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Some people don't like playing Halo with me. It's not because I'm always tearing up the leaderboards or filling everyone's headsets with verbal nonsense. It's because when I'm the party leader, I insist on playing some of the lesser-known — or completely made up — modes.

Feel like playing straight-up Slayer or Team Deathmatch? *Yawn*…try somewhere else. My lobby's reserved for Ninjanaut, Lowball, Rocket Race, and maybe some eight-player free-for-all Oddball with three skulls.

With Halo: Reach and all its new modes coming out this Tuesday, I wondered what kind of multiplayer games Lars Bakken, the co-op lead at developer Bungie, will be playing. I asked him to set up several competitive multiplayer and cooperative Firefight sessions for us (especially ones he felt would appeal to non-fans), and here's what he had to say…along with what weapon, map, and Armor Ability are his new faves.

Bitmob: You’re in charge of proving to a group of Halo haters why Halo: Reach is worth playing. You set up a competitive multiplayer session with them. As party leader, what are the first three matches you would set up?

 

Competitive multiplayer match #1:

  • Mode: Slayer
  • Map: Hemorrhage
  • Settings: Score to Win = 50, Teams = Enabled, Time Limit = No Limit, Vehicle Set = All Human, Primary Weapon = DMR
  • Why do you like this setup?

    Lars Bakken: This is Halo distilled down to its essence. It’s a classic map with all the vehicles and weapons you can shake a stick at. You have the full complement of Armor Abilities to choose from as well, which makes the combat really fun. There are amazing amounts of chaos with vehicles and sniper battles that happen across the entire map. It’s unadulterated fun.

Competitive multiplayer match #2:

  • Mode: Slayer Pro
  • Map: Boardwalk
  • Settings: Score to Win = 50, Teams = Enabled, Time Limit = No Limit
  • Why do you like this setup?

    LB: For the really hardcore competitive guy, this will test his skills on a medium-sized asymmetric map. The sight lines are superb, and the map has an amazing flow. This is the dream game for guys who are serious about FPS action.

Competitive multiplayer match #3:

  • Mode: One-Flag CTF
  • Map: Reflection
  • Settings: Change Spartan Loadout 5 from Drop Shield to Evade
  • Why do you like this setup?

    LB: This is the ultimate in one-sided objective game. You take turns attacking and defending the flag. We turn off Drop Shield because that can cause issues in an objective game, but the other Armor Abilities are a blast.

Bitmob: What are the first three Firefight games you would set up for these haters?

Firefight match #1:

  • Mode: Firefight
  • Map: Overlook
  • Settings: Play on Heroic difficulty
  • Why do you like this setup?

    LB: This is a great primer for people to play Firefight. This gives them access to a full list of Loadout weapons and Armor Abilities. It also has Weapon Drops on, so they’ll get to play around with the Target Locator (which is our artillery-strike-style weapon). Skulls turn on as you get further into the set, so the difficulty slowly ramps up over time. Very satisfying.

Firefight match #2:

  • Mode: Rocketfight
  • Map: Beachhead
  • Settings: Play on Heroic difficulty
  • Why do you like this setup?

    LB: This takes Firefight into the land of crazy power weapons. Each player starts with a rocket launcher and unlimited ammo. They get to choose their Armor Ability, but I would highly recommend Jet Pack for the first-time player. Flying high over a crowd of Covenant and raining down death never felt better.

Firefight match #3:

  • Mode: Gruntpocalypse
  • Map: Corvette
  • Settings: Play on Heroic difficulty
  • Why do you like this setup?

    LB: This is just one of the many ways players can change up the options in Firefight to make a completely different experience. You are only fighting Grunts, but when you kill them with a headshot, they pop with confetti. It doesn’t get any more Halo than that.

Bitmob: What’s your favorite new weapon in Reach?

LB: The DMR is probably my favorite new weapon. It’s precise, fun to use, and most importantly, has a learning curve.

Bitmob: If you could only have one Armor Ability for all future play sessions, which would you pick?

LB: I would pick Sprint as my go-to Armor Ability. I have grown very accustomed to it. Getting around the map faster is addicting, plus I can’t count the number of times I’ve been able to disengage in a fight and run away. It’s much better for your K/D [kill/death] spread.

Bitmob: What's your favorite multiplayer map?

LB: I’m a sucker for asymmetric maps, so Boardwalk is probably my favorite of the bunch in Reach. I like learning all the new nooks and crannies of a map, and this one has plenty to explore.

Bitmob: What's your favorite Forge map?

LB: I have a soft spot for Hemorrhage, because it just brings back the Halo 1 memories. Playing an extended Multi-Flag CTF game is just pure bliss. The fact that it’s created in Forge is even more mind-blowing because it nails the feeling of Halo 1.