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Boomtang, Episode XV

Halo is dead! Long live Halo!

As the release date for Halo 3 drew closer, it Xbox gamers everywhere realised that Halo 2 would need to be farewelled. So, while Boomtang usually provides tournaments featuring several different Xbox games, Boomtang XV was dedicated entirely to Halo. There could not be a more fitting farewell. This was Boomtang XV, the Halo Special.

Scheduled for the day were three tournaments: A Halo 2 free-for-all, a Halo 2 4v4, and the hotly anticipated Halo 1 free-for-all.

Immediately, the bar for this event was set high. Game Generation, XLANSA’s new partner, brought the best door prize this side of New Mombasa: A copy of Halo 3 Legendary Edition, complete with Masterchief helmet. Every gamer in attendance had an equal chance to win the prize, the announcement of which left attendees buzzing with anticipation.

After some brief announcements, players downloaded the patches they required, using Boomtang’s new broadband connection (courtesy of Adam Internet), and jumped into the Halo 2 free-for-all. The free-for-all was played on small maps such as Midship and Warlock, with players who did well moving into the top bracket, where they faced off against one another. Competition was very, very tight across the spectrum of players, but in the end there could be only one winner. Teddy Joe proved his mettle in what will probably be the last official Halo 2 free for all ever held at a Boomtang. This bagged him a black wireless Xbox 360 controller, courtesy of Game Generation.

Meanwhile, those who were knocked out in the first round got a pleasant surprise: A second final was announced—an ‘anti-final’, for all the players in the losers’ bracket. What they didn’t know was that the prize for this tournament would be awarded not to the player who came first, but to the player who came last.

A chaotic, Yahtzee-filled (see the XLANSA glossary) game followed, but once again, there could be only one. At the end of the game, Slife placed last, and was awarded a one-of-a-kind custom Boomtang tee shirt, sporting the words ‘I felt the pain at Boomtang’. Wear it with pride, Slife! As a side note, XLANSA is now taking orders for Boomtang tee shirts. See the forum for details.

At this point, a break was taken for lunch, and attendees were treated to a free sausage sizzle, prepared by the hard working guys in the XLANSA Tucker Box. Gamers also took this opportunity to visit Game Generation’s humble stall and were able to take advantage of the exceptionally competitive pricing on Xbox and Wii gear, available as part of Game Generation’s “Boomtang Special”.

With their energy sustained once more, the gamers formed up into their four man teams for the Halo 2 4v4. A series of team slayer and objective-based games followed, which separated the grunts from the elites, so to speak. Nuke and Pave quickly established themselves as a heavyweight team, while Battlegroup 7 scavenged for crumbs at the bottom end of the ladder. Team AFX put up a fight, but Nuke and Pave were unstoppable. They scored themselves four very stylish brown Halo hoodies, courtesy of Game Generation.

At this point, players’ numbers were written down on small pieces of paper and placed into the Halo 3 Legendary Edition helmet. The moment of truth had arrived. The number was drawn, and the winner was... Fuzzlebum! Congratulations, lucky man! While Fuzzlebum doesn’t own an Xbox 360, purchasing one is now at the very top of his to-do list.

With that out of the way, some worthy guitar players cranked out a few tunes on Guitar Hero 2, heralding the grandaddy of them all: Halo 1. The Halo 1 free-for-all was dominated by those with great melee, grenade and most importantly pistol-firing skills. Games were played on old free-for-all favourites, including Derelict, Chill Out and the grand final on Hang ‘Em High. By the end of this tournament, Smatt had lodged himself firmly in first place, which earnt him a black wireless 360 controller, thanks to Game Generation.

The day ended with some great casual games, as gamers traded stories of the amazing things that happened in their games. It was a great day, filled with great games.

But it doesn’t end there! XLANSA holds regular events which are open to the public. If you want in, visit the XLANSA event page to sign up for the Halo 3 Shindig on October 1st. It’s going to be a blast.

http://www.xlansa.com
http://www.gamegeneration.com.au
http://www.adam.com.au