Bungie came rolling down I-45 like the Helljumpers they are releasing to us on September 22nd. I hope they were truly prepared for hell, given that temperatures were in the mid-90s when their modified military vehicle pulled into a Wal-Mart parking lot in north Houston on September 5th. BSG sported both senior and junior members as Mb021 represented for BSG Texas along with his young’un Dakota. The crowd to be waded through was substantial, but the rewards were sweet as BSG now has 35 minutes more ODST experience than most other gaming communities.

The truck Bungie brought down from Seattle was as impressive as they made it out to be in the Weekly Update, dwarfing even the impressively sized Mb. Big props to urk at Bungie for paving the way for our representatives to enter the ultra-secret door in the back of the vehicle for a preview set up by TTL Locke before the plebes got a chance to come in, having waited in line since 7 a.m. Patrick, TJ Scoot, and G-Mo were as professional as they could possibly be, especially given their severe sleep deprivation after a tour that started for them in Los Angeles and included little sustenance but the totally asbestos-free Goldfish crackers. The host of the event, Doug from Gamestop, was also welcoming and professional, and looked as excited about the product inside the truck as he was about the crowds outside his store.

The event brought out all kinds, including the clan that called themselves the Helljumpers, complete with ID tags and incredibly intense looks on their faces, as well as lots of people with big wide grins on their mugs as they left the candy coated awesomeness inside the truck. Once the lucky eight at the front of the line were ready to drop, they were brought in for a briefing in the small tent set up outside the doors leading to Olympus. They were given a card that detailed the controller configuration for the mission before being led into the truck, which was packing eight stations for recruits chomping at the bit to experience Firefight.

At first, I imagine it was kind of a giddy feeling, but before long, the new recruits started to realize that this was not exactly Halo. The AI is smart and seems to learn your tactics, which means that if you are on the chain gun for the first wave or two, be prepared for the enemy to try to flank without popping their heads out. If you push forwards into an area, it is likely that the enemy is going to spawn behind you. Suicide grunts, the laughingstock of Halo players everywhere, are deadly to an ODST, and if you are sitting back sniping, expect the opposition to take cover much better than they did in Halo 3.

Callouts and teamwork will be a premium in Firefight, and expect to be torn up if you run off alone as you will not be wearing Master Chief’s armor, so you will have no shield. The pistol is useful again and includes a zoom feature, but all of the weapons kick a lot more than they do in Master Chief’s hands. Remember to use your SMG in short bursts or you will end up wasting highly useful ammunition. The physics engine seems to have improved the way grenades bounce (according to someone who knows how grenades bounce off stuff ) and weapon kick is a much larger issue than has been the case up until now.

Mb estimated that the crowd was between two and three hundred when he left at 2:30, and the crowd was doing nothing bet getting bigger and bigger, so all hail urk for getting us the first look. If you see TTL Locke out there on the ‘tubes, make sure to give him a big shout-out too as I understand he was instrumental at getting us in without the line. Also, thank Mb for keeping on top of me to get this done as I was being singleminded of purpose on the whole Grifball general thing.

I am sorry to say that we have no news of the campaign as details for that seem to be shut up tighter than a sea-turtle’s behind, but based on Mb’s take, just Firefight would be well worth the $65. He said as much and I don’t doubt him, I paid for my copy two weeks ago. Check out the full picture gallery here.

While BSG fielded:
BSG Goose
BSG Merlin
BSG Roadkill
BSG Rush

No Mercy 1: AoR Survivors
One of the most closely fought rounds by far. The round started with the BSG crew as Infected, and the AoR as Survivors. We initially set up around the first kitchen/living room, ignoring Goose’s recommendation to set up one floor lower. This quickly proved an unwise decision as a very well coordinated AoR easily mopped up all four SI to gain some easy ground. Pressing their advantage, AoR got somewhat hurried and mistimed their drops to the ground floor, leaving a member behind to get pounced. While AoR was able to rescue their comrade, a healthy chunk of damage had been done. This slowed their advance and allowed BSG to set up multiple ambushes before the alarmed car. Here, AoR’s impeccable teamwork began to break down and a Hunter (BSG Rush) was able to pounce and kill a Survivor while a Smoker (BSG Merlin) managed to pull another one into the oft-cursed alarmed car. Continuing his rampage, Rush killed a second Survivor at the subway entrance while the remaining two ran for the safe room. One managed to make it inside, while the other was incapacitated in the doorway, and Left for Dead.

No Mercy 1: BSG Survivors
Forgoing the usual approach, we jumped through the skylights to obtain the element of surprise. The gambit paid off, and we were able to proceed relatively uninhibited through the apartments until we reached the dreaded first story drop. Here, AoR’s Boomer and Hunters did a superb job of keeping us in separate corners, allowing the Infected horde to rack up an impressive amount of damage. Unfortunately for AoR the damage was well distributed and we were able to proceed relatively unhindered. Knowing the danger that the alarmed car posed, we decided not to advance until the Smoker had been dealt with. This allowed all four members to enter the safe room in excellent condition.

BSG wins the first round. 1150-250

No Mercy 2: BSG Survivors
Taking the lead in points, BSG started the round as Survivors. We were able to move quickly through the level, avoiding a Witch spawn in the subway tunnels. Exiting the building after a mild crescendo event, the victory seemed well within grasp. Perhaps the Director sensed our confidence, or we were just unlucky, but as we stepped into the final street we heard the dreaded Tank music. Panicking, the BSG squad scrambled indoors to narrowly dodge one and a half tons of flying steel. Collecting our wits, we huddled in the lobby entrance. Our only strategy was to “not get hit by a car” and anything beyond that was a bonus. Fortunately, the lobby seemed designed to impede hulking goliaths, and we managed to down the Tank after suffering two incapacitations. Humbled, we limped to the safe room battered, but alive.

