Post Halo 3 tournament set for next weekend at Nelson Recreation Center

It’s game on

Tournament winners will receive gifts, including an Xbox 360 Elite for first place

By Matt Smith, Northwest Guardian

Calling all gamers!

Stars and Stripes Gamer, together with the Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation and Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, has put together a series of Halo 3 tournaments at posts worldwide and Fort Lewis has been selected to host its tourney next weekend at Nelson Recreation Center.

The tournament, which is open to all Soldiers and DOD civilians, will be a 64-person, bracket-style competition, much like college basketball’s March Madness. There is no entry fee, and the top three placers will all receive gifts; the top finisher will get an Xbox 360 Elite, second place will receive a $250 gift card to Best Buy and third will get a $100 Best Buy gift card. Additionally, everyone who signs up for the tourney will be placed in a raffle for a $75 gift card.

The slayer mode, one-on-one tournament will be played in a best-of-three format in which the victor will be the first person to rack up 25 kills in each game. The first gamer to win two games will advance to the next round. “It’s all default settings and default weapons for the maps as well,” said BOSS Vice President Terry Brumett. “We’ll give the player five minutes to customize their weapons and looks, and when they’re playing they can’t pause the game unless the judge says they can.”

Brumett said dying controller batteries or a TV malfunction are a few acceptable reasons for a pause during the game. If a player pauses the game without a judge’s permission that player could be penalized two or more kills for that game.

Competition is set to begin Saturday, June 21 at 11 a.m. and continue until 7 p.m., perhaps longer as Brumett said he is hoping to have the field cut down to 16 heading into play on Sunday.

Brumett said the finals are to be played on a big screen TV and that there should be alcoholic drinks available for those of age and a barbecue to keep gamer’s stomachs from growling while playing.

Registration for the tourney ends today so call BOSS at 967-5636 or Brumett at 966-7660 to try to nab one of the final spots. All you’ll need to give is what unit you’re in, a phone number and your name.

Stars and Stripes Gamer is scheduled to be at the event so there is a chance you may get your picture in their magazine.

“All in all, with the prizes, it looks like a good event,” Brumett said. “It’ll help get a lot of the single Soldiers out there and get them to actually play for something.”