This isn’t an amazing montage of awesome no-scopes and insane hog flips. It is just a collection of random moments that have taken place over the past month or so

Here’s a little video highlight from last night’s session. For the record, I was the wraith driver.

Sometimes in Halo 3 matchmaking, you’ll feel out-coordinated, out-matched, out-BR’d. The enemy team pours out on your poorly constructed defense like the endless flood of a backed up toilet, plants the bomb in the heart of the base you have spent yourself defending, and vigorously clicks in on the left thumb-stick while standing above your corpse.

Sometimes, when your team is scattered, when the enemy has all but won, you just want them to finish you off and end the game. You have given up all hope of victory, and want only to end the agony of a drawn-out defeat.

This was one of those games. This was Neutral Assault on Rat’s Nest.

First, let’s meet the players:

The well-intentioned Team HBO:

Senor Leche
petetheduck
Znite
Penguin Ninjoid
armoredrampage7
With random matchmaking dudes:
Mr ON3 sH0t
Dmarcan88

The steel-toothed Random Matchmaking Blue Team:
itz ILLUMINATI
mot 4r(1)
Batman is a 50
SKAZB0T
Reymasterchief
mot 4r(2)
mot 4r

The previous game had been a laggy, yet victorious round of CTF on Rat’s Nest, resulting in a 3-0 win for Team HBO. “Rat’s Nest again?” we thought. “We have this,” we thought.

Team HBO arrived at the bomb spawn first. Unfortunately, in our haste to be awesome, our warthogs didn’t have any passengers, so the bomb remained unclaimed for a time. That time ended when a blue player sporting active camouflage took the bomb and headed straight for our base. With Team HBO scattered, the blues had an easy time scoring just one minute into the game.

That is a lot of blues in the red base

While Team HBO scrambled to reassemble, the blues had already picked up a fresh bomb and were headed back to our base. The second bomb was armed one minute, thirty seconds into the game, but Team HBO prevailed and managed to disarm it.

In a lapse of teamwork…

…the bomb was promptly delivered to the blue team…

…who armed it again at about three minutes into the game, gaining a second point.

This time, Team HBO arrived at the bomb spawn in force and initiated a lengthy battle with the blues.

The bomb changed hands many times, not making it particularly close to either base over the course of several minutes. Then something unusual happened; Znite, bomb in hand, dropped a grav-lift on the center bridge and was pushed through the upper framework, reaching the top of the bridge.

He maintained his position as the battle raged below. Even the blue team’s sniper didn’t spot him, in plain sight. It took a full two minutes before the blues caught on and recovered the bomb, heading for our base.

This is literally the point in the game where I gave up; in anticipation of the enemy charging our base with the bomb, I had set up a warthog in the road and boarded the turret, aiming directly at the plant point in our base. I was ready to ambush the enemy with a ‘hog full of fury as soon as they emerged from the hall behind our base.

Then random matchmaking dude Dmarcan88 gets in the drivers seat of the warthog and begins to drive to the middle of the map JUST as the blue bomb carrier came into view. As he drove me away, I felt that the driver had just sealed our fate. Our team was already scattered, and now a significant element in what very possibly might have been our final defense was being driven away. Game over.

After reaching the middle of the map, he turns around and drives back to our base. As we make the final turn, I expected the worse. Instead, I had a pleasant surprise:

Team HBO had reassembled. In perfect sync, our warthogs cruised across the map.

Our assault on the blue base was firm. It was determined. It prevailed: Team HBO scores its first point at 9:38.

Being one of the first to die in the assault on blue base, I was in position to grab the bomb when it respawn. Heading directly for the blue base, Team HBO scored a second point at 10:28.

The game was tied, our faith restored. It was on.

How dedicated were we now? Dedicated enough to drive off a cliff after the bomb, apparently.

In the few minutes that followed, the blues armed the bomb again, but Team HBO managed to defuse it. Then, all at once, the blues assembled. They brought some serious firepower. This was going to be the end.

Znite’s decision to block the lower entrance to our base with a warthog may have been the deciding factor, as it broke up the blue’s solid assault and enabled us to engage them one-by-one.

Recovering the bomb, Mr ON3 sH0t and Znite led our assault. In perfect sync, they dropped a bubble shield and a regenerator in the heart of the blue base.

It was finished.

Team HBO wins, 3-2.

When I joined Znite’s party, I was a little skeptical when he told me that every game they had played so far that night was peppered with betrayals. It didn’t take very long for me to be convinced. Please enjoy the following video, which I have titled “HBD’oh Teamwork Vol 1″.

