The zombie vs. humans variant was one of the first to spring up. It's been called "Day of the Dead" or "Zombie," but my friends and I in the Gamers With Jobs clan call it "Zombie Skate," which, like "Adult Swim," is a reference to the good old days when adults were entitled to a few brief moments of kid-free access to the skating rink while the kids were asked to cool their heels and watch how it was done. Having been there, I can attest that it sucked. Thank (insert preferred deity) there were videogames. Moon Patrol alone saved me from countless hours of "adult skate" boredom.
Now, we're the adults, and having adopted the wisdom of our forebears, we've reserved a tiny corner of the Xbox Live skating rink for ourselves, away from the general asshattery of the anonymous online hordes. We play lots of Zombie Skate, and a few other variants, most involving some bending or modification of the game's rule set. Called "house rules," these stipulations state which weapons players can and can't use in certain variants of Halo 2.
One house-rule-heavy Halo 2 variant, for example, is called "JFK." Played on the "Coagulation" or "Blood Gulch" map, JFK pits two teams of any size against one another using the single bomb Assault game mode. One team, "The Assassins," plays defense, guarding their base against destruction from the offensive team, "The Secret Service." The Assassins are armed with sniper rifles, Secret Service with pistols. The Secret Service must take the bomb from one end of one of Halo 2's largest maps to the other, all the while attempting to not get shot by the long-distance weapons of their opponents. As if that weren't challenging enough, they must do it while driving as slow as possible in one of the game's ground vehicles, the Warthog. The player holding the bomb must sit in the passenger side of the Warthog (which is like a large jeep) - he's JFK - and any other team members who aren't inside the vehicle must walk alongside. It's practically a no-win scenario for The Secret Service, which, ironically, is what makes it so much fun.
When a single-player game is too hard to beat, it can be a terribly frustrating experience, and one the player is not likely to want to repeat (see: Ninja Gaiden Black, or Aliens Vs. Predator), but online, with friends, a challenging scenario like JFK spurs creativity and excitement. If you can figure out how to beat the no-win-scenario, it's not some nameless level designers you've stuck it to, it's your friends and you can rib them about it all night long.
Author's Note: For a nearly-comprehensive list of the most popular Halo 2 player-made variants, check the GWJ Halo Variant Book Page, Broken Thumbs and Halo 2 Game Types.
Russ Pitts is an Associate Editor for [i]The Escapist[/I]. He likes deadlines and long walks on the beach.
