Archive - 2011

Star Trek Preview from E3 2011

2011/06/13

While at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, I was invited to come over to Paramount Digital Entertainment’s meeting room for a sneak peek at two upcoming titles. These sneak peeks were both under NDA and, actually, I still cannot speak of the second title just yet. The first title, however, is now free to preview and you will know it as the upcoming Star Trek.

The game is focused on being a co-operative experience, and players will undoubtedly get two very different games by running through it as Kirk then Spock, or vice versa. Spock tends to be a bit more stealthy and agile whereas Kirk’s tactics focus on offensive actions. In terms of its storyline, the game will serve as a bridge of sorts between the 2009 Star Trek film from J.J. Abrams and his upcoming 2012 Trek film. It is being penned by BAFTA winning author, Marianne Krawczyk as well as the writers/producers of the 2009 Star Trek film: Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

The demo we saw began with Kirk and Spock hurtling towards the besieged Enterprise by way of portable thruster packs, all while avoiding mines encircling the ship. The sequence was very exciting and the Enterprise looked VERY good. Apparently, this is because the digital ship model used in the game is the same used by the film’s CGI folk! After ~~crashing~~ landing, the two began moving through the ship looking for survivors and and some kind of answer as to what has transpired while they were on an away mission.

As it turns out, the ship has been attacked and occupied by hostile, unknown aliens who can infect humans with a deadly toxin. The third-person combat and cover system looked really solid, with the two character’s play styles very apparent. In terms of character advancement, this is done primarily through the use of equipment and weapon upgrades. Kirk’s “Captain’s Phaser”, for example, can learn a vaporize heavy attack which can 1-shot many enemies into atoms.

At one point, Kirk became infected by the toxin and Spock had to carry him to sick bay to destroy the pathogens in Kirk’s bloodstream. This was a minigame of sorts, with Spock handling the carry and disease-killing duties while Kirk fired at incoming enemy troops. According to the developers, this kind of mini-game is dynamic and (for the most part) NOT a scripted event.

The overall feel of the game, characters, and dialogue definitely felt like it was pulled right from the Trek universe created by J.J. Abrams. It should be a very fun multiplayer/co-operative experience when it launches next year (hopefully) alongside the next film.

Screens

War of the Worlds E3 2011 Preview

2011/06/13

Jerry Paxton

E3, News, Previews

After checking out the upcoming Star Trek game which is meant to tie together the first J.J. Abrams Trek film and his next, we got a chance to checkout the upcoming War of the Worlds title from Paramount Digital Entertainment and Other Ocean. The game is due out for Fall of this year on the Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network.

After shuffling into a small, behind-closed-doors room at the Paramount meeting room, we got to checkout two of the game’s levels in play. The game takes its gameplay from the classic PC side-scrollers of the past like Prince of Persia. In the game, you play a man just trying to survive the Martian invasion. On the design-level, the game is best described as a hybrid of the novel and the 1950’s sci-fi movie. As you roam the decimated landscape, tripods marauding in the background, you will get narrations read to you by the likes of none other than Patrick Stewart. These narrations set the stage of what’s to come in the level and, well, it is just damn fun to hear Stewart narrate anything – he is so good at it!

The visual style is taken from games like LIMBO – aside from the human characters and up-close Martians, everything is set as a sort of silhouette. This dark style sets the tone of the game, and makes the green heat rays of the tripods that much more eerie as the stream past – undoubtedly wreaking even more havoc on the failing human military.

Throughout the level, the player duck and weaved between craters and under up-ended armored vehicles in order to escape the Martians. The game features a TON of rotoscoping. I forget exactly how many layers the developer said they had on the screen at once, but I am fairly certain it was over 50! The visual design really needs to be experienced first-hand, in-motion, to be truly appreciated. Unlike LIMBO’s fairly flat style, War of the Worlds has a LOT of depth to it.

War of the Worlds looks like it is shaping up very well and should prove to be a great play-through this fall (hopefully in time for Halloween season!).

Screenshots

Dead Island Hands On Preview from E3 2011

2011/06/13

Ripper71

E3, News, Previews

The island of Banoi is a lush, tropical paradise in the South Pacific where its flagship Royal Palms Resort serves as the ultimate getaway for vacationers with money to burn. However, all good things must soon come to an end – and the picturesque resort falls into madness, carnage and chaos after a mysterious and contagious zombie outbreak claims its once peaceful atmosphere. Cut off from the rest of the world, only four individuals who strangely find themselves immune to zombification have the power to protect the remaining survivors from the horrors of the island, discover what’s really going on and find a way to escape before their own fatal ends.

