Halo. Flood. erm, not all that interesting.

[recipher]

I thought the flood were ok, not as good as the covenant but a good change, especially when all 3 adversaries were together.

In the level where you first meet the flood, can't remember the name of it, I got stuck trying to find my way out. I got into a situation where there was no way to get out and I kept moving between 4 or 5 rooms but no exit.

Don't know how I managed it. Had to restart the level. Bloody annoying.

Was never sure if it was a bug or it was me...

[Judge]

I don't mind the Flood (the Library is actually quite fun once you get your head around it), but the three-way fights in Level 8 are the best part of the game in my oppinion. It's incredible watching the mass hoards of Flood storing the Covernant positions that you'd have taken down in a totally different fashion.

[acidforblood]

The Flood are Chalk to the Covenants Cheese and i love them both dearly. On one hand you have the mindless lynch mob mentality of the Flood and then the tactical approach of the Covenant and as already said before the moments they meet are superb. Just watch with your sniper zoom when the brave Hunters are overwhelmed by Flood hordes on T&R level....enough to make you weep.

[overlord uk]

Truth and Reconciliation was before the flood arrived wasn't it?

I don't think the flood were bad in themselves, I mean, there were some superb fights where you just couldn't point the shotgun in enough places at once, and they swarmed all over. The trouble was that the library absolutely killed my enthusiasm by the end of it. If there had been some Covenant in there for variety, I'd have loved it, but instead we get the same four types of enemy running right at you constantly for 45 minutes.

[acidforblood]

Truth and Reconciliation was before the flood arrived wasn't it?

Yep you're right old son...i meant to say Keyes,obviously!

It must have taken me 100 plus attempts to finish the Library on Legendary, worth it though.

[Plow King]

I found the library on legendary particularly easy once I got hold of the shotgun. Hehe that guns owns

[marcus]

Loved the flood, and the three way battles with Flood, Covenant and you were awesome.

[JRMacumber]

The Flood are Chalk to the Covenants Cheese and i love them both dearly. On one hand you have the mindless lynch mob mentality of the Flood and then the tactical approach of the Covenant and as already said before the moments they meet are superb. Just watch with your sniper zoom when the brave Hunters are overwhelmed by Flood hordes on T&R level....enough to make you weep.

Exactly. The Flood and the Convenant are polar opposite enemies. The Covenant are tacticle, and fighting them requires strategy and cunning. The Flood rely on pure numbers and brute force. The only strategy you need is SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT. It was a welcome change.

And yes, the Library level is a ball buster that I was glad to see the end of.

[Smitty]

Loved the Flood, didn't like the Library. Simple.

[evilmatt]

The Flood would have been better imo if they had lived up to their name a bit more- if there really had been a flood of them, rather than (apart from The Library on Legendary at times) the few that there were. I think I remember reading something about Bungie having wanted to have a lot more of them but the game became too hard. I like hard

[Andy_T]

i really enjoyed The Library, lots of full on blasting, Aliens style. fantastic.

[revisedgenocide]

Personlly i loved the flood. The library level for me was a welcome bit of twitch shooting after the brain ache of trying to second guess the covenant.
Seeing a mutated flood leaping at you is not nice. Watching it get closer and closer through the air as you wait for the exact moment to raise the barrell of the shotgun and fire is split second tactics in itself.

[delb3k]

I loved the flood for a few reasons:

1. Change of pace. You see, the covenant are crafty buggers and are quite willing to hide so to have enemies that suddenly just go for you is a hell of a change, and something you have to adapt to quick.
2. Change of tactics. Especially in the later levels, you got weapons that are great with flood (shotgun, AR) but are limited with covenant foes, so you have to find the right balance which made two betrayals and Keyes all the more interesting
3. Three way battles. A pure highlight, and something I`ve not seen matched yet anywhere else. To walk in on covenant and flood battling it out with you trying to pick off the right people is classic

[Chief H]

I thought the flood were a great idea. Most people will no doubt find the covenant a more interesting foe due to their tactical nature, but that doesn't stop the flood's inclusion being a masterstroke of design.

The game hones your senses, developing a tactical style of assault until you reach the flood where all of those rules are shattered. It's thoroughly refreshing and an idea rarely implemented in modern gaming.

For me the flood were associated with a real sense of fear. far more than the covenant. The covenant travelled in packs and squads. You could clearly see the heierarchy of each unit, but with the flood there was no end in sight. trench warfare tactics wouldn't work with the flood like they would with the covenant - digging in would only see you overwhelmed. The way they come from every concievable angle is terrifying at times. being pushed back by a covenant was never frightening - you knew they would cut you some slack at some point when they needed to regroup, reload or recharge but the flood were plain merciless. Add the screetching, rhythmic, relentlessly violent tribal theme of the flood and the effect was complete.

One section that stands out for me from the game in general, not just the flood, is the part in Keyes where you fall off the truth and reconciliation and have to fight yor way past the flood to get back in at night. The darkness, combined with the surrounding nature of the flood mean that you had to be especially aware of your surroundings and each time you reloaded the screen would turn pitch black, resulting in a fear of reloading as doing so would leave you extra-vulnerable to a flood attack. When I recognised that reflex emotion, I couldn't help but marvel at what I believe to be one of the finest console games ever crafted.

[badgerpie]

For me the flood were associated with a real sense of fear. far more than the covenant. ........... The way they come from every concievable angle is terrifying at times.

But I don't think they took it the flood far enough. The build up in Guilty Spark level was great, and when you initially meet the flood and literally hundreds burst through in large groups is fantastic, because it actually is a flood of them.

After the initial meeting where there was literally hundreds coming for you, I never felt that outnumbered in any subsequent encounters. Because I found the initial meeting far more intense than the rest put together.

Though I would agree that the 3 way situations were fun too.