Floodgate

The smoking, crashing craft was none other than the Profit Regret’s Flood infested cruiser. For those of you worried that Bungie can’t help but slip in a Library-esq level, this could be it.

It Followed Me Home

The flood is spilling out of the ship and infesting the town. Master Chief needs to stop the certain infestation and the best plan they have is to set off the reactors, destroy the city and everything along with it. Instead of “It Followed Me Home” this section should have been titled “Baby With The Bath Water.”

Go down the hill and around the first switchback when you see that purple Covenant crate and glowing rod. Stop here because you have a chance at getting another skull.

Continue down and into the city. The first infestation of the flood comes pouring down from above and are more sploshy sounding than the previous Halos. Flood come at you in high numbers and really fast. The best weapons are the close range ones with quick rates of fire. The larger forms of the Flood seem especially vulnerable to melee attacks.

As you follow the checkpoints around the map you will backtrack through the garages and access tunnels that you fought through in “The Storm.” In the main hanger, look for a parked transport containing fusion cores. Exploding them at the right moment can save bullets.

The navigation icon will lead you to a hole in the floor. Don’t jump in just yet. The flame thrower is located on the nearby and it is very useful at setting the Arbiter on fire and blinding you in dark hallways.

The Chief jumps down a hole and right on cue Cortana appears to say that Gravermind is dangerous.

Cut Scene: The good Elite ship Shadow of Intent deploys a legion of troops using the coffin drop method.

Continue up the hill swapping out weapons as you run low on ammo – the bulleted weapons are much more effective against the flood than the energy variety.

Upon reaching the outer garages, Miranda breaks the news: Cortana is on that ship and Johnson suggests you get her out.

Outside the Master Chief is joined by some more Elites to fight for the common good against the flood. Near the tower a newer form of the flood appears. In one form they appear spider-like and shoot small needles out of their thorax. Left alone they transform into giant hulking beasts that appear to have fleshy Fu-Manchu mustaches. They are slow and take a lot of bullet damage but a quick strike with the Brute shot blade or the plasma sword will take them down.

The trail ends at a giant piece of generic wreckage. The Arbiter says he will stay behind to ensure that nothing will pass. The Master Chief, on the other hand, must go into molten yellow orifice.

Infinite Devil Machine

So Master Chief dives into some organic creature. This is probably the titular Infinite Devil Machine. IDM actually sounds more like a bad Japanese RPG than a sentiment bio mass. The hallways of this level are completely covered in generic organelles. I think we are in Gravermind’s Intestine thus earning the Game Intestine “Intestinal Moment of the Game” Award.

As you proceed, the tunnel vision starts and instead of Cortana’s cryptic ramblings, Gravermind recommends that the Master Chief “be not be afraid, I am piece and salvation.”

The hallways continues to wind deeper and deeper in. Thank god for next-Generation hardware that can finally render the subtle perspiration on pulsating zombie polyps. Don’t shoot those nodules though as they release a blast of the little Flood-lets.

Gravermind: “Join your voice with mine and sing victory everlasting”

Look for a giant blue console. Cortana is in there. Climb on top of it and at the prompt press the right bumper to retrieve Cortana.

Guilty spark descends and he attempts to save the Cortana as Chief holders her in his hands. Gulity Spark was the light house keeper for the Delta Halo and first met the Master Chief in Halo 1. The Chief, the Lord and the leader of the Elite (he is the one with the helmet that looks like a Nerf Screamer on his head) regroup in the war room of the Elite’s Shadow of Intent. It is soon realized that this in not the real Cortana but rather, just a recording. While sitting on the command table does her best “Help me Obi wan Kenobi” and then recommends that all forces head into the portal to stop the flood for good. The commanders agree with this plan of action and they ready their troops.

Quick cut to a montage of Elites and Marine troops preparing for battle. In one key scene, a human carries a pile of Covenant Carbines while an Elite shoulders a missile launcher. Their respective races look at them strangely and it is a touching moment of inter-species reconciliation brought to you by guns. See, people don’t make peace, weapons make peace. Lets all get guns and then trade guns and we will all work together in racial harmony. Guns!

So all the ships head into the portal like they are fertilizing a giant blue egg – well, an egg that didn’t mind polyspermy.

This level is kind of like a bridge paragraph that is just trying to join two parts of the story. The Floodgate really doesn’t have much punch to it and I thought it was a bit sloppy.

Hour: 28 Min | Rating: ******