Highlights:

In keeping with an atmosphere of desperation and survival by any means, Dead Island focuses on serious, first-person action gameplay with a close-quarter, immersive melee focus.
With an open-world setting on a massive tropical island, Banoi is filled to the brim with things to do and objectives to tackle, allowing a fresh way to advance both the characters and story at the same time and providing for endless replay value.
Dead Island’s seamless 4-player co-op multiplayer seeks to provide the most immersive multiplayer experience to date. Players can drop in and out of each other’s games at any time with no loss of progress as well as the ability to continue on alone or with others.
The ability to enhance and develop your character using RPG-like elements including four unique character/classes, an XP-based leveling system and un-lockable skill trees put the power in your hands to create and play a unique protagonist.
With thousands of weapons in-game, from simple wooden bats to fire-axes to heavy rifles, Dead Island is a collector’s dream. This in combination with Dead Island’s weapon customization system will enable the player to craft the ultimate weapon to ensure their survival.
Dead Island’s damage system gives an unprecedented visual detail of the effects of each attack
on enemies, pushing the boundaries of visualized gore.
The game’s damage system considers the type of weapon you have and they way you would strike with it as to whether or not you take off a limb or a head or nothing at all.

Hands On E3 Impressions:

When it was time for my turn at zombie beating I went to the media contact for Square Enix and asked where the Dead Island kiosk was. After a moment’s blank stare she turned to someone else and the other woman pointed me to a kiosk with another game playing. So I walked to the back side, not visible to anyone who wasn’t looking for it and tucked in a corner were three consoles set up with a mass of onlookers pushed tightly together, some waiting for a chance to play, others just gawking with amazement. I had really been looking forward to seeing this game, had followed it’s progress as best I could and now it was my turn to give it a shot.

The headset though amazing looking was drenched in sweat when I slid it on but I didn’t care. I was in the zone and the game had a 5 minute timer so I had to savor every second of it. After a little adjusting to the controls and some storyline development I was beating down zombies, watching their blood and gore fly all about and constantly picking up different items from a broken oar to a machete beating and hacking away to save other folks on the island. Five minutes goes by pretty quick and really doesn’t give you the greatest chance to actually get a feel for the game, but the play was smooth, the mechanics and controller response time were excellent and the gore was over the top and fun. I smashed zombies to a pulp and got attacked by burning zombies all while making my way along beautiful beaches and gorgeous seas. I’m pretty sure I saw the sun setting over the ocean just as my time ended and I wanted more. I was already invested in the story and wanted to be on the search for the next weapon to take down the next zombie.

Dead Island was one of the games I was looking forward to the most at this E3 and it did not disappoint. Well, maybe it did just a little bit in that I only got to play for such a short period of time. I easily could have played the same demo over a couple more times and still have been thoroughly entertained. This game is going to be huge when it comes out, taking the best of other zombie based games like Left4Dead and Dead Rising and bringing the genre to a whole new level.

Kinect Sports: Season Two E3 2011 Trailer

2011/06/13

E3, News

Announced at Today’s E32011 press conference, Microsoft has released the official trailer for Kinect Sports: Season Two. the game boasts an all new addition to the sports lineup including football and tennis. The game also features voice commands and new gesture controls. check out the trailer below and the game when it hits shelves later this year.

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Icebreaker Review for iOS

2011/06/13

News, Reviews

Icebreaker is a new title from Natural Motion and Digital Legends Entertainment. As the title implies, this is a hockey based game for the iPhone. So I ask, can a hockey-themed minigame for the iOS score a Hat Trick in its debut on my iPhone, or does it simply spend its time in the Penalty Box?

What Went Right?

The first thing that stands out id the polish that went into the presentation. Before you even get into your first game, you land on a screen where you get to set up your player. You are able to type in your name and number (which appear on your jersey – nice touch), pick a skin tone, affiliate your self with a team and go! The actual gameplay is based on a break away goal. You are tasked with taking the puck from one end of the rink to another. As the game progresses, it gets harder and harder to do so. There are eventually multiple defenders, a goalie and in some of the more advanced levels, sections of the rink are labeled as out of bounds areas. You have 4 main ways to avoid the defenders; a speed boost, deke and spin moves to the right and left, and a hard stop move. for each defender you avoid, you are awarded bonus points. In addition to avoiding the apparent obstacles, in order to score even more points, you need to skate over highlighted zones. Your side to side motion is handled by the iPhone’s accelerometer, as you tilt the phone to the left and right to skate in those directions. In order to do a hard stop, you simply tap anywhere on the screen that isn’t being utiliaed for the on-screen buttons for Dekes and spins. There are 2 game modes, Challenge and Endurance. Challenge pits you against the defenders and out of bounds areas in grouped waves, while Endurance simply keeps you going as long as you can, wave after wave. Both modes are very fun.