No Mercy 2: AoR Survivors
AoR began on a rocky note, suffering heavy damage at the first corner outside of the safe room. Our Smoker (BSG Goose) was able to snag the trailing member of AoR and pull him a significant distance backwards, while our Hunters were able to pull off multiple pounces each as AoR scrambled back to rescue their teammate. The next Smoker (BSG Merlin) set up in the subway car nearest the Witch and pulled a Survivor kicking and screaming over to the clawed sociopath. Befitting her psychotic nature, the Witch decided not to attack the Survivor that seemed to have triggered her, instead opting to incapacitate the Survivor with the most health. Knowing he was near death, we focused our attention on him and brought him down twice more for a kill. A man down, AoR pushed valiantly towards the crescendo event, but their diminished firepower proved too great a handicap and the final member of AoR was brought down within arms reach of the next medical supply box.

BSG maintains there lead: 2250-400

No Mercy 3: BSG Survivors
Provided with more explosives than we knew what to do with, we pushed through the level with relatively little difficulty. A Witch spawn before the crescendo event proved nearly disastrous, as the Witch was triggered (by BSG Merlin) with a casually lobbed Molotov. By pure chance, the flames brought her down mere feet from her intended victim. This stroke of luck allowed us to move rapidly through the level, dispatching a Tank in a similar manner. With both Director spawned obstacles out of the way, the BSG squad was able to move through the remainder of the level with little difficulty, save for some a pipe bomb mishap at the sewer exit that left upwards of 20 infected balanced precariously upon the heads of the survivors.

AoR had finally had enough of the BSG onslaught, and we decided to mix up the teams to promote fairness and fun for both teams.
The final score 3450-400

After this round, the ’slaughter rule’ was invoked and we mixed up the teams. The new teams were:

AoR OMGitsagirl
AoR Lanky
BSG Goose
BSG Roadkill

vs

BSG Merlin
BSG Rush
IcedKayTea
Uncle Eek

No Mercy 3:
The team headed up by BSG Goose was up as Survivors first, and were summarily dispatched due to some excellent Tank work by BSG Rush and a superb Smoker from the AoR squad. The team lead by BSG Merlin was able to successfully defeat the enemy Tank and despite the best efforts of the enemy camp, breezed through the remainder of the level to net a nearly 1600 point lead.

Merlins team pulls a quick lead: 1550-200

No Mercy 4:
Neither team was blessed with a Tank by the Director, making an already difficult level nearly impossible. Excellent teamwork from all parties made this the closest scored round yet, with less than 100 points separating the two teams this round. Ultimately the team led by BSG Goose prevailed, chipping away at their sizable point deficit and proving that they could still easily take the game.

Goose’s team wins the round, 1700-1750 but are still down: 3250-1950

No Mercy 5: part 1
It all came down to the finale. Since BSG Merlin’s team was in the lead, they’d be the first to take the field as Survivors. Encountering little resistance, they pushed quickly to the elevator shaft and prepared to leave the safety of the hospital interior. A quick peak up the final ladder revealed that the Special Infected had indeed set a trap that would require perfectly synchronized teamwork to defeat. Unfortunately, this scouting report was misconstrued as an order to charge up the ladder, and BSG Rush was soon set upon by a mob of hungry zombies. In a valiant attempt to rescue his teammate, Uncle Eek fell to the nearly the same fate and was instantly incapacitated by a very tricky Smoker pull. This left IcedKayTea to save the entire team, as BSG Merlin was knocked off an air conditioning unit and hanging over a 3 story drop to certain death. Steeling her resolve, IcedKayTea managed to not only fend off the attacking Special Infected, but was also able to mop up the remaining horde. Everyone back on their feet, the team limped and hobbled to the radio and salvation. As wave after wave of Infected crashed upon the Survivors things seemed to be looking up, until an impressive display of Tanking by BSG Roadkill shut down any chance the Survivors had of making it to the helicopter by incapacitating all four Survivors. By not completing the level, the now vanquished Survivors’ final score remained well within reach for the opposing squad.

No Mercy 5: part 2
Emboldened by their success the previous round, BSG Goose’s team charged the map and advanced to the final ladder with no difficulty. An expertly thrown molotov cleared off the roof; as the flames died down, in an impressive display of teamwork, the Survivors simultaneously swarmed up the ladder and dispatched the two Infected lucky enough to avoid immolation. After a leisurely jaunt to the radio and brief conversation with the helicopter pilot, the Survivors took covering positions in the radio room. With overlapping fields of fire, no Infected were able to reach the windows of their fortress, let alone get inside. As the Tank music started up, all four fully healed Survivors headed outside, their lone Molotov at the ready. Just as the ‘Rage timer’ was about to expire, the Boomer exploded on the Survivors forcing the Molotov to be tucked away in order to combat the incoming horde. Seizing the opportunity the Hunters and Tank focused on the group’s little pyromaniac, incapacitating her before the Molotov could be thrown. With 25% of their firepower suddenly gone, the remaining Survivors had to devote too much effort to dodging the Tank (BSG Merlin), allowing the Hunters and Smoker to pick them apart while the Tank caught up. The final Survivor was downed just as the Tank’s health was about to empty, leaving the final score about 1500 points in favor of BSG Merlin’s team.

Ultimately Merlin’s team wins 3450-2150

Thank you to AoR and everyone who participated in the event, BSG had a blast and we hope to mix it up with you guys again soon.

–Goose

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