Blood Gulch

Last updated
Blood Gulch
Halo: Combat Evolved location
Blood Gulch.png
Blood Gulch as seen from behind the base of Blue Team looking towards Red Team's base
First appearance Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
Last appearance Halo: The Master Chief Collection (2014)
Created by Bungie
Genre First-person shooter

Blood Gulch is a multiplayer map in the first-person shooter Halo video game series. It first appeared in Halo: Combat Evolved , and was remade for Halo 2 as "Coagulation", as well as for Halo: Reach as "Hemorrhage" and Halo: The Master Chief Collection as "Bloodline". [1] It also had spiritual successors in Halo 3 's "Valhalla", in Halo 4 and Halo Wars as "Ragnarok", and in Halo 5 's "Basin". [2] Taking place in a canyon on the Halo ringworld that resembles the American Southwest, it was designed for the capture the flag game mode but can also be used for other modes, such as deathmatch. Blood Gulch was one of Halo's most critically acclaimed and influential multiplayer maps, and played a significant role in the machinima series Red vs. Blue .

Contents

Level content

Blood Gulch takes place in a box canyon on a Halo ring that is enclosed on all sides by high natural walls. The canyon's interior is a "vast expanse of undulating landscape and scattered pieces of natural cover", with a base on each end for the Red and Blue teams. [3] The map is balanced but asymmetrical in terms of tactical advantage, with the Red team having access to a ridge, while the Blue team is located near a tunnel system in the canyon wall. Each base is conducive to traditional FPS gameplay, with "two entrances, an open ceiling, and sloping paths to the roof". [3] On top of each base, a teleporter can transport players (from either team) to the midst of the valley's no man's land, leaving them vulnerable to snipers. Warthog jeeps can easily traverse the landscape, making them ideal for escaping with the flag. [3] In the Halo 2 variant of the map, each base has a third, below ground level, in which a Banshee can be found. When playing the gamemode “Rocket Slayer”, the Warthogs are replaced with Scorpion tanks.

Development

Jaime Griesemer, the designer of Halo: Combat Evolved, stated that the design of Blood Gulch was responsible for the Scorpion tank remaining in the game, saying that the developers wanted to remove it, as it was not used in the game's campaign mode enough, but found it fun enough to drive around Blood Gulch that it was left in the game. He also stated that the game's sniper rifle was given a scope due to the distance between Blood Gulch's two bases. [4]

Reception

Wes Fenlon from PC Gamer opined that "if there's anything truly and utterly timeless about Halo, it's that voice playing over the warm blue sky and dusty fields of Blood Gulch". [5] IGN 's Ryan McCaffrey consider Coagulation, the Halo 2 iteration of Blood Gulch, to be the Halo series' arguably most famous map, "the boxed desert canyon that's been home to countless CTF matches and Red vs. Blue episodes". [6] Edge called the map a "showcase" for Halo's "wonderful ability to segue in and out of tense firefights and moments of ridiculous slapstick". The publication praised the map for its wide open design and combination of ground combat and third-person vehicles, which, while taken for granted in the modern day, was rare at the time of Halo's release and required "a different approach to map design". [3] In Engadget's coverage of the reveal of the Blood Gulch map returning for Halo: Reach, Richard Mitchell remarked that it is "probably the most well-remembered map in Halo history", while the version in Reach is "very familiar and very different", drawing attention to the fact that players can leave the canyon. [7] Good Game called the map "Halo's most iconic" and said that "teamwork is at the core of the Gulch", while "the best way to experience the gulch has always been behind the wheel". [8] GameZone called the map "easily a standout of the franchise", citing how often it has been remade across games. [9] Ryan McCaffrey of Official Xbox Magazine called Blood Gulch "one of the best multiplayer maps to grace any first-person shooter" and praised the map's successor, Hemorrhage, that carries over the map's terrain. [10]

Phil Spencer, head of the Xbox brand, called Blood Gulch his favorite Halo map, citing its terrain, large amount of vehicle combat and the excitement of coordinating friends to capture the flag. [11]

Blood Gulch was recreated by a fan for the game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive , with Kotaku calling the map "very nicely done". [12]

In other media

Blood Gulch was popularized in part due to it being the main setting of the first five seasons of Red vs. Blue , a web series that first aired in the early 2000s. It was later featured in the battle royale game Fortnite . The addition was announced by Ninja and several Red vs. Blue characters. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Halo: Combat Evolved</i> 2001 video game

Halo: Combat Evolved is a 2001 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox. It was released as a launch game for Microsoft's Xbox video game console on November 15, 2001. The game was ported to Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X in 2003. It was later released as a downloadable Xbox Original for the Xbox 360. Halo is set in the twenty-sixth century, with the player assuming the role of the Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier. The Chief is accompanied by Cortana, an artificial intelligence. Players battle aliens as they attempt to uncover the secrets of the eponymous Halo, a ring-shaped artificial world.

