Game 1: Team Slayer on The Pit

We worked well as a team with callouts and teamwork, however we were outmatched by gunfire from all directions. STSK team shoot their way to victory with a final score of 41 to 29.

Game 2: Team CTF on Citadel

This was a long and painful game for the Red Minjas. STSK scored fairly early in the game which forced us to play heavy defense in order to prevent another capture. We were able to hold them off for a good ten minutes, but they eventually broke through our wall and scored once more giving them a comfortable lead. We were able to get their flag back to our side of the map while they had ours on their side of the map. Back and forth for 5 minutes each team would try to return their flag in order to score. The Red Minjas caught STSK by surprise with an energy drainer landing on the flag carrier, he was dropped quickly and the flag was returned. Midge quickly scored after our flag was returned. The game lasted the full 20 minutes with the final score being 2 to 1.

I cooked up this montage as a farewell to a great game. We are all looking forward to Reach, but until then think about all the good times had in Halo 3. What are some of your great moments from Halo 3? Post it in the comments.

[youtube]kS8tX5hoxno[/youtube]

Game 1: Slayer on Standoff
An early push by the Brigadiers left the IGC Warthog a smoking wreck near Dish 2. Fortunately, the Crew were able to make a successful initial push for the Spartan Laser and retreat with it to lay down vehicular suppression from behind the IGC base. Forming up a firm line on the 8BB rock line, the Brigadiers were able to lay down a solid offense. The combined IGC Spartan Laser domination and a successful second deployment of a respawned Warthog were enough to put a solid lead in favor of IGC that 8BB was unable to recover from. Several times, 8BB surprised us by alternating offensive pushes from both Dish 1 and Dish 2, and managed to dominate laser control near the end of the game. Unfortunately they were unable to overcome our early lead, giving IGC the win for round 1.
Result: Victory for Team Red Storm

Game 2: Slayer on The Pit
After Standoff, it was time to move on to the 8BB map selection – The Pit. IGC selected Slayer as the gametype. On spawn, a rain of grenades fell upon the Rocket spawn and Invis. A flurry of kills at rocket hallway opened up the match. From there, the battle lines were drawn at sword room bridge, invis, and rockets. CzarCastic held down the 8BB sniper tower very effectively and made several deposits of lead into IGC skulls. Stealthy gameplay on the part of 8BB resulted in several great kills, but solid use of cover and close quarters battle skills favored IGC Red Storm.
Result: Victory for Team Red Storm

Game 3: Two Flag on Avalanche
With the first two games in the can, the final game was played for pure fun. Both teams hurtled headlong toward the horseshoe and upper keyhole to meet our respective opponents. An early hog joust wound up in a stalemate with both sides taking losses. Both sides set up a solid defense, with the Laser changing hands a few times. Pushes were made for the flag on both sides, but the 8-Bit Brigade managed to get an early flag capture. IGC put forward a solid defense the entire match, with few attackers making it past horseshoe thanks to sharp-eyed Laser carriers and Snipers. 8-Bit Brigade fended off two fierce hog rushes during the course of the game and infiltrators moving through portal. IGC was unable to score a flag capture, giving the victory for game 3 to the Brigade.
Result: Victory for 8-Bit Brigade

Altogether, a great series of games for the Crew. We built stronger ties between ourselves and the Brigade, and brought the bragging rights (and our first victory) back to the home turf. Great games 8-Bit! Looking forward to future matchups!

Please enjoy the video highlight reel put together by our very own SlickWillyQ

[youtube]s74S9F0nYko[/youtube]

Game 1: Slayer on Standoff
Bread and butter. Run it by the numbers. Slayer on Standoff all day long. After the customary lag check, the match began. The Red Storm opening salvo rolled over the 5G ‘hog, causing them to scramble in disarray. A quick mounting of the Red Storm offense pushed them back into and behind their base. IRON Hojimoto and IRON Kyesiff had an impressive run in the ‘hog laying down vehicular domination. Red Storm foot mobiles led by IRON Terps mopped up the rest of the Five Guys as they hovered in and around camo tree and their rock line.
Result: Victory for team Red Storm

Game 2: One Flag on Valhalla
With adrenaline pumping from the victory on Standoff, the Red Storm team flew headlong out of man cannons toward their opponents at beach base on Valhalla. As soon as the game began, we realized the intensity had been upped from the last game. Both sides fought hard for control over center hill and laser during each round. Neither team gave an inch. BennyJ GBG brought a solid defensive game, making some key plays to preserve and return our flag to base.
Result: Draw

Game 3: One Bomb on Last Resort
Determined to bring home the win and give Red Storm its first true clan match victory, team Red Storm mounted the catwalks of Last Resort as the Five Guys team rushed headlong into the base. Once again the same fierce gridlock ensued. Back and forth the battle raged, the Five Guys making solid attempts to plant the bomb. Each time, they were turned aside by the Red Storm guardians. A last minute blitz by the Five Guys crew in round 4 sealed the deal giving them one point which let them win the round.
Result: Victory for the Five Guys, tying up the series

Game 4 (Tie Breaker): Capture the Flag on The Pit
The opening rush for Rockets began. While Spartans clashed for the rockets, other Spartans clashed for Overshield, resulting in an early advantage for the Five Guys. They quickly moved in and grabbed the flag, returning it to their base for a quick score. Several flag grab attempts were put forth by Red Storm, but they were stopped quickly at every turn by shotgun blasts and well-placed grenades. The Five Guys put up two more flag captures to bring the clanmatch to a close.
Result: Victory for the Five Guys

End Result: Five Guys defeat Red Storm 2-1-1 to take the clan match.

