The Storm

The marines arrive at the base at the edge of the Covenant’s digging project. Their defenses are entrenched, preventing the Lord’s airborne strike. Take out the resistance to stop the Covenant from unlocking the Ark.

Ghost Town

After emerging from the tunnel it is storming. Well, drizzling. Not much of a storm really. I guess it is better to name this level “The Storm” instead of “The Light Drizzle with 40% Chance of Thunderstorms.”

Now, because this is a human installation it can only mean one thing: Garages Ahoy! The ancient Romans had their aqueducts, the medieval Europeans their cathedrals and the 26th century humans have their well-crafted vehicle holds with efficient floor grating and futurist doors.

Head to the first of many garage doors and the sergeant says “Chief, take point and we will cover you with the fifty.” I don’t know how to find or obtain this “point” and I am not sure I want the sergeant covering me in anything, but I suspect I should just shoot everything in the next room.

The squad drives the Warthog in but they are blocked by a second garage door. The gate opener is up above so jump up on the crates and move along the catwalks to unlock it for the Warthog.

• Kill the beasts in this room and proceed to the next gate.
• Follow along on the upper ramp, tossing grenades down at the clusters of Jackals to make quick work of them.
• Open the gate and grab a ghost.

The Lord is impatient and asks how the mission is going. Miranda responds that the weather is intensifying above the Ark and that Sierra 117 is proceeding. Sierra 117 is the new code name for Master Chief who is also known as John 117. He has as many nick names as Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

You will have to clear this area of all vehicles, here is how to do it.

• Work your way around the walkway and try to ram as much as you can.
• Head to that little that is at the end of the central dock. There is a missile pod on the second story that will help destroy the Wraith across the way.
• The missile pod can lock on to the Wraith that is across the area so destroy it from up here.
• Use the ghost you have to destroy the anti-air Wraith that is in the sand belowWhen everything has been destroyed in this area, the next destination is through another garage door that is located behind the Wraith’s body.

• If you want to keep your Ghost you need to jump it up onto the catwalk.
• The garage door opens not under the Chief’s actions but by a blitzing Covenant attack squad. Destroy them and move on.
• When you clear out this garage, the next door opens and you meet up with another Warthog.
• Drones come in droves, let your Warthog buddies do most of the killing.

Cortana, having not reached us in a while brags: “I have defied Gods and Demons.”

Proceed through and in another Garage a pack of four Mongooses line up ready for an attack. I think the hardest part about being in the military is repeating those same clichéd phrases like “Saddle up” or “lock and load.” But that is essentially what you will do on you way to the next battle.

• Drive around letting your missile endowed passenger knock out the Wraiths and Ghosts.
• Dodge under the grounded cruise ship (which is 100 flavors of awesome.)
• If you flip the Mongoose get back on and honk your horn a few times. The missile man will get back on.
• Continue to drive around until the area is clear.

Judgment

In comes a scarab and Master chief and all his troops surround the cornered quadruped and start firing at it. It goes to show you that for all the 1000s of years of evolution, antibiotics and cybernetic implants, this group of guys is basically going on a woolly mammoth hunt. One side of me is a little ashamed that we still want to hunt like this, but another part of me is all “wow this is so gnarly that we don’t throw spears anymore. We can send out tiny spears that are launched with little fires that are summoned without flint or tinder”

• In this battle you don’t have to do much, you could park the vehicle and let your partner do all the shooting.
• If the scarab does turn to you and starts firing, just start moving again.
• If you want to make this more dramatic I guess you could go over those jumps a few times, otherwise just stand still and let the partner take it out
• When you are in the parking/firing position do it so that you are between the scarab and the buildings instead of between the scarab and the ocean. That way, if scarab does hit you, you just fly back against the wall (probably surviving) instead of an instant death in the ocean.
• After enough hits the scarab falls on its haunches and it is Shadow of the Colossus Time.
• Run up to the back side of it and jump to the (you guessed it) garage bay on it’s backside.
• There will be turrets that you can pick up but don’t. They are too heavy and you will fall off more easily.
• Once securely aboard, walk around the very edge of the scarab’s back, there will be little walk ways that lead to the control switch.
• You need to find the core which is a big iris looking shield. Smash that and then shoot the glowing thing behind it a lot. The tank will start to blow so jump off – you won’t die from the fall. The body shakes, shutters and then its head blows off. Search the debris for weapons and then carry on.
• If you can find a missile launcher, hold on to it. It will make the next few battles much easier.

