Coagulation as the next Halo 2 map getting redone. [Note: Halo 2's single player will get the Anniversary makeover that includes graphical improvements, a higher resolution, and 60fps frame rate, but these six maps will be completely redesigned, presumably with the Halo 5 engine]

Coagulation is, of course, a revamped version of Blood Gulch, which is without question the most iconic map in all of Halo's history. Neither map is necessarily the best-designed, mind you, but there honestly was no way Coagulation wouldn't make the cut. Check out the first image of the upgraded map below:

In addition to the Coagulation reveal, 343 Industries also announced that the Mongoose four-wheeler would be getting a mounted machine gun in these new maps. As a result, the development team has renamed the vehicle to the "Gungoose."

There was also some talk of Forge, specifically that the mode will be delivered in all its glory as part of The Master Chief Collection. Unfortunately, that means no map editing for Halo 1: Anniversary, but it does mean the six new Halo 2 maps, as well as all Halo 3 and 4 maps will support customization.

Skulls are also coming back in the Collection, both new and old types. The devs wouldn't reveal what types of skulls players could expect, however.

As if that wasn't enough, 343 also confirmed four more multiplayer modes (Race, Infection, SWAT, and Ricochet) for Halo 2: Anniversary and debuted a new trailer for Halo 2: Anniversary that further teases a connection between this game and Halo 5: Guardians. Check it out at the very top of the post.

343 made it abundantly clear that E3 2014 was just the beginning of Master Chief's journey, and they are proving that to be true. And with four maps still unrevealed, and 6 months until the Collection's debut, fans should expect more Halo details soon.

How do you feel about Coagulation getting the remake treatment? What other maps are on your list for Halo 2?

Halo: The Master Chief Collection releases November 11, 2014 for Xbox One.

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Source: Gamespot