Sniper rifle versus covies? Rarely turns out well for them.

(7:16) Level 2 ('Halo') on Heroic. Just two plays this time, as the second one is another plateau back defence and those tend to be relatively long. I wanted to revisit that plan (and the six Marines) to highlight another enjoyable way of playing it, namely with a sniper rifle. Mind you, I've only got 18 rounds, so it doesn't last the whole way. As for the opening play, that's a far area defence, fought with chain-gun support for a change.

Released July 16th 2026, gameplay recorded July 11th-13th 2026.

00:02 (Play 1 - Far area defence) Usually in a far area defence, I fight without chain-gun support so things are seriously tough. This time though, I let Johnson stay on his gun, and that allows me to venture forth and engage in bolder action than normal. In the end Johnson falls victim to a plasma grenade from a plucky Grunt. But at least he had some fun.

This play includes an example of the downside of having a chain-gunner. Around 1:18 I go to the trouble of scoring a nice tag on a panicking Grunt, only to have Johnson shoot him dead before the bang. My throw was effectively wasted, and I'm also robbed of the scream I was looking forward to. Bah!

02:30 (Play 2 - Plateau back defence, with sniping) Sniping can be a lot of fun in a plateau back defence, and I wanted to show a bit of it in this ongoing sequence of battle movies. At one point a plasma gets blown way up high by my frag blast, and I enjoy watching it - until I finally decide I'd better focus on the enemy attack!

There's a novel spot of rock-hopping at the end, when I go after the dropship 4 Elite. When I eventually fire my needler, I'm expecting the needles to pile into him where he stands (quite a distance away), but instead he charges in, so I drop down. He thought I was still up high though, heh!

Closing remarks Still not finished. More plays incoming!

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