Hardcore Halo 2 Advice

By Hardcore

You've just had your Banshee jacked by the gamer that put the "hard" in "Legendary," the "core" in "Very Hard," and the fear of the prophets in Grunts everywhere for the last month. I cordially welcome you all to a special installment of Hardcore's Hardcorner. This week, I'm taking questions from and dispense hardcore advice to our studio audience on the topic of Halo® 2. Who wants to go first? Anyone? Someone? Don't make me say "Bueller" because I won't say—crap.

Look, nobody has a question? Chickens. Bock, bock, bu-caw, I say. Guess your ol' pal Hardcore will just have to pose the questions you probably would have asked had you the courage.

Pink vs. yellow vs. green vs. red on Lockout.

Hardcore,

I'm obsessed with Halo 2 team games on Xbox Live® and have been playing nonstop (with short breaks of what I think are unconsciousness). I just can't put it down and don't really want to. My wife left me, my children have been taken away by the state, I'm suffering from extremely poor hygiene, and I think my dog ate part of my foot during a marathon one-flag Capture the Flag match last Wednesday, and now he refuses to give it back. The landlord has threatened to call the police, and I'm reduced to stealing electricity and broadband access from a nearby orphanage for destitute kittens. My question is: What's your favorite team multiplayer map and game?

Sincerely,
Name Unknown, Bedford Falls, N.Y.

George,

Glad to hear you're sticking with the Halo 2. You sound like a fine young gamer with the right priorities and a wonderfulHalo 2-filled life ahead of you. You are going places, places I can't describe on a family Web site.

My favorite map, naturally, depends on the game. Customization makes it all the more fun, even if it won't do squat for your online ranking. And, dude, if you're just playing for your ranking, that's just nuts what with the customizing options that Halo 2 has to offer. Currently, I'm addicted to team play on Zanzibar, especially my personally designed one-flag Capture the Flag (CTF) with a starting Rockets and Swords load-out for everyone and Banshees turned on. I dig vehicles, and there are plenty here—the offense defaults to a pair of Ghosts and a free Warthog to counter the turrets on the defenders' fortress. However, adding the Banshee changes the style of play completely.

On offense, instead of the standard two-pronged approach to storming the defender base (which invariably turns to a constant wave of attacks on the gate side with an undisciplined team—reason #352 that you should join a clan already or start one of your own), you can storm the turrets from above in the Banshee, patrol 'n' strafe the courtyard, or keep defenders from sniping on the central platform (the one with the respawning Rocket Launcher). The Banshee also provides an easy way for the offense to storm the gate controls to allow attacking ghosts and Warthogs to enter the fortress.

The defenders, of course, can take out attacking vehicles with the massive amount of explosive weaponry on hand and set ambushes with Energy Swords. The defense would also be wise to post someone outside to steal the attackers' vehicles, which can trap the offense team inside the defender's base. And, needless to say, they should post a guard on the gate switch.

Viva Zanzibar!

Hardcore,

The story behind Halo 2 is confusing to me. How did [deleted] survive [deleted]? What about [deleted]'s new haircut? What's that [deleted] down in the [deleted]? Why did the story end with the [deleted] and leave us hanging with the ultimate [deleted]? What of the fate of [deleted]? What? WHAAAAAT?!

Yours Truly,
mAst3rNc0mmnd3rNcH13f69, Crawford, Tex.

Hey, Mr. President,

Thanks for writing. Respectfully, your questions are a bit spoiler-ridden, so let's talk about more multiplayer team maps. If you want to cut out vehicles from the mix, hit Lockout. It's the snowy, frozen map that's incredible for Energy Sword and Sniper matches (another Hardcore homemade special).

Lockout is laid out in a way that doesn't have clearly defined bases or fortresses. In classic CTF games, for example, one of the flags is literally sitting right out in the open, but that means teams and small groups can stay on the move and hold temporary positions more easily. Two skilled players can hold the "green room" area indefinitely, and Enery Sword-weilders that stay indoors can ambush with impunity. This flexibility comes at a price, however, as there are fewer places on Lockout where you can truly conceal yourself as you move from area to area and a whole lot of perches that give players a view of at least three-quarters of the map. That's where the sniping comes in.

If classic CTF ain't your bag, Lockout's also great for Assault ("bombing run"), along with Team and Oddball games.

One Enery Sword is easily a match for twin Needlers.

Hardcore,

I like sharp things. Ha ha. I'm not supposed to have them, but I like them a lot. Sometimes the shiny ones tell me to do things. Ha ha. Do you like sharp things?

TTFNWB,
Inmate #4597760347, Space Prison Epsilon Zeta 9, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Uh, hey, you,

Seriously, don't stab me, and glad you asked about my favorite weapons for Xbox Live play! It's not really an advice question, per se, but hey, I'll take what I can get in your case. As you could tell from my answers to the previous questions, I dig the Energy Sword in either Slayer-type matches or team games. Who doesn't? Unlike its story mode counterpart, it never runs out of charges in multiplayer. And, let's face it, the Energy Sword strikes fear into the hearts of your foes. Just seeing it can make 'em panic. Heck, it makes your ol' pal Hardcore panic sometimes. On a smaller map like Ivory Tower or the unlockable Foundation, whip up a killer Slayer custom game of swords and stealth by turning on the Active Camouflage and Overshield options. Start everyone with Energy Swords, replace the found weapons on the map with even more Energy Swords, and you have yet another completely different style of game that's up-close, personal, and filled with exhilarating moments of terror, interspersed with tense cat-and-mouse hunting of the enemy.

The Energy Sword is not just for Slayer, though. In team games or clan matches, there will often only be one hotly contested Energy Sword on the map. The player who has it should pair with a ranged-weapon-packing teammate that can watch his back; then, start stalking halls and corridors. Note that this melee weapon's natural enemies include the Sniper Rifle, Rocket Launcher, and turrets. And, the usefulness of the Energy Sword goes down exponentially if you wander out into the open.

Multiple turrets make open ground deadly.

That's all the questions Hardcore has time for this week. Should have asked when you had the chance, eh? Join me next time when I answer the eternal question: If you make prison toilet wine at home, is it still prison toilet wine?