Back on 10/16, Team HBO brought the awesome to DLC Big Team. Two games that were particularly enjoyable were back-to-back Neutral Assault on Avalanche. This is their story.

Disclaimer: I feel it’s necessary to mention that I play for fun. These write-ups aren’t meant to gloat or act like I, or the people I play with, are the best Halo 3 players ever. We get it handed to us plenty–we just try to have a good time.

Team HBO (as always, this does not refer to a specific group of people):

Concretensteel

GreySpark

Handmade Hero

petetheduck

Schedonnardus

We were short for this playlist, so we had 3 random players as well

Game 1: Neutral Assault on Avalanche (Team HBO as RED)

I have come to the conclusion that there is a distinct difference in the experience you will have in matchmaking if you enter with a party versus if you enter without a party. That difference is very clear in the opening moments of this game. Let’s make a comparison! Both of these screen shots were taken 23 seconds into the game:

Let’s see what the blue team is doing:

Looks like a blue guy ran off with the warthog without getting a gunner. Doesn’t say much for teamwork, does it?

Now let’s see what Team HBO is doing:

That’s more like it!

Teamwork FTW!

There was almost no resistance as our warthogs started acting inappropriate in the enemy base, in celebration of our prompt bomb plant.

First score: 1:55

At this point the majority of our team had to backtrack from blue base to pick up the bomb. A red hornet was the only thing covering the bomb’s respawn, so the blue team managed to carry it into the cavern.

GerySpark recovered it very shortly afterwards, however, and Team HBO was promptly ready to deliver the payload a second time.

Second score: 4:33

The bomb respawn wasn’t immediately guarded, but our hornet promptly arrived to cover. GreySpark arrived on foot to grab the bomb as Handmade Hero pulled up to give him a ride. No gunner, but a second red warthog was already giving trouble to the blues. A little cover fire from the hornet sealed the deal.

Third score: 5:50

Final Score: Team HBO wins 3 – 0

Game 2: Neutral Assault on Avalanche (Team HBO as RED)

Let’s do another comparison. 27 seconds into the game, let’s see what the blue team is doing:

Hmm, now Team HBO:

(that’s me with the turret)

There was no contest. Unfortunately, our two warthogs, bomb in tow, bottlenecked at the lower entrance to blue base, making themselves easy prey for grenade spam.

Meanwhile, I had decided to bring my turret into blue base via their teleporter. It was a long walk, but as it turned out, it was totally worth it.

I traded the turret for rockets and the bomb. I waited a few moments outside their teleporter until my team was in a position to back me up. It turns out, when you both have rockets, all you really need is two.

The blues weren’t guarding their base at all. The quickest response they could muster was a hornet, which didn’t stand a chance:

First score: 5:12

Team HBO was already waiting at the bomb spawn with a warthog, although it was ditched to take the teleporter entrance.

Immediately after planting the bomb, blue team sent their best ninjas to defuse it. Clearly no match for them, Team HBO decided to throw vehicles at the enemy until the bomb detonated. It worked.

Second score: 6:08

GreySpark was prompt to arrive at the bomb spawn in a hornet, giving random dude FR4CTUR3 a lift. Their flight was cut short by a blue warthog. A few HBO players scrambled to get the bomb through the teleporter, but the battle was lost in the blue base.

Moments later, Team HBO assembled a healthy amount of firepower in front of the enemy base. Unfortunately, they had already taken them bomb elsewhere.

Another random guy on our team recovered the bomb, which was being walked, unescorted, past our camo spawn. He then proceeded to walk it himself, unescorted, across the map. I invite you to see what happened when I decided I would offer him a lift:

After ignoring my offer for a ride, he was promptly killed by the blue team as they emerged from their teleporter. Thanks for giving blue team the bomb, guy! …

The blues brought it into the caverns, but Concretensteel caught a glimpse of them. Thanks to the quick maneuverability of our warthog and, now, two hornets, we promptly cut them off as they emerged toward our base.

I tried a second time to at escorting our payload, and thankfully Concretensteel was the one to pick up the bomb this time.

The combined firepower of two hornets nailing the front of their base caused the blue team to take cover in the back—the perfect opportunity for Concretensteel to plant the bomb.

The hornet duo successfully defending the bomb, the third score happened at 13:11

Final score: Team HBO wins, 3 – 0

I would like to mention one last thing about this game:

 I’ll expect answers, Handmade Hero

An enjoyable moment from one of last night’s games.

