Section 8
Let’s face it, first person shooters are tired. Every year, another batch is spewed forth from the same stock set of influences, restricted in most cases to one of three potential notes: World War II (mostly brown); Science Fiction (mostly grey); modern day to near future (mostly brown and grey). It’s no secret that the genre is typically the most prolific and least innovative of all, but those polished to the point of mirror sheen often clean up hideously well at retail. Shooting games that do something new – and we’re scraping the floor beyond the barrel here – attract praise from exasperated quarters of the press, who are promptly told to shut up or ignored outright by an internet that can’t handle change.
Oddly enough, Section 8 is neither of the above. On a superficial level, it looks and sounds suitable enough without ever wowing, the aesthetic borrowed from the cover of your average 21st century Sci-Fi novel. Yes, shoulderpads are all over the place, accompanying plenty nonsensical fiction which we can only hope will be elaborated on more coherently in the full game’s campaign mode. The music and sound effects are equally trite, duly emulating every other piece of media with a penchant for shield generators. Its mechanics, too, are nothing out of the ordinary. So, the poor man’s Halo?
Not a chance.
Initially, everything indeed smacks heavily of average. “I’ve seen it all a million times before and better”, one is likely to sigh when confronted with the multiplayer beta’s splash screens. Then one should take note of something fairly minor; the solid, tactile, clean, accessible menu. Everything is easy to find and selecting a match comes in all necessary flavours: there’s a quick connect option for the impatient, a category search for those looking for specific settings and a traditional server list for the rest. Again, not a significant part of the experience, but a well considered and neatly implemented UI feature that cuts hassle to a minimum.
By the time the pings have ponged and bytes bitten, the game proper begins. Lag, even at ISP peak times, remains consistently imperceptible, another hurdle which triple-A games in their dozens struggle to surmount. It’s all so smooth, and the same sentiment is applicable to the way in which the player character enters the field of battle. Beside the sensible loadout options is an overhead map of the level, replete with basic icons detailing player positions, objectives and potential hazards. Click a spot and you’re launched from the sky in freefall towards the fray. An air brake can be deployed to slightly alter direction and ensure a smooth landing, and the whole experience is nothing less than exhilarating. Crashing into the centre of a heated conflict, rifle in hand, buddies at your side, bullets whizzing past millimetres shy of your bollocks is something very special indeed.
The strengths of Section 8 lie in its myriad options. Depth is flexible: casual shooter fans can jump straight in with roughly three clicks, whereas more serious users will prefer to spend some time tinkering with their custom classes. Two slots apiece are allocated to both vanilla weaponry and equipment - such as grenades, knives and radar cloaks - but customisation extends to “Passive Modules”. These are attributes that work in a similar way to Call of Duty’s perks, ridiculous names like “Stealth Matrix” and “Gyro Stabiliser” masking what are in effect ability boosters. Ten slots are available, though each of the modules can fill up to four of these, making it possible to create a soldier who is, for instance, incredibly agile and well-armoured, but pretty useless at everything else. It’s an interesting balancing act that makes each encounter unpredictable, though frustration can creep in when battling a foe with maxed armour and shield stats.
Matches on the whole can be conducted with a similar range of approaches. It’s perfectly acceptable to simply run around and engage in shootouts without ever touching the plethora of goal-based considerations at hand. Requisition Points, earned individually for frags, assists, and the completion of objectives can be spent to deploy turrets, mechs and other vehicles. “Feats”, such as headshots and stealth kills, contribute to the general pool of points which are essential in activating DCMs, or “Dynamic Combat Missions”, which are undertaken in the course of a match and include VIP assassinations and convoy escorts among others. Though not particularly varied in the beta, they’re always a welcome change during a protracted match, especially when the foundation of each game is an uninspired capture and hold affair. Indeed, they add a nice ebb and flow to combat, ensuring that neither team gets stuck in a rut whilst also establishing a kind of pseudo meta-narrative.
What of the gameplay itself, then? We’ve established that the multiplayer framework is superb and everything else is solid enough; shooting, though? It’s awesome. The guns themselves feel powerful, reliable in a way that other titles can’t quite grasp. There’s an impact behind each shot, the accuracy and on-screen feedback sealing the deal. All classes share the same fundamental abilities, but the alternative weapon loadouts and passive modules mean there is always a role to slot into, whilst combat itself rattles along at a fine pace; never slow, but stopping short of impenetrably frantic. The stages themselves are - though enormous - well scaled, with a full server on even the massive Edge of Oasis feeling more than sufficiently populous. Pockets of action are strewn across the landscape, easily accessible thanks to the regenerating jetpacks and speed boosters that each player is equipped with. Dotting around each zone and dipping into impromptu firefights or DCMs gives one the sensation of being just one cog in a bigger machine – this is a full scale warzone.
Only a handful of maps are available in the beta and they’re inconsistent in quality. A couple are fantastic, accommodating up to forty players without breaking a sweat and looking the part, with a great balance of terrain types and vantage points in their open locales. Others are less impressive, being either too small or too corridor-esque to compete with the epic scale of the best, but strong enough to warrant a few plays.
Section 8 is surprising. Not only is the gameplay far more enjoyable than anyone had given it credit for, but it’s held up beautifully by a sturdy, streamlined backend. Even at this stage it’s an addictive ride. If – and that’s a substantial if - Timegate can sustain that quality over an entire multi- and single-player package, there’s a fair chance Section 8 can compete with the genre’s big hitters.
Comments
No-one has commented yet. Be the first.