A triple helping of explosive bottleneck carnage at the entry ramp to the dustbowl. Yummy!

(5:35) Level 3 ('The Truth and Reconciliation') on Normal. This shows three plays of the dustbowl megabattle seen created in BCM77, featuring 43 covies. I use the ramp defence each time, but vary my weaponry from play to play.

Released August 24th 2013, gameplay recorded August 19th-21st 2013.

00:02 (Play 1: Plasma rifle & assault rifle) I start this first play by getting the covies down into the dustbowl - and giving you a nice view of them. There were a lot near the ramp and I wanted to draw them away before I get there; and then they'll arrive gradually.

00:40 Armed with the plasma rifle dropped by the Elite I killed (unplanned) in the set-up work, I get ready for the first covies. It's not long before a Grunt turns up and raises the alarm, shouting "This way, this way!" But I bet he wishes he'd gone some other way. I stun him with a bit of plasma then tag him.

00:54 Another Grunt comes into sight and I do my stun 'n tag thing again, and the bang takes out two Elites. A red soon comes charging down but is stopped in his tracks by my plasma fire. With the weapon overheating, I switch to the AR for a bit of drilling and grenade work, getting some nice bangs, one of which takes out an arriving blue Elite near the base of the ramp.

01:17 After using the plasma rifle again, a pair of blue Elites arrive. I kill one with AR fire and try to tag the other, but the grenade bounces off his weapon. When I subsequently see him moving past a Grunt I've tagged, I quickly stun him with plasma so he catches the blast, ha ha.

01:38 I've got a load of panicking Grunts now. They start to regain their composure when a red Elite turns up, but I quickly kill him with plasma fire, and then I enjoy a nice spell of mopping up work with AR and grenades.

02:13 (Play 2: Plasma pistol) Next up, it's time to see what a plasma pistol can do. I borrowed this one from a Grunt in the dustbowl. After a leisurely and amusing tag on an early Grunt arrival, a blue Elite comes bounding forth but I use stun 'n tag to make him look a right fool.

02:29 There's a spell of grunty panic for a while but it doesn't stop one fellow lobbing a grenade my way with a cry of "Here goes!" I steer clear while continuing to dish out plasma fire, and when I move across to the right, my frag causes some satisfying carnage, with one Jackal flying almost overhead. Right after that, there are two blue Elites to handle, but they each get stunned with a plasma ball at close range, then finished by grenade. I could've finished them off with more plasma fire of course, but grenades are a lot more fun.

02:57 A frag sends Grunts flying rather nicely, then I frag a red Elite who never really gets into his stride. Then when my plasma fire stops an advancing Grunt, I take the opportunity to tag him on the head - always good for a laugh.

03:18 After a brief lull in which I pick up a new plasma pistol, a blue Elite arrives and gets the stun 'n tag treatment. A lone red Grunt tries a bit of needling but soon gets panicky when I fire back. He hops cutely down onto the cliffside path and I go for a tag on his feet but miss; but I get him with my second try.

03:37 It's been a bit of a slow covie attack, but now the final two Elites turn up. When I stun and whack the red Elite, the blue obligingly finishes him off with a whack of his own; a nice bit of comedy which made this play an easy candidate for inclusion in the movie. I stun and whack the blue as well, and after getting rid of the Jackal I finish off the Elite in rather flashy style, jumping over his tagged head as he misses a swipe. Needlessly risky of course, but satisfying.

03:56 (Play 3: Needler & assault rifle) Finally, a play with my favourite combo here; needler and assault rifle. As you see at the start, I get the needler from a dead Shade gunner. My cloaking has just worn off, and the covies catch sight of me as I head for the drop.

04:03 Two blue Elites are quickly dispatched in lovely pink explosions, then I do a bit of drilling and throw a few grenades while dodging needles. A Grunt throws a plasma my way and instead of backing off I elect to move across to the right, to try and keep up the pressure and because it'll probably be more fun. The red Elite misses a swipe, and when I throw a frag he dives off the cliff edge (it's quick but you can see him in a few frames, illuminated by a frag blast). The blue dives too and at first I thought he'd gone, but then I see him emerge from behind the tree, so I finish him off with a quick spot of AR drilling.

04:32 If I'd been playing safe, I would've tried to recharge at this point, but I'm in a rather gung-ho mood and don't bother, and maybe I was also encouraged by hearing some grunty panic, I forget. After switching to the needler though, I run into a red Elite at the base of the ramp; not quite what I wanted! He misses a swipe and I fire a stream of needles which kills him, and meanwhile something freaky occurs. A Grunt shapes up to throw a plasma, but he dies from a plasma blast and it falls short near the red Elite, at which point a needle bang sends it onto the foot of a Jackal who was already diving to get clear of it. The Jackal subsequently goes airborne in comical near-vertical fashion. Right after that I throw a frag onto the ramp, causing a glorious covie-clearing explosion; the best in the whole movie.

04:46 Moving across to the right and doing a bit more covie slaying on the way, I get the chance to recharge behind the large rock, though by now I'm down to four health bars. I needle a blue Elite coming straight at me, and throw a plasma towards a Jackal, but I threw slightly too soon and it hits the Elite. I do better on my next try though, and also get to work on other minors.

05:05 Pushing forward through a sea of Grunts, I meet a blue Elite near the base of the ramp. He takes a swipe and misses, clumsily going over the edge of the cliff, ha ha. But wait, the comedy isn't over! There's a chaotic bit of action after that, featuring a cry of "Save yourself", a Grunt getting tagged on the head, and another Grunt saying "What you doing?" My final grenade sends the last Grunt flying off the cliff, and I just catch sight of him in the darkness after rotating the wrong way (I think I was going to check the path, then changed my mind). His last needle caught me and left me on only one bar of health, but nevertheless, cyborg wins!

Closing remarks With the ramp defence, I had a load of fun doing plays for the needler and AR especially, and ended up with quite a few of those, making for a difficult decision over which one to use. I had plays in which I did a more skilful job, but the one I've chosen had the best comedy value (with an Elite going over the edge after a missed swipe, and with a pretty funny sequence near the end), plus an especially satisfying explosion on the ramp. However, I plan to put some of those other plays together in another triple-play movie sometime, so I hope you'll look forward to that.

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