Last night, I ran into a few fine folk from HBO. I hadn’t yet gotten the Vidmaster Challenge: 7 on 7 achievement, but the group merrily offered to assist by getting 7 wins in Squad Battle. This is our story.

Team HBO (meaning a bunch of random HBO guys in a party, not an actual set group of people):
GreySpark
petetheduck
Schedonnardus
SPU7N1K
UnrealCh13f (joined after game 2)
Znite

Game 1: Big Team Slayer on Construct (Team HBO as RED)

The game started 6-1 with Team HBO wiping up on the lower level. From there, we maintained a comfortable lead on our way to victory. My favorite moments were delivering a missle pod rocket dead-on to a blue guy and annoying a blue standing too close to the bottom edge of the gold lift.

Team HBO wins 100 to 72.

Game 2: Multi Flag CTF on Valhalla (Team HBO as BLUE)

Red team got our flag early, which resulted in a frantic battle in the middle of the map to prevent the capture, countered by SPU7N1K grabbing the enemy flag. They managed to reset their flag before making off with ours, but Schendonnardus was quick to grab it once it had returned.

After losing a warthog, banshee, and plenty of lives in escort of the flag, Schendonnardus ran the final stretch to score, bringing Team HBO to a tie at 1-1, and setting us up to take the game.

Near the start of the game, I tried to help our assaulting warthog by firing some missle pod rockets at an enemy firing atop the center hill. It..wasn’t quite as helpful as I had hoped.

(sorry if the quality is poor. The explosions atop the center hill are my missles, which have a marked effect on the Warthog’s advance)

Team HBO wins 3-1

Game 3: Big Team Slayer on Sandtrap (Team HBO as BLUE)

If there is one thing Team HBO can do, it is get in a bunch of vehicles and drive around like crazy. This game had our name all over it.

I think the above image is a nice visual analogy to how the game went.

Team HBO wins 100-56

Game 4: Big Team Slayer on High Ground (Team HBO as BLUE)

This was our first meeting with MrManBird, who would apparently come back to haunt us later. The game was frantic, thanks mostly to red team’s tendency to continually push through the bunker entrance to the base, making for some close-quarter fighting.

Is he man? Is he bird? These are questions I must ask myself

Team HBO wins 100-85

Game 5: Big Team Slayer on Sandtrap (Team HBO as RED)

Having just recently rocked Sandtrap, we immediately set to grabbing every vehicle under the sun and running around like crazy.

Apparently, in a move that must have been orchestrated by none other than MrManBird himself, the blue team attempted almost the opposite strategy. With effective use of the spartan laser and sniper rifle, they kept us down, bringing quick pain to our warthogs.

Yes, that is our entire team in warthogs

RIP Team HBO

Team HBO fails, 73-100

Game 6: Big Team Slayer on Sandtrap Heavy (Team HBO as BLUE)

We had a quick opportunity to avenge ourselves, however. And this time, with Scorpions. Mwhaha!

The first few minutes of the game were spent defending our Scorpion/Wraith duo, as they brought the pain. Then it was time for a Scorpion showdown.

They might have made it just fine without me, but I used my chopper as a human shield, taking an enemy Scorpion round in order tip the battle heavily in our favor.

Mwhaha!

This guy actually jumped directly in front of my gauss round as I was firing on the enemy banshee. Good thing too, because he had just picked up the rockets. I didn’t even see him until he was dead.

Later Schedonnardus launched himself into one of Znite’s scorpion rounds.. Tsk. Apparently jumping in front of enemy/friendly fire was the theme of this game.

Later the red team moved in with two scorpions, but our lead had already been established.

Team HBO wins 100-92

Game 7: Big Team Slayer on Avalanche (Team HBO as BLUE)

Asides from general mayhem, I liked when Znite tried to use GreySpark as a human bomb by throwing a plasma grenade on his head as he rounded the corner to confront an enemy. Although, for some reason, the grenade never went off. It must have been on a lag timer..

Of course, the best moment of the game (for those that witnessed it), occured when I decided I would rather be Schedonnardus’s gunner instead of drive a mongoose.

Team HBO wins 86-69

Game 8: Big Team Slayer on High Ground (Team HBO as RED)

I’m not sure if the other team intentionally threw the game, but it was a slaughter. Asides from general mayhem, I had an amusing landing in a ghost.

Team HBO wins 100-40

In the end, we won 7 out of 8 games, getting the 7 EXP I needed. The achievement didn’t unlock, perhaps due to it being past midnight EST (my time zone), or perhaps because we didn’t play another game (we did enter searching, but backed out). I don’t mind, really. I had a great time.. and I think we’ll be doing it all over again in a month