<i>Halo 2</i> 2004 video game

Halo 2 is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox console. Halo 2 is the second installment in the Halo franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed Halo: Combat Evolved. The game features new weapons, enemies, and vehicles, another player character, and shipped with online multiplayer via Microsoft's Xbox Live service. In Halo 2's story mode, the player assumes the roles of the human Master Chief and alien Arbiter in a 26th-century conflict between the United Nations Space Command, the genocidal Covenant, and the parasitic Flood.

<i>Red vs. Blue</i> American comic science fiction web series produced by Rooster Teeth

Red vs. Blue, often abbreviated as RvB, is an American web series created by Burnie Burns with his production company Rooster Teeth. The show is based on the setting of the military science fiction first-person shooter series and media franchise Halo. It is distributed through Rooster Teeth's website, as well as on DVD, Blu-ray, and formerly on the El Rey Network and Netflix. The series initially centers on two opposite teams fighting in an ostensible civil war—shown to actually be a live fire exercise for elite soldiers—in the middle of Blood Gulch, a desolate box canyon, in a parody of first-person shooter video games, military life, and science fiction films. Initially intended to be a short series of six to eight episodes, the project quickly and unexpectedly achieved significant popularity following its premiere on April 1, 2003. The series consists of eighteen seasons and five mini-series. Red vs. Blue is the third longest-running animated webseries of all time, behind Homestar Runner and Neurotically Yours. The nineteenth and final season is scheduled to premiere in late 2023.

Master Chief (<i>Halo</i>) Fictional character in the Halo video game series

Master Chief is the protagonist in the Halo series of video games and related media. Also known as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, the character first appeared in the 2001 video game Halo: Combat Evolved, a military science fiction first-person shooter that became a long-running game series. The character also appears in spin-off Halo media such as the 2012 film Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, the 2022 Halo television series, and several graphic novels and books.

<i>Halo 3</i> 2007 video game

Halo 3 is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in 2004's Halo 2. Halo 3's story centers on the interstellar war between twenty-sixth century humanity, a collection of alien races known as the Covenant, and the alien parasite Flood. The player assumes the role of the Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier, as he battles the Covenant and the Flood. The game features vehicles, weapons, and gameplay elements not present in previous titles of the series, as well as the addition of saved gameplay films, file sharing, and the Forge map editor—a utility which allows the player to perform modifications to multiplayer levels.

Halo is a military science fiction media franchise, originally created and developed by Bungie and currently managed and developed by 343 Industries, part of Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios. The series launched in 2001 with the first-person shooter video game Halo: Combat Evolved and its tie-in novel, The Fall of Reach. The latest main game, Halo Infinite, was released in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Silent Cartographer</span> Level in the video game Halo: Combat Evolved

"The Silent Cartographer" is the fourth level in the first-person shooter (FPS) video game Halo: Combat Evolved. Taking place on the Halo ringworld, it follows the Master Chief and a group of UNSC Marines as they wage a daytime beachfront assault on the Covenant alien race in search of an ancient Forerunner installation known as The Silent Cartographer.

Certain Affinity is an American video game development studio based in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2006 by Max Hoberman and a small number of other ex-Bungie employees and other industry veterans.

<i>Halo 4</i> 2012 video game

Halo 4 is a 2012 first-person shooter video game developed by 343 Industries and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360 video game console. Halo 4's story follows a cybernetically enhanced human supersoldier, Master Chief, and his artificial intelligence construct Cortana, as they encounter unknown threats while exploring an ancient civilization's planet. The player assumes the role of Master Chief who battles against a new faction that splintered off from remnants of the Covenant, a former military alliance of alien races, and against mechanical warriors of the Forerunner empire known as the Prometheans. The game features a selection of weapons, enemies, and game modes not present in previous titles of the series.

<i>Halo 3: ODST</i> 2009 video game

Halo 3: ODST is a 2009 first-person shooter game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The fourth installment in the Halo franchise as a side game, it was released on the Xbox 360 in September 2009. Players assume the roles of United Nations Space Command Marines, known as "Orbital Drop Shock Troopers" or ODSTs, during and after the events of Halo 2. In the game's campaign mode, players explore the ruined city of New Mombasa to discover what happened to their missing teammates in the midst of an alien invasion. In the "Firefight" multiplayer option, players battle increasingly difficult waves of enemies to score points and survive as long as possible; Halo 3's multiplayer is contained on a separate disc packaged with ODST.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warthog (Halo)</span> Fictional armoured fighting vehicle in the Halo video game franchise

The M12 Force Application Light Reconnaissance Vehicle, nicknamed Warthog, is a fictional armoured fighting vehicle that appears in the Halo video game franchise. An anti-infantry military light utility vehicle with a rear-mounted weapon turret, it appears in most major Halo titles as a drivable vehicle. Several working replicas of the Warthog were later created in real life, including by Weta Workshop for use in the cancelled Halo film. Playing an important role in defining the level design and genre of Halo: Combat Evolved during development, the Warthog is an iconic aspect of the Halo series and praised for its design, though the manner in which it has been integrated into the series' gameplay has received a mixed response.