What Went Wrong?

The only real problem I had with the game were the controls for Dekes, Spins, Speed Boosts and Shots. These moves are all handled with on screen buttons and they seemed to lack the appropriate responsiveness I would have liked. There seemed to be an inordinate amount of lag between my frantic button presses and the on-screen action, which led to some frustrating moments. One more thing that could really make this game stand out would be the NHL License. The teams you are able to play on are fictional, but the logos for those teams actually did look pretty good.

Final Thoughts

Aside from the “Button” issues I mentioned above, the game was very enjoyable. It is very easy to pick up and play, and the button lag can be overcome by anticipating the lag and allowing for it in your reaction time. The lack of the NHL License isn’t a dealbreaker either, it is just something that would be really neat to satiate the desires of us hockey fans out there. I feel good about recommending it to any fan of hockey. You will enjoy this game.

Icebreaker is available now on the iTunes App Store for only $0.99.

Steel Series Visit at E3 2011

2011/06/12

E3, News

While at E3, I had the opportunity to sit down with Steel Series and get my hands on a couple of their hotly anticipated PC Peripherals, the co-branded Diablo III Mouse and Headset.

The mouse itself is a site to behold. With its symmetrical design, Diablo III themed artwork and demon-red illumination, people will know that you are serious about playing Diablo III at your LAN Parties. On the tech side, Steel Series has built in a laser sensor with up to 5,000 CPI. Diablo enthusiasts will tell you that while there is definitely great skill that goes into playing the game, there is very little to do with the mouse besides click, click, click away! Knowing that, and readying their hardware for what lies ahead, Steel Series went out of their way to find internal parts for their 7 buttons that have a guaranteed lifespan of 10 million clicks, which is 3 times as many as the lifespan of the average mouse. The attention to this one specific area will be much appreciated months into the game’s life cycle. In addition to how the mouse looks and was designed on the inside, you simply can’t fully appreciate this mouse until you put your hand on it for the first time. It is very comfortable, and feels almost silky smooth. The ambidextrous design is terrific, giving no advantage to anyone based on their handedness. The mouse is perfectly symmetrical, and none of the 4 side buttons ever get in the way. It is very lightweight and amazingly balanced. Showing off exactly how deep the Blizzard co-branding goes, the User Interface for the mouse customization looks like a menu option right out of the game. There is a cool Drag and Drop interface with every possible command in the game that can be mapped to the different buttons. All in all, This is one sexy, yet functional mouse.

I was also able to get some time with the amazingly sexy Diablo III Headset. The artistic vision matches that of the mouse, matching up for a Diablo III player’s over the top, one two punch. The headset is super comfortable and very lightweight on your head, which is absolutely necessary, as the Diablo franchise s known for some very long play sessions. It also features the same type of demon-red illumination as the mouse. The leather earcups do a remarkable job, in line with the 50 mm drivers, of keeping the game sound in, and the “rest of the world” noise out of your ears. The user interface for the headset is Diablo III themed as well, and controls the equalizer and the volume settings.

Both the Headset and the Mouse will be available for the launch of Diablo III. Even if I knew when that was, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. I can tell you that the MSRP for the Headset is $119.99 and for the Mouse is $69.99. Once the game and the hardware ship, we will be sharing our reviews with you for both of these promising peripherals.

E3 Preview of Gamigo’s New Lineup (PC)

2011/06/11

Ripper71

E3, News, Previews

Those of you who don’t play many free online games. particularly browser based ones, may not be familiar with the company Gamigo. The German based company has launched it’s first MMOG back in 2001 and has since built an impressive line-up of diverse free-to-play titles. They are currently the home to over 20 client or browser based video games with such names among them as Mytheon, Witcher VS and one of my personal favorites Black Prophecy. I think a lot of people discovered Black Prophecy at the show this year because the computers playing it were constantly busy with players. I was a beta tester on the game and was amazed at how nice the 3 dimensional ship maneuverability was. This is a problem that has plagued bigger names in gaming but Gamigo had it down so well that it was a pleasure to fly them and test the game. Which was probably why so many found themselves just checking out the game at the booth and then spending a long time at it.

