What could be more fun than gunning a hog through enemy spawn points and racking up kill after kill? Well, how about trying to keep said hog alive with some of the best drivers and gunners Halo 3 has to offer hunting you down. Huh.. well, that didn’t come out quite right.
BSG recently had the privilege of tearing up the battlefield with the fine gentlemen from H3Wheelmen. Since their roster boasts some of the finest Hog drivers you’ll ever see in the circuit, of course we had to see what they were all about! Though I’m usually not keen on getting behind the chaingun, (give me a BR and a nice pair of boots and I’m set) I have to say that this was one of the most enjoyable nights of Halo I’ve had in quite some time.
Game 1: Neutral Assault on Sandtrap
Sandtrap is a more or less and giant sandbox filled with Tonka trucks and Hot Wheels just begging to be put to good use. Going into this game we knew that the H3Wheelmen were going to be in their comfort zone. With the two Warhogs, Chopper, and the slew of Mongooses (Eat it Red) available, we were definitely in for some carnage. Like we had expected, it was a rarity to see the Wheelmen on foot for any significant amount of time; if they were, it often meant a sniper round to the head or a brand-new suntan from the laser.
Vehicle control was where this map shined. For the first five minutes of the game the Wheelmen had us relatively pinned down as their two warthogs tore across the sand. It seemed like neither team could get a strong hold on the bomb and make any significant progress. After over 15 minutes of standstill, and while probing for the bomb in enemy territory, we were shocked to discover that F Bobby had silently entered our base. Before anyone could make it back, the bomb had detonated giving the Wheelmen a 1 – 0 lead.
The rest of the game saw the Wheelmen with a solid defensive set-up. With a Warthog dedicated to guarding their Elephant we were unable to make a successful bomb plant without losing our whole attack party to laser fire and a hail of gunfire. No matter how many Hog to Hog battles we won there always seemed to be another waiting just around the corner to finish off our own. With a minute left on the clock the bomb was once again armed in our base, and the Wheelmen sealed in their victory. Thanks to an infinite Sudden Death we were afforded a last second retaliatory bomb plant to finish the game.
Final Score: 2 – 1 Wheelmen Victory
Game 2: Team King on Avalanche
This is our go to map. Our bread and butter. With random hill spawns and a 1 minute timer, Team King on Avalanche is sure to create some chaos and excitement. The name of the game? Grab as much hill time as you can while your opponents are trekking halfway across the world to reach the new spawn. Pair that with a couple Warthogs and a Wraith and you have a recipe for some serious devastation.
BSG took an early lead by securing the first hill spawn, and we didn’t look back. After battling across to the Wheelmen’s side of the map over and over again, we were quite puzzled by the fact that the hill seemed to magically spawn in their territory and never paid a visit to our own. Nonetheless, our infantry stuck it out in the ice cave to rack up some serious points, and our Hog teams tore across the snow and kept many of the Wheelmen in respawn long enough for our guys to cinch the victory.
Final Score: 250 – 119 BSG Victory
Game 3: Multi-Flag on Standoff
We had our doubts about going into such a small map with 16 people and trying to run two hogs amidst all of that BR fire, but surprisingly the lag did not play as big of a role as we thought it would. With its relatively limited lanes of travel on Standoff, the Warthog was not the powerhouse it was on the previous two maps, and our infantry were able to shine as multiple one on one BR encounters seemed to take priority over gunning down the enemy hog.
Pushing across the center of the map was key to an early BSG monopoly, but the Wheelmen were putting up a very solid and very formidable defense inside of their base. Though we controlled much of the territory surrounding their base, we just could not seem to get inside and pull the flag out no matter how hard we tried. Wave after wave of assaults were pushed aside as the Wheelmen tried to get their vehicles up and rolling, but with a Hog of our own creating just enough chaos I was able to duck in and pull the flag just far enough to panic the Wheelmen. What followed was perhaps the most frenzied, desperate throwing of bodies upon a flag that I have ever seen. At one point in time there were at least 10 corpses of both Red and Blue colors littering the center of the map as each team jostled for control over the Wheelmen’s flag.
As the game wound on the trend that was established at the beginning was carried through. BSG lined the rocks in front of the Wheelmen’s base and continuously charged for the flag. In the wake of the chaos from the first capture, the second flag grab was executed perfectly. Flag out birth-canal to a waiting mongoose and we were home free home.
The rest of the match was essentially a stalemate. BSG was displaying dominance in the center of the map, but like before we were just unable to push successfully into the defenses that the Wheelmen had created. With a few flag grabs of their own, the guys from H3Wheelmen.com showed us that no matter how strong of an offense you think you have, there will always be the mongoose that slips around the back of the base and catches you off guard.
Towards the 17 minute mark BSG was finally able to pull the final flag from the Wheelmen’s stronghold, and so ended the chaotic and relentless experience that was Multi-flag Standoff.
Final Score: 3-0 BSG Victory
Since we had such a great time in the three original scheduled games, we all decided to stick around afterwards and head off into some custom craziness. With a Zombie/Vehicle combo map on Sandtrap followed by an 8 v 8 Territories match on Guardian, it was obvious that everyone was having a great time. I’ll have to admit, this challenge was probably the most fun I’ve had playing Halo in a while. And yes, to all of you out there wondering, I did drive a Hog or two and managed a nice killing spree in a Chopper. Aren’t you proud?
Thanks for the great games Wheelmen! It was a blast in both the pre-game lobby and on the battlefield. It’s always fun to come across a group of individuals who are here to have a good time and play fair. We will definitely be doing something like this again in the future.
–Cashmere