<i>Halo Wars</i> 2009 real-time strategy video game

Halo Wars is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 video game console. It was released in Australia on February 26, 2009; in Europe on February 27; and in North America on March 3. The game is set in the science fiction universe of the Halo series in the year 2531, 21 years before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved. The player leads human soldiers aboard the warship Spirit of Fire in an effort to stop an ancient fleet of ships from falling into the hands of the genocidal alien Covenant.

<i>Halo: Reach</i> 2010 video game

Halo: Reach is a 2010 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios, originally for the Xbox 360. The fifth installment in the Halo series and a direct prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, Reach was released worldwide in September 2010. The game takes place in the year 2552, where humanity is locked in a war with the alien Covenant. Players control Noble Six, a member of an elite supersoldier squad, when the human world known as Reach falls under Covenant attack.

<i>Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary</i> 2011 video game remaster

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is a 2011 first-person shooter video game developed by 343 Industries, Saber Interactive and Certain Affinity. It is a remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved (2001), developed by Bungie. Publisher Microsoft announced Anniversary alongside Halo 4 at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo. It was released in November 2011, the 10th anniversary of the original Halo, for the Xbox 360 console, and re-released as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection for the Xbox One in November 2014. A Windows version was released in March 2020.

<i>Halo 5: Guardians</i> 2015 video game

Halo 5: Guardians is a 2015 first-person shooter video game developed by 343 Industries, published by Microsoft Studios, and released worldwide for the Xbox One game console on October 27, 2015. The plot follows two fireteams of human supersoldiers: Blue Team, led by Master Chief, and Fireteam Osiris, led by Spartan Locke. When Blue Team goes absent without leave to track down the artificial intelligence construct Cortana, Master Chief's loyalty is called into question and Fireteam Osiris is sent to retrieve him.

<i>Halo: The Master Chief Collection</i> Video game compilation

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a compilation of first-person shooter video games in the Halo series. The collection was released in November 2014 for the Xbox One, and later ported to Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X/S. The collection was developed by 343 Industries in partnership with other studios and was published by Xbox Game Studios. The collection includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4.

<i>Halo Infinite</i> 2021 video game

Halo Infinite is a 2021 first-person shooter game developed by 343 Industries and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is the sixth mainline entry in the Halo series, following Halo 5: Guardians (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forge (level editor)</span> Level editor designed by Bungie

Forge is a level editor developed by Bungie and 343 Industries for the first-person shooter video game series, Halo. Forge was initially released alongside Halo 3, and was further expanded upon in Halo: Reach, Halo 4, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 5: Guardians, and Halo Infinite.

References

  1. ↑ "Fan-favorite Halo 2 map Coagulation returns as Bloodline". Engadget. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  2. ↑ Nick Robinson (November 19, 2015). "Watch Halo 5's 'Blood Gulch' successor in action". Polygon. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Revisiting Blood Gulch - Halo's greatest ever map?". gamesradar. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  4. ↑ "2001: A Space Odyssey". Edge Magazine (UK). June 2010. pp. 85–86.
  5. ↑ Wes Fenlon (May 11, 2020). "Inside the journey to bring Halo back to PC". PC Gamer. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  6. ↑ Ryan Mccaffrey (October 18, 2014). "Halo: The Master Chief Collection's 'Blood Gulch' Remake is Awesome – IGN First". IGN. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  7. ↑ Richard Mitchell (July 7, 2010). "Halo: Reach returns to Blood Gulch in new video". Engadget. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Good Game Stories - Postcards from... Blood Gulch". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  9. ↑ "New Red vs. Blue Video Reveals Return of Blood Gulch (and More!) for Halo: Reach - GameZone". GameZone. 2012-05-04. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  10. ↑ McCaffrey, Ryan (October 2010). "Lucky Seven". Official Xbox Magazine. Future Publishing. pp. 25–26.
  11. ↑ "Halo: The Master Chief Collection developers and execs pick their favorite Halo maps of all time". VentureBeat. 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
  12. ↑ Grayson, Nathan. "One Of Halo's Most Loved Maps, Reborn In Counter-Strike". Steamed. Archived from the original on 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  13. ↑ Hernandez, Patricia (2020-12-10). "Fortnite gets Master Chief, Blood Gulch map". Polygon. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  14. ↑ "'Fortnite' adds Halo's Master Chief and a playable Blood Gulch". Engadget. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.