With the scarab threat eliminated, head up the ramp. The Arbiter is there and the team runs through the ramshackle base. Turn the corner and oh god, Cortana is back and she quotes “I am your shield, I am your sword.” If Cortana is across the universe using a psychic link to communicate in one sentence bursts, you would think she forgo the overly complex double talk in favor of a more practical “Gravermind is coming, get f’ out of here.”

Master Chief, the Arbiter, and the remaining troops run through a make shift medical facility in which injured soldiers and hard hat clad workers flail around on the ground. None of injured, by the way, are black. This does take place in the East African country of Kenya. Which at least in 2007 was predominantly so.

White guys, the face of Africa in the 26th centry

Through the next gate, Master Chief arrive in another garage but this one is a really big garage. Go up to the catwalk to grab a turret and use it against the Brutes. Admire the sunlight piercing through the skylights. Still Stormy?

Now that the tides of battle have started turning in Earth’s favor, civilians pick up their guns and start fighting. Still though, no black workers to be seen. At the back end of the garage is, well another garage door. Two Hunters storm in. I really love fighting hunters it really is a good change of pace. - Lure them away from the open door because the snipers out there will tear you apart

• Don’t use missiles on them, it is a waste instead...
• Attack them with a pistol/Spiker combo or grab the mounted turret (thanks J Schlein).
• The Hunters are only vulnerable in the red parts located between their armor.
• To expose that, have them charge you then dodge out of the way like a matador. Then, turn around and shoot them in the back where the red soft spot is exposed.

Outside the garage door, the storm (the whole reason this level was named) has cleared and it is quite sunny.

• Instead of going out through the main door, head up the stairs on the left side. In the second room up there is a sniper rifle.
• Take up position here sniping or if you have a missile launcher go outside and fire it at the pack of Brutes.

Beyond the next series of walkways you reach the giant anti aircraft gun. The Lord’s ships are approaching and this gun must be disabled before he gets in.

• The path up the hill is paved with Grunts and capped off with Brutes
• Save your missile launcher for the battle at the top and use a riffle for the close combat with the lesser enemies.
• The music by the way may actually be from the real world Chieftains.
• When you get to the top and have defeated the Brutes, collect all the equipment the Brutes had, there was some good stuff
• Johnson says “that gun’s been firing all day its gotta be running hot.” I don’t know what that means.
• Watch the underside of the Turret. After it fires a giant white thing that looks like a bike reflector hangs out. Shoot it with anything, bullets, and missiles, whatever.

The gun falls apart and it is just a huge tripod. The chief rests his gun on his shoulder like he does on all those Halo 3 promotional products and the only way he could look cooler would be to replace that gun with ghetto blaster.

The Good Lord’s armada arrives and they commence firing at the Ark because, you know, if a mysterious piece an Armageddon grade ancient hardware is set to fire, the best thing to do is shoot at it.

The Eiffel tower part of the structure explodes and the whole circular surface subsides. As the side panels become turgid, a brilliant beam of light shoots skyward. Blue light emanates through everything. Ships start turning towards the glow and the screen goes black. Cortana says “This is the way the world ends.” If this is the end of the game I am going to book my ticket to Redmond right now.

It’s not, the screen returns and Chief watches as the Eiffel tower floats up into the blue orb. All of the Covenant ships turn skyward and venture into the blue orb. A since unseen ship warps into the atmosphere, flies overhead then pulls a Lindsey Lohan right into the valley below. The Arbiter wonders aloud if it is more Brutes, “worse” Master Chief says.

Time: 48 min Rating: ******