There are many things to love about Warzone, but I had a game this weekend, and another last night, that really drove home how awesome this gamemode is. Something happened that I’ve only experienced a handful of times, and many of you probably have as well, a combination of listening to your gut, and also saying “Frak it.” Hey there 343, creating Warzone is one of the greatest additions to the Halo gaming franchise, well done. If you want to skip down to the end for my “WHY”, feel free to, but here’s my gameplay story.
Started a new game, March on Stormbreak, we’re Red Team. I’m on headset, called out as we’re hitting our Base, but no one responds. Not a biggee, can still have a good game. We capture Base pretty quick, I tool up with a Suppressor, Boltshot and splinter grenades. I head straight for Fortress, some guys are capping our Armory quick, there’s 2-3 of us going for Lochagos. Me and another guy get in and get some licks on Lochagos before his minions take us out. I respawn at Armory…aw crap, Blue Team got Lochagos. We fight over Fortress a bit, but Blue Team gets it. So then for a while we go for Bosses, and capture and lose their Armory 2-3 times. Fortune smiles on us, we get Captain Wamik. But Blue Team’s just a little bit better, steady 100+ point lead. I finally hit L6, and after loading out with my DMR, getting some shots out and eventually dying, I respawned back at Base. Based on the score, it’s not looking good for Red Team. I go to a REQ Station, time to just pull something out for some fun. Power Weapon…nah, a vehicle. Mantis? No, this map isn’t that great for a Mantis…a tank. Haven’t pulled out a tank in a while; not using one of my few variants with extra armor, just a plain old disposable Scorpion. I exit the Base on the right, the side near the big drop off. Wait, what’s that, couple of Blue guys pushing on our Armory? BOOM. Not anymore. Hey, our two Hunters are still down there on the loading dock, all ignored. I move in, to where I can get a shot without too much exposure. A few shots, then, “Hunter takedown.” A few more shots, “Hunter takedown.” I don’t need Boss or Hunter kills anymore, but Red Team desperately needs all the points we can get. Then Palmer announces, “Warden Eternal is at the [whatever that place is called].” I don’t see any Blue guys pushing in, so I drive around our Armory, joined by one Red guy on foot. I stop short of going into the tunnel and start blasting Warden’s entourage. Look! Blue Team has a Ghost headed to our Armory! BOOM. Not anymore. Then me and the Red rifleman keep blasting the Warden and his pals. I get 4-5 of the Soldiers and both Watchers. It’s just the two of us, and since I have the Warden’s primary attention, he keeps blasting me. But I’m in a tank, so I don’t die, just briefly disabled, then getting shots off, although accumulating damage. At some point Palmer announces that we capture their Armory. Then I see some Red dudes come in from the other side and they start lighting up the Warden. They get his attention, so he turns oblique to me, now I can see the glowing ball that says “Shoot Me Here” on his back. I go static, and concentrate on aiming. Aim good - BOOM. Aim good - BOOM. Aim good - BOOM. After one of the BOOM’s, there’s that big energy bloom off of the Warden, a medal flashes up on my screen, and Palmer says, “Warden Eternal takedown.” Yes! But what she says next is even better - “We’ve gained the lead.” Red Team flows out of the tunnel with a vengeance, looking to kill as many Blue Team as they can, as fast as they can. At this point my poor tank is completely 100% on fire. It’s actually quite amusing. But it still moves and still shoots. I creep out of the tunnel, fire flicking all over. Oh, look, Blue Team is trying to retake their Armory. BOOM. Not that guy. I get a couple more shots off, damage a Ghost for an Assist, then some Blue guy unloads their DMR into my Flaming Chariot of Destruction and blows me up. I respawn at their Armory with my Suppressed DMR, run out and get some shots off while ducking around, then, the game’s over, victory for Red Team.
This is what I love: One simple decision, by one player, all on their own without a lot of thought, won the game.
I’m not saying that I single-handedly won the whole game start to finish. I didn’t take down Captain Wamik, or capture their Armory solo three times, and if some other Red Team players hadn’t capped their Armory, and then engaged Warden, exposing his back to me, and couldn’t have hit him like I did. It was definitely a team effort. But if instead of a Scorpion, had I pulled out The Answer, or Nornfang, or perhaps a Mantis, things would have gone differently. In all likelihood, a Blue Team victory. What Red Team needed, at that time, at that place, was a tank. Anyone could have pulled one out, it just happened to be me. I wasn’t thinking, “I can bring out a Scorpion, then kill some guys, then go kill Warden, then we’ll win the game!” More like, “Eh, tank sounds nice, I can go blow up some dudes, someone will blow me up, it’ll be fun.” But guess what, it made all the difference.
