G-pinions

Remember a few months back, when I realized that, after only owning NFL2K5 for 6 weeks, I had already logged 80 hours into the game? That came as quite a shock, to you the avid reader who may not have realized how far my obsession truly reaches, and to me, the player, as well. Seeing my life sucked away by a video game and not even caring is the first sign of... well... something. And I'm not entirely sure if that something is good or not. Nevertheless, ESPN2K5 still stands proudly in my display case, but does not have quite the cool strut since Halo 2 showed up. At the rate I am consuming this game; it will take me a mere two weeks to equal the 80 hours I logged into NFL2K5. For those poor at math, I have played Halo 2 about 20 hours the last 3 days and have not even touched the Campaign mode yet.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you - the G-Pinions reader who, for whatever reason, does not yet own a copy of Halo 2 for him or herself. Rather than write a column that praises various aspects of the game, I will share with you some of my favorite moments from my first few days in the Halo-verse. Obviously, these all come from playing online so fear not the spoilers. Youngsters may want to seek the comforting arms of an adult to hold them through these sometimes brutal descriptions of dead Master Chefs.

My first such tale, and only one that will actually mention Nick, took place in a standard capture the flag match on Beaver Creek. The results of the match are not really important, but let it be known that Nick and I, along with a few other people, went on to win by the score of 9-0. Unlike the last CTF match I mentioned, I was not relegated to defensive duty this time around. Instead, I was the offensive force which put the fear of Penguin in the unlucky Reds, bringing back one third of the flags as well as exerting constant pressure.

We may not have been playing the brightest bulbs in the flock, though. Almost every single attempt I made at stealing the flag, and there were many, involved the same basic method; I would walk to the back of our base, enter the teleporter which warped me behind their base. From there, I would run to the side, leap on the roof, and crash in from above - killing anyone unfortunate enough to be defending and claiming the flag for my own.

For those that are unaware of Beaver Creek's layout, let me give a quick run down - it's just two bases separated by a river and some trees. Very small. So, if an eager sniper perches atop one of the many tall structures, they can see over more than 80% of the map with ease. Unfortunately for them, they cannot see directly behind them.

On three of my trips on their roof I found a sniper up there. All three times he was positioned at the very front of the base, straining to see some movement from the enemy. The first time I saw this; I did a double take and nearly fell down. Even if I killed him in a head to head fight, I would probably be too injured to successfully steal the flag. Furthermore, firing a gun at all would alert his teammates to my presence. I had only one option.

I clicked down on the left stick and slowly crept towards him. He paced back and forth, but never turned around. When I got closer, I stood up and sprinted towards him. Before he had any time to react I knocked him on the head, killing him in one blow. The flag was mine. The second time I saw him up there, I assumed he knew I was coming. He didn't move this time. I feared he was baiting me, waiting until I came close and then he would blow us both up with a rocket launcher. I had to go though, I had no other choice. This time, I didn't take the time to crouch. I leapt up on the roof and sprinted towards him as fast as I could. I had two guns drawn, expecting him to go out fighting. When I reached him, though, his back was still to me. Once again, I knocked him upside the head and continued with my mission.

Only a minute or two later, we found ourselves in the same position. Was this guy a masochist? I knew he wasn't smart enough to bait me, so I just walked casually up to him. When I was right behind him, almost touching him, I yelled "Oh no! Someone's on the roof!" He started to turn and then I knocked him out, one last time. Oh, taunting someone with proximity voice - is there anything better?





My second favorite moment, which is much shorter than the first, came in the CTF match I mentioned in the last post. I was on defensive duty for most of the match. Usually, Grolley and I teamed up to make sure no one got near the flag. He decided to go on offense one time, though, and I stayed back alone. As I crouched near the flag, I saw a red dot coming towards the base. Someone was on the roof. I slowly changed positions until I saw him. He was just standing up there. I didn't care; I whipped out my SMG Pistol combo and began to shoot.

As soon as I started to shoot, another guy flew in from below me and killed us both with a rocket launcher. Very embarrassing. It was the oldest trick in the booth. They used a decoy, just like raptors do. I couldn't believe I fell for it. The initial guy dropped down and easily stole the flag then climbed into a Warthog and drove to his base without even firing a shot.

When I reappeared, I was in my base with a teammate who was holding the other team's flag. We couldn't score unless we got their flag back. I told him it was my fault, I would find the guy.

I leapt into our Ghost and took off for their base. I got there in only a few seconds, thank God for boost, and saw the guy with the flag still in the Warthog. He saw me coming and started to drive towards the side so he could climb right up on the roof. If I let that happen, I would have to get out of the Ghost and would probably get killed by his teammates waiting for me. So I did the only thing I could, I used the boost to slam into his Warthog. I hit it perfectly, flipping the hog with him in it. But he was still alive. He made a mad dash towards the ramp while I got my bearings. Just as he was about to escape, I slammed into him. I jumped out of the Ghost, trying to recover the flag. All I needed to do was touch it.

Just as I got the flag back someone slammed into me with their Warthog, I died, but it didn't matter. I heard them cursing after that, "How did he get the flag back?" Good times.





My favorite moment happened in a one flag CTF contest in Zanzibar. It was a four on four match and, after 4 rounds, both teams were still scoreless. We needed to change our strategy. We sent one guy in the beginning to try and sneak into their base and open the door. The rest of the team snuck in through the front, making as much noise as possible to get their attention. They promptly killed us all, but not before we opened the gate.

We re-spawned on the beach with the confidence that we could steal the flag this time. I jumped into the Warthog as driver, a teammate was the gunner and the guy riding shotgun had a rocket launcher. We were ready to go. We burst into their base, guns blazing and people dying. I drove right up to the flag as the shotgun guy jumped out to grab it. Just past him, coming down the ramp, was their last surviving obstacle to our success. We were too close to use the turret on the back of the 'Hog, so I had to take him out myself. He jumped over me as I tried to squish him, but I was able to back up on him before he killed our flag guy. Quickly, my teammate jumped back into the Warthog and we were on our way.

This story doesn't end with success, I accidentally flipped the Warthog, but that moment when we charged into their base was so awesome. We were as dangerous as a Raptor Rex with a rocket launcher. Pure awesomeness.