This story isn’t so much about Black Prophecy, though it is definitely a fun game that should be going into open beta soon and is well worth the time, I simply brought it up as an example of the level of excellence you can expect from a company that you might not have expected great things from. Let’s face it, browser games don’t always have the best reputation but I think Gamigo will help change that.

So here are a couple of their offerings I got to look into at E3:

UFO Online: Fight For Earth

“We come in peace.” – The red flag should probably go up whenever extraterrestrial visitors use this phrase. In the tactical browser-based game UFO Online: Fight For Earth humanity has also made the mistake of trusting the aliens.

That was a terrible mistake, as it turns out. The supposedly-peaceful aliens soon turn out to be nasty invaders looking to exploit our planet’s resources. While a majority of the population still believes their lies, three factions of resistance fighters form to take up arms against the aliens.

In UFO Online, players choose a faction to join and build and expand a base that acts as a hub in the fight for freedom. This is where mercenaries are hired and trained and where technologies and weapons are researched and added to the arsenal. Then it’s time to take on the aliens in turn-based tactical battles. The player commands an team of specialists, each of which has their own class-specific skill tree. Only with the right combination of targeted research and carefully planned out tactics will the player come out of battle victoriously.

PvE mode is all about destroying the extraterrestrial invaders while PvP battles are between players. Here they need to demonstrate their tactical skills and the firepower of their troops against other human opponents. Thanks to Flash and the Unity engine, UFO Online has highly-detailed modern 3D graphics on par with those found in most client games.

E3 Impressions:

Still very much in the Alpha stage of development stage the AI is rather simplified but will no doubt develop nicely. The graphics are similar to a Command and Conquer title but the play is turn based and movement and attacks are based on energy levels. There are two ways to move, normal or stealth and though stealth is a lot slower it does decrease the chance of you being spotted. This game takes into account sound as much as sight so that if you walk too close to a door or fire an unsilenced gun there is a good chance you will get caught. To help with this issue there are multiple classes to use, specialists, designed to help in various scenarios. You get scouts who can quietly find the enemy, tanks who have better armor to handle taking the gunfire and damage units such as the sniper who stays at the back of the pack and picks off the enemy. The sound system is a lot of fun since it works both ways so that either both of you sneak around or one of you get the edge. I can’t wait to play with this game when it gets further along in development. This is one of the games that they are testing the Unity engine on and I for one am excited to see what they can do with it.

Jagged Alliance Online:

Jagged Alliance Online is built around the same mixture of turn-based battles and real-time action which made the long-running Jagged Alliance franchise a real cult classic. Players take control of a group of soldiers, commanding them from an isometric perspective to complete tasks in order to earn cash and fame. If a player wants to stay on top, mercenaries will need to be trained and equipped with better weapons and gear. If that’s not quite enough, then mercenaries can be borrowed from friends or alliances can be formed with other players.

In their base, players have full control of all their military operations. Here they set up strike forces, equip and train mercenaries and plan their next missions. They can also communicate with other players to ask for help or send some of their mercenaries out to assist friends in some of the hardest missions of the game. But the base is not invincible to enemy attacks, so players will have to invest their resources in fortification of their defenses or go out to raid their enemies’ bases.

In the actual missions, players will need to prove their tactical skill by interacting directly with the mercenaries on the battlefield to make the best use of every soldier‘s “Action Points” in the turn-based skirmishes. Action Points are required to perform each activity, from simply running to a new position or breaking down a door to shooting at targets. Because these points are not unlimited, players will need to make clever decisions each turn if they want to earn the reward waiting at the end of each successfully completed mission.

E3 Impressions:

Jagged Alliance stays true to is origins and is very similar in many ways to UFO Online but with a different setting and iconic characters from the Jagged Alliance franchise. The AI is currently in the works but if you like a good turn based strategy or are a fan of the previous games this will be worth your time, especially since it is free. Much like UFO Online I look forward to when it hits the Beta phase and hope I can see that it delivers what it promises. Right now it looks good and demonstrates the sound presence/alert system very well, just time to teach the AI how to think. They will probably be thinking pretty well too, since this game uses the Unity engine also.

