BCM60 - Freakiness and fun, assorted clips

(5:31) Various levels and difficulties. As with BCM56 this shows 25 freaky or amusing incidents, most of which occurred while recording footage for my usual movies - so you may recognize the situations if you've been following my series.

Released November 29th 2012, gameplay recorded 2009-2012.

Commentary

00:02 (Super-smack) Here I was aiming to descend from the bridge after making the patrolling Elite mad and getting him down onto the ledge to stop me. But in trying to get him mad, my first smack sends him flying! What can I say… I had a big breakfast. February 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM29. Level 5, Heroic.

00:18 (Boosted Marine) In this cavern megabattle a Marine gets spectacularly launched in a chain reaction. I think the explosion from my needler set it off. June 2012 footage. Level 5, Normal.

00:25 (Corkscrew assist) On my way to the planned defence location for some Banshee battling, a fuel rod blast sends the hog into a nice corkscrew as I take the rise. Wheeeee… January 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM26. Level 2, Legendary.

00:35 (Jackals can fly) Another spot of cavern megabattling. When I tag a Jackal on his foot, he goes airborne and Johnson has a pop at him with the chain-gun. Guess he fancied a bit of target practice. I take a shot myself and score a hit. How could I resist? June 2012 footage. Level 5, Normal.

00:44 (Clumsy pilot) When a Banshee collides heavily with the cliff face, the pilot pops out (and then the canopy opens). I quickly move to get closer, and I'm alarmed to see my sniper taking shots because I want to get some footage of that pilot and mess with him myself. So I take firm action by smacking the sniper dead. Sorry fella, but that pilot's mine. Once I'm near the pilot though, I'm unsure what to actually do with him, to take him out stylishly. After taking fire I retreat behind a rock to think about it, but end up making quite a mess of things and almost getting killed. In my excitement at the novelty, I think I was slightly forgetting that a red on Legendary is dangerous! Even one who did just fall out of the sky.

There's something else freaky in this sequence too, which I almost missed. Did you notice what happened to the other Banshee? It goes spiralling down towards the ground in bad shape and looks for all the world like it explodes on impact. However, Banshees don't do that. So what happened? At 0:47 just after a Marine shouts "Covering fire!", there's a frag blast near the cliff, and you can see that it sends another frag flying away. I believe the Banshee got blown up by that frag. It just happened to land in the right place at the right time. January 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM26. Level 2, Legendary.

01:25 (Hunter on a hog) While dodging massed Hunters on the beach, one of them gets knocked up onto the hood of the Warthog. Quite novel to see one there. He took at least one shot at me from there too, and eventually came down of his own accord (probably drawn down when I passed close). April 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM34. Level 4, Normal.

01:42 (Caution: low-flying Shades) Following close behind this Shade gunner as he heads back through the level, I throw a grenade past him to the left of a Shade which had fallen from above. He's clever enough to steer clear of the grenade, but not clever enough to anticipate what happens next, heh heh. March 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM31. Level 5, Heroic.

01:51 (Elite double-squash) Driving in for a rockslide megabattle, I curve left and take out two Elites together after making them dive into my path. Actually that was no problem at all with this particular save; I could've repeated this double-squash fairly easily. Still rather satisfying though! November 2011 footage. Level 2, Heroic.

01:58 (Vanishing rocket) So yeah, what the heck happened with this rocket? As best I can make out, it goes straight through the surface of the path! The same thing actually happened another time too, at roughly the same spot on the path. Weird. November 2009 footage from when I was recording for BCM5. Level 5, Heroic.

02:04 (No pointing please) Just a little bit of amusement here. I drop down from above and smack a Jackal after he's done his pointing business. November 2011 footage. Level 2, Heroic.

02:12 (Final shot) After doing a quick bridge descent in preparation for getting seven extra Marines, I've still got a Banshee to deal with. I pull off a nice tag and the pilot just has time for one final shot. September 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM41. Level 5, Heroic.

02:21 (I said no pointing!) Back to rockslide megabattling again, and this time an Elite gets a nice tap on the noggin after the main fighting is over. An Aussie Marine was heading down after him too, so for his sake it's a good job I took care of things first. November 2011 footage. Level 2, Heroic.

02:28 (Parting gift) On this bridge descent via patrolling Elite, I'm cushioned on the ledge as desired, and then I get ambitious by going over the edge backwards as I tag him. Happily I survive, but this sure wasn't the safest way to do things! This sequence is not dissimilar to that seen in BCM29 at 3:52, but here I was going over the edge on purpose and delayed the tag until the last moment. February 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM29. Level 5, Heroic.

02:43 (We'll call it evens) In this far area defence in a rockslide megabattle, I misjudge things and get killed by a red Elite's whack. But not before I stick a plasma grenade to him, ha ha. So, we'll call it evens. August 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM52. Level 2, Heroic.

