The majority of the laser tag I play is traditional, so
on the rare occasions that I get to play tactical it is always an interesting
experience. When I paid a visit to American Paintball Coliseum in Phoenix, AZ I
had a terrific time playing with the iCOMBAT Barracuda system with the staff
who gave me a great game in a really unique arena atmosphere at their multi-functional
facility where they offer paintball, airsoft and laser tag.
The manager, Alex, put together a game for me to join
with staff members Travis, Marie and Jacob.
We each selected a Tippmann paintball marker that had a
Barracuda all-in-one laser tag unit attached above the barrel.
Before playing our first game I was given a tour of the
indoor arena that is used for both airsoft and laser tag. They have a separate arena
for paintball. I've noticed that tactical tag arenas often look intentionally
like a war zone and this was no exception, which gave it a "battle
worn" kind of feel. However, it had some unique elements throughout and
the space had multiple rooms and themes ranging from the refrigerators (where
you could open the doors for cover) to the kitchen...
There is a sniper's nook with steps leading to a raised
platform...
...and my favorite piece of decor would have to be the airplane!
I love to play in interesting environments and this was definitely
going to be the case here. My initial thought was that this space would be too
large for a game with only four people (they can accommodate significantly
larger groups), but it turned out to be a great space even for a small game. We
finished the walk-through and got ready to play.
This was only the second time I have ever played using
the Barracuda model and I selected the one called Tango. The entire game is
housed within the box unit on top of the marker with sensors on the front and
both sides, so I employed some strategy by holding the Tippmann marker on its
side to reduce the amount of sensor that would be visible while I maneuvered
around the space. In traditional arenas I use my eyes to discern where my
opponents are by watching for indicators of light from the vests. However,
tactical requires a different way of playing and for this game I listened to
identify the whereabouts of the others. I stepped very lightly and took my
shots in bursts. This strategy seemed to serve me well because when the game
was over (and we deliberately opted for a short game) I had the high score on
the board.
I played as Tango, Travis was Rambo, Jacob was Predator
and Marie was Juggernaut. This screen looked familiar to me from the other
iCOMBAT games I had played. The icons indicated how many tags you got (gun
icon), how many times you were tagged (skull) and the medic sign indicated that
health was set to 50 for all of us for a one shot tag.
We took a break between games, and I had a chance to
watch through the observation window as an airsoft group went in to play. I
know nothing about airsoft so I asked a few questions. Then Conrad, one of the
airsoft players, gave me a demonstration of some of his "grenade"
equipment that can be used in airsoft before he joined us for another game of
tag. It was really a great time and I learned a lot from playing in this kind
of environment which is so different from the typical places where I play
traditional tag. I would love to return to play again! Since they have other
locations in Denver and Brighton, CO perhaps I will have an opportunity on my
next trip to this part of the country. Thank you to Alex and the entire staff
of American Paintball Coliseum for providing me with one of the most memorable
laser tag experiences I had while in Arizona!
Comments or Questions?
Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and
www.photonforever.com
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