Grimlands:

Twenty years after devastating earthquakes lay everything to waste on Earth, what remains of humanity is fighting hard for its survival. Those cities that did not crumble in the quakes have been flattened in the bitter struggles for power that have ensued. Roving bands of marauders, mutants and psychopathic robbers wander the streets, looking for trouble. In this inhospitable post-apocalyptic scenario there’s only one goal: survival!

Not only does the MMORPG Grimlands have an interesting setting, it also has intuitive and innovative gameplay. Players take aim at their enemies with a variety of weapons, primarily firearms, from a classic shooter-game-style third-person perspective. Using a gunsight will make accurate shooting easier though aiming manually will increase the chances of causing more damage. Linear character development and non-flexible class systems are a thing of the past in Grimlands. Skills are improved simply by using them. Grimlands is all about “learning by doing”. Skills that aren’t used often are forgotten after a while. The southwest United States is waiting to be explored in highly modifiable vehicles. The incredibly comprehensive crafting system plays a very important role in the overall gameplay. Clans can control cities and build up new islands of civilization in these. Arenas and battlegrounds set the stage for rough-and-tumble PvP combat.

E3 Impressions:

Scheduled to be demoed this game is so early still in the Alpha stage that stability issues caused it not to be able to be shown. It is kind of a shame since a few of us on the team wanted to know most about this one (there is an apocalypse/wasteland contingency on our team that scouts out zombie/mutant refuges when we travel) but it just wasn’t meant to be for E3. But trust me when I say when they have the game ready for me to check out I will make sure to pass the news on to you.

Overall:

Gamigo’s new offerings at the show were not quite ready for prime-time but that’s fine, they were a taste of things to come from a company that has already proved it can do the job well. Just check out the 20 other games they have running for free.

E3 Preview of White Knight Chronicles 2 (PS3)

2011/06/11

Ripper71

E3, News, Previews

Created exclusively for the PS3 White Knight Chronicles 2 from D3Publisher features a very nice variety of customization, excellent cutscenes and in play graphics. In the game you battle evil forces while taking characters from your single player campaign into a expansive multiplayer gaming experience with up to six other players online. The developers improved gameplay mechanics from the first game based on fan requests such as the ability to create and customize your very own Incorruptus (a unique knight) and an enhanced battle system that makes battles faster paced and dynamic. Players can create their own unique combat style with more than 400 new armor and weapon choices and new abilities such as charge attacks, dash attacks and dual wielding weapons. The game also feature a massive online mode extending the gameplay beyond the story of the game with up to six players on new quests and challenges. If that isn’t enough the game comes with a remaster of the original game with the ability to transfer your character from the first to the sequel giving you a total of over 100 hours of playtime.

E3 Impressions:

The game was demo’d for me one on one so that I was able to get a really good look at it but didn’t get a chance to feel the response of the controls. The story is told really well through some excellent looking cutscenes (the cutscenes were assigned to a whole different company to make them as amazing as possible). Classes are pretty standard for a fantasy RPG: tank, melee and healer styles for groups and though very nice looking, the game did look quite a bit like some of the more famous titles of the genre. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, if a game looks and plays like the best of the genre then you are doing something right but it also means it is a little harder to stand out from the pack. What helps that a bit is the strategy in battle is greatly determined by damage being based primarily on distance affecting accuracy and discovering the strategic weakness of the enemy. One of the improvements from the previous title’s original system is respawning at quest check points instead of death location to help avoid spawn camping. I really like the ability to customize armor and your knight, it is a simple thing but really helps make the adventure feel like your own. Another thing to help with that is the ability for you to build your own town and invite friends online to hang out in it with you. I remember in a very similar game a while back that I was able to own my own house and it is things like that that make it so that you feel that much more tied to the game.

The Last Call:

This is a really good looking game with promises of over 100 hours of play time plus a good amount of customization and online play giving a really nice value. I’m not sure if it stands out enough from other games of the same genre to bring in new players but fans of the first game should flock to it. Their requests were heard and this is a chance to not just play your favorite creation from the first game but to also bring your knight into brand new adventures.

Tomb Raider Preview from E3 2011

2011/06/11

Jerry Paxton

E3, News, Previews

While zipping back and forth between behind closed-doors E3 demos at the Square Enix booth, I happened by the room showcasing Tomb Raider – the upcoming reboot of the platforming franchise which started back in 1996. When the demo room opened up for the next group of media personnel, I made my eager way in and took a seat for what was to be a very intense experience.