A solid series of games for both teams, Five Guys Playing Halo take the bragging rights back to their campfires. Good games gentlemen! Until next time, check out the highlight reel by our very own SlickWillyQ!

[youtube]Mp49-ccdOZQ[/youtube]

The freshly minted Red Storm answered the call of battle and set a squad of eight against the oncoming apocalypse. Who would come out the victor?

Game 1: Multi-Flag on Standoff
Grenades rained across from both sides in the traditional opening salvo. The IGC Warthog survived the initial rush, but was taken out shortly thereafter by a massive push by the Horsemen. In disarray, Red Storm was unable to capture the laser and the Horsemen took the initial advantage. Red Storm was able to hold the rock line and maintain a solid defense but there was a large amount of give and take. Back and forth the battle raged with both flags being out on the field at several points. IRON BoomStick was able to get several good flag pickups, but nary a capture. TFH Carnage, TFH Demolition, and TFH Armageddon were all able to execute flag captures, sealing the victory of Game 1 for the Horsemen.

Game 2: Neutral Bomb on Avalanche
With Standoff a fading memory, the icy wastes of Avalanche awaited. The initial rush for the bomb began, with both teams meeting at the horseshoe. The Horsemen gained the advantage with the initial bomb pickup. IRON Terps stood guard at upper keyhole, keeping the opposition at bay. Strong use of teamwork and vehicle support once again gave the Horsemen the advantage and two successful bomb plants. A late game invis pickup and bomb pickup resulted in a successful bomb arming for the Red Storm, but no detonation. The Horsemen then brought the bomb back around for another attempt to score, but they were held off. The game ended with the Horsemen having two bomb plants to the Red Storm’s zero.

Game 3: Big Team Slayer on Valhalla
Having brought home the victory, game three was played for pure fun. The lush fields of Valhalla awaited. Early on, the Horsemen established control of the hill and the laser. Red Storm set up shop at leaning rock, three rocks, and snow cave, picking off weak enemies here and there. The same intense series of give and take ensued as center hill changed hands multiple times throughout the course of the game. Ultimately, superior use of Warthogs, map/resource control,  and team shooting on the part of the Horsemen gave them a solid victory over the Red Storm 100 to 42.

End Result
Victory for The Fifth Horsemen, and a great series of games for both teams.

To our new friends at The Fifth Horsemen, we enjoyed it and learned much about ourselves and where we need to improve. We’re already looking forward to our next encounter and a chance to even up the series. Great games guys!

Come and have fun! See our forum for full details and to take part in the playdate. If you haven’t registered for our forum, you will need to first. Hope to see you there!

Presentation

From point A to point B, I was impressed with Astro’s attention to detail in every possible way that you could imagine. When doing research on a possible headphone purchase, one of their employees went above and beyond to give me comparisons between their product, and their competitors. They detailed why they chose to do certain things, and why they felt their execution was superior to their competitors. Upon receiving the system in the mail, I was almost taken aback by the high quality of the packaging; I felt as if I was opening another console for the first time! Everything was organized neatly into two boxes, one containing the headset and it’s case, and the other containing the MixAmp and all the cabling. Following the easy to ready instructions, I was up and running in no time. I was suprised to find that I’m able to wear the headphones night after night withought feeling discomfort or getting “listener fatigue;” from the research that I’ve done, this is most definately an exception in the headphone industry.

Graphics

All of the packaging, including boxes, manuals, and online marketing materials were top notch. As a person with some background in graphical design, I enjoyed all the research I did on this product, eventually leading up to actually having it in my hands.

Sound

Utilizing Dolby Headphone technology to produce simulated 5.1 surround sound out of two speakers, the A40 MixAmp is essentially a home theater reciever that can fit in the palm of your hand. That’s right, no generic 5.1 here; it genuine Dolby product, containing Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Digital, and the afore mentioned Dolby® Headphone. Some people may argue that simulated surround is not as realistic as having 5 speakers crammed into your headphones, or even utilizing a standard home theater setup, but the first time you hear someone sneak up behind you in Call of Duty 4, you’ll wonder what they’re talking about. The crispness and clarity will have you hearing things you’ve never heard before, in games you play every day! Another big feature of the A40 system is that it offloads voice communication while in a LAN environment, essentially eliminating system lag in order to provide crystal clear converstaion with your teammates. I was not able to try this feature, but most, if not all, of the MLG pro teams are currently using the system, which utilizes a daisy chainable connection in the back of the Mixamp to connect all the people on your team. The adjustable volume control on the unit also allows you to further enhance communication by determining the game audio to voice communication ratio.

Gameplay

Your situational awareness will increase greatly when wearing the A40 system. This is the exact same equipment the pros are currently using, and if they aren’t, it is been proven that they’re clearly at a disadvantage. You will be able to tell where enemies are coming from, allowing you to position yourself to dispatch of them quicker. You won’t automatically become a better player on the digital battlefield by using this setup, but it will certainly help you get there faster.

Replay Value

This setup is such a high quality piece of sound equipment (audiophile grade, even) that I’ll be using it for many years to come. It is constructed well, and the company backs their product to the hilt. If you purchase this product, you will not regret it.

Review originally posted on GamerHusbands.com.