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The Halo 4 map walkthroughs just keep on coming! This time it's a first look at the Meltdown map, sporting some interesting land formations and an art style that once again distinguishes itself from the rest of the selection.

Ravines, light bridges, caves, Forerunner structures and more look to bring players face to face with one another, whether on foot or behind the wheel of the newly-redesigned vehicles. We may only have seen half the maps being crafted for multiplayer at launch, but Halo 4 is shaping up to be one comprehensive package of every type of online arena we can think of.

We don't know what it is about catastrophic disasters in the Halo universe that makes ground zero into a fantastic multiplayer locale, but why mess with success? Meltdown, as explained by Lead Multiplayer Level Designer Kynan Pearson in the newest IGN walkthrough, was specifically designed to address a need for an 'infinity loop' map, constructed around an endless figure-eight track. If the intersection of said figure-eight sounds like a place where carnage is likely to take place, don't worry - they've also added Man-Cannons to hurl players directly into it.

All that action takes place in the exterior of the map, but each team will be centered around a single base featuring interior combat areas, vehicle spawn points, and shortcut exits. Meltdown may not be the largest map we've seen, but it's certainly one of the most sprawling and intricately layered (seriously, a map might be needed to keep on track).

Halo 4 Meltdown Walkthrough Video

The most unique aspect of Meltdown visible in the walkthrough is that it appears to straddle some interesting lines where level design is concerned. It's a large scale map built with vehicles in mind, yet constructed around high-walled choke points as opposed to wide open fields, like Ragnarok, for instance. The overall result is an interesting blend of close-quarters combat and long-range ambushes.

The same type of experience was shown in multiplayer footage on Exile, and to a lesser extent, Longbow. Halo enthusiasts may generally describe a multiplayer map as either big, medium or small, but 343 Industries is showing that the ones that feature a little from each are the most compelling. And more often than not, the ones that the pros tend to find the most inspired. In the case of Meltdown, snow patterns, bases, and other structures will all help a player get their bearings, but even so this map is going to be one that tests sense of direction big time.

Which of the maps shown so far are you most excited for? Is multiplayer looking to be where you spend a majority of your play time, or has singleplayer and Spartan Ops got you itching for November to come early? Sound off in the comments.

And for those who may have missed them, be sure to check out the video walkthroughs previously released:

Halo 4 will be released on November 6, 2012, exclusively for the Xbox 360.

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Follow me on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: IGN