The developers walked us through some of the gameplay sequences seen in the E3 trailer for the game – Lara waking up after surviving a shipwreck and escaping an underground tunnel system with a gaping wound in her side. What struck me most of all was just how dark and gritty the overall look and feel of the game was. Lara is beautifully rendered and the motion capture work is incredible in her movements and facial expressions. The entire thing almost felt like we were watching a movie – not a video game being played.

One of the key themes in the game is fire and water and how they interact. While hobbling about the cave system, the developer very clearly stated just how important fire was to Lara as it is one of the primary means to figure out in-game puzzles and overcome combustible objects, barricades, etc. In one scene, Lara had to destroy a wooden barricade that was just behind a waterfall. She had to figure out how to get a fire source behind the waterfall in order to ignite it.

Again, I can’t say enough just how incredible the motion capture work is here. Earlier in the level, Lara had removed a very large piece of wood from her side, leaving her clutching at it (as one would expect). The motion capture is so good that, the first time she jumped down from a box and recoiled to her side as the pain shot through her body, it literally made my butt pucker. Time and time again, my heart went out to this girl who never seemed to catch a break. If it was not one obstacle or murderous native, it was finding her mentor/traveling companion near death and it was up to her to retrieve his pack with medical supplies (and a radio transmitter) from a den of blood-thirsty wolves. The look on her face when her mentor then tells her she needs to climb to the top of a tower and place the transmitter above it was priceless and, again, I could not help feel something for her – the game demo literally ripped the emotion from my being. Too dramatic a statement? I digress…

Throughout her adventure, Lara develops what the game developers call “survival instinct”, a vision mode similar to that found in Batman: Arkham Asylum where she can see objects of interest and other plot points that don’t usually stand out. I am interested to see just how this is fully-used, but part of me also felt that it pulled the viewer out of the intense, movie-like experience that the demo provided.

Tomb Raider is going to be a very difficult game, not only to play but also to experience. It is Lara Croft’s gritty origin story full of blood, sweat, and tears. Gone, perhaps to the lamentation of some fellow geeks, are the over-sized breasts and witty one-liners. Instead, we are met with a scared, “real” woman who could easily be your sister or someone else you care about who is thrust into the most extraordinary of situations and made to temper herself into a survivor.

Screenshots

E3 Preview of Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (XBLA, PS3)

2011/06/11

Ripper71

E3, News, Previews

This arcade shooter is one that probably flew under a lot of people’s radar but definitely deserves a look at. Set in the not too distant future it is the job of you and your teammates to defend Earth from giant insects and alien ships. At your disposal is over 300 different weapons and vehicles to take on thousands of swarming enemies in a fully destroyable city. There are four different classes to choose from, two more than the previous game in the series and three campaigns with five missions each. Campaign mode allows up to four players and Survival mode allows up to six. Split screen local play and multiple difficulty levels including “Inferno” combine with the class and weapon choices to make the game replayable over and over. At a value price of $39.99 and with a release date of July 5th you can be defending New Detroit in no time.

E3 Hands-on Impressions:

This game got addictive fast. I was playing Co-Op with one other person on the XBLA version, I was “Tactical” and he was “Battle” with AI filling out the other two positions as “Jetpack” and “Trooper.” “Tactical” was the more “new to the series” class and it showed as I started racking up a massive score and destroying everything in sight. The specialty of my class was the ability to drop turrets to aid me and homing missiles. One of the aspects I really liked was how much you relied on your teammates. If you died a teammate could come over and revive you and if any teammate hit a health cube then the whole team benefited from it. They learned early in development that players would fight over who hit the health cubes so they just made it so that it helped everyone. With each teammate having a specialty staying together and covering each other not only increased survivability it also allowed for quicker revivals. My teammate found and jumped into a mech which did beautiful damage and helped tear through the level and demonstrated some nice and easy to learn vehicle play.

The graphics looked nice, modeling was excellent and there were no issues with graphic quality or breaking even when getting heavily swarmed by giant ants or laser blasts from above. The graphics aren’t groundbreaking but they are really nicely detailed and it is always fun to have a destroyable environment. The enemies were fairly diverse, though I took a certain extra pleasure from taking out the giant ants since they reminded me of the old school monster movies when you would see giant insects fighting the Army. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the game and testing out the mech and running through all the different weapons available and finding the strengths and weaknesses of each class more.

Last Call:

This game is a fun addictive arcade shooter that you can play with your friends or alone and still have a really good time. The price is right and the game play is clean and solid and includes multiplayer. I’m looking forward to this game coming out and getting a chance to run the whole game through the paces. And I want to blow up more giant ants.