02:51 (He did ask for it) Here's that journeying Shade gunner again. This time I give him a fright by firing my plasma pistol, then smack him in da face. But he's a plucky little fella, and taunts me with "Give it your best shot!" Naturally I'm only happy to oblige. March 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM31. Level 5, Heroic.

03:04 (Evens again) In this cavern megabattle we've fought to the far side. A quick pistol shot puts down the nearest Hunter, and then I close in on the red Elite with my plasma rifle. Having stunned him, I tag him to finish off stylishly, but things don't quite go according to plan. Just after I've dodged his swipe, he's knocked my way by a Hunter, and there's no escape. With bleeping shield and health half gone, I know I'm done for. BLAM! June 2012 footage. Level 5, Normal.

03:16 (Hunter double-squash) Prior to starting a solo trough defence in this twin bridges megabattle, I do a bit of flying around and manage to mangle two Hunters with the Banshee's legs. A nasty business. June 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM36. Level 2, Normal.

03:25 (Elite up a tree) After a dustbowl megabattle, I found this Elite stuck up a tree and went over to have a look. I'm not sure how he got there, but he was doubtless on the adjacent high ground and either got jostled off the edge by other covies when they were all flocking after me, or else he may've dived that way when spooked by a grenade, though I'm sure I didn't aim any at that specific area. Or maybe if I grenaded the nearby Shade, he could've been diving clear of the Shade. I can't remember how the battle went. March 2010 footage from when I was recording for BCM9 and BCM10. Level 3, Normal.

03:57 (Who's laughing now?) In this bit of action I'm taking care of the attacking covies after tricking the game into giving me three extra Marines. It corresponds to about 3:48 in BCM40. On this play my hog passengers take a nasty blast from the Wraith, but at least I silence the laughing Elite with my second rocket. A nice bit of comedy I thought. September 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM40. Level 5, Heroic.

04:15 (Beaky death formation) After killing off the Jackals around the Grunt hill (after emerging from the security substation), I found these beaky freaks in an amusingly neat formation. Principally the near three in a line, but the one at the back is pointing the same way too. April 2010 footage from when I was recording for BCM14. Level 4, Legendary.

04:22 (Plasma brush-off) When I tag this incoming Banshee at the first bridge, the grenade gets removed by a collision with the cliff. Was the pilot trying to do that? It kind of looks like he made a first attempt at shedding the grenade by colliding with the structure in front of me, and then continued on to try the cliff instead. March 2010 footage from when I was recording for BCM11. Level 5, Heroic.

04:32 (Blue times two) Here's more action from a far area defence in a rockslide megabattle, fought with a large squad of Marines. I tag a blue Elite and the blast also takes out a second blue, who obviously wasn't paying enough attention. Always nice to score a 'two for one' like that. August 2012 footage from when I was recording for BCM53. Level 2, Heroic.

04:40 (Hunters' revenge) Here's me having another go at setting up a trough defence in a twin bridges megabattle. Following the flight pattern I'd settled on, I curve around and mangle a Hunter on my way into the trough. Things are looking good but there's a nasty sting in the tail as the Hunters get their revenge with a long-range shot which connects just as I'm getting out. That wasn't the only time something like that happened either. But the first time it happened, it almost made me jump out of my skin! June 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM36. Level 2, Normal.

04:56 (Casualty) At the start of this Grunt-filled dustbowl megabattle, the panicky critters have already got a case of the heebie-jeebies after I've brushed against a few of them in my active camo, and one Grunt has just gone down from friendly fire. Another is right up close and I get a great shot of him getting hilariously cut down by more wild shooting. As the Grunts might say, "Casualty!" October 2012 footage from when I was recording for BCM55. Level 3, Normal.

05:07 (Like the Marine said) Here's another bridge descent via patrolling Elite. My glancing blow sends him off the ledge and I go off too, but we both survive ok. When I tag him, a Marine puts a nice verbal ending on things: "Boom!" A suitable ending for the movie too I thought. February 2011 footage from when I was recording for BCM29. Level 5, Heroic.

Closing remarks As I mentioned in the closing remarks for BCM56, I still had plenty of spare footage left, so I've put out this second compilation without waiting long. I actually pieced together most of it soon after doing BCM56, so it hasn't taken long to finish off. Just made a few changes, and that's about it.

In regard to the composition of the movie, it was unplanned that there are the same number of incidents as in BCM56. I just put clips together to make the movie about five and a half minutes long, and happened to end up with 25 as before. Originally I considered starting the movie with the 'Corkscrew assist' clip, but BCM56 started with some Warthog driving and I figured I'd try and make things different. I went with the 'Super-smack' clip because I thought an opening door would make a neat start to the movie, and also I thought the smack itself would grab peoples' attention.

I've still got a fair bit of reserve footage left too, so I wouldn't be surprised if I put out another 'Freakiness and fun' movie within a few months. Stay tuned!