How Rocket Hogs Works

  I was sitting on the couch killing zombies on my phone* when I heard the familiar “oohh ho-hoooooooo!” that means that things are getting amazing in the game. So, I decided to watch because I like it when the game is amazing. I quickly realized that I had no idea what I was watching and I had to figure it out.



  Rocket Hog is one of the game-types that can happen when playing multi-team playlists. There are four teams of three players; each team is given a Warthog. I didn’t realize that three guys could fit in a Warthog, but they do. Then, they race to a glowing ring somewhere on the map. I think the game works best on maps like Hemorrhage because of the size. When the first team reaches the destination, the destination moves and the race continues. Points are awarded for reaching the destination.

 But like any game, there are challenges in the race. First, there’s the other players. Everyone on the map is moving in the same direction – towards the destination. This means that they’re not watching for you. it also means that if they die, they’re going to respawn somewhere else. I saw one race last night where Mike and his friends were about 100 meters from the destination and one of the other teams spawned in practically inside the glowing ring. Even I said “awwww” when I saw what happened.

  There are also landmines scattered all over the map. The landmines are kind of a Catch-22. They can destroy your Warthog or throw another Warthog into yours. This of course causes your entire teams demise. Then, there’s the wait for the respawn. (It never seems to work out that Mike and his teams' spawn in anywhere close to the destination.) But, the landmines also fling your Warthog into barrel rolls which are counted by the game. This means you can get a medal. Yay! Rewards are fun. Last night, Mike and his team did a really nice, Matrix-esque barrel roll. And landed it. I was impressed.
 
  And with a name like Rocket Hogs, there’s gotta be rockets. Mike was the gunner (rocketer?) last night. I like rockets because of the hissing sound and the explosions. In the race, rockets make a mess. When a rocket hits a Warthog, the Warthog blows up in a fiery explosion of car parts and Spartans. Sometimes, they hit other Warthogs and mayhem ensues.

 So that’s Rocket Hogs in a nutshell. Maybe you should pick it next time it’s one of your game-type choices. Give it a try.

*If you’ve heard the end credits to Plants vs Zombies know that killing zombies on my phone fits into the lyrics quite nicely. Go Windows Phone 7!