Section 8 GamesCom 2009 Preview
There is a vast quantity of first-person shooter titles coming out between now and Christmas, and Section 8 is probably one of the first major ones to hit store shelves. Although it came out yesterday in North America, it's still over a week away from its European release and at GamesCom 2009, Gaming Union had a chance to look at the game.
First things first, Section 8 is primarily an online experience. There is a single player campaign, but it's mainly used to teach players about the game. There is also an offline multiplayer mode, which can be played against bots, but players will spend most of their time online, fighting against other players around the world.
When players initially spawn, they can spawn anywhere on the map. However, they are dropped in from space, so things might be quite different when they actually land on the ground. It usually takes around 5-10 seconds to actually get in the action, and there are pros and cons to coming down faster to get into the action. Really coming in hard will cause players to become disorientated when they land, making them easy targets. Players coming in slowly can also be an easy target in the air, so it's a balance that needs to be weighed up. There are also turrets scattered around the map which prevent people from being able to spawn there easily. These can be deactivated though, and turned against the enemy.
To win, a team has to collectively acquire more points than the opposition. This can be done in generic ways, such as capturing key points on the map, but it can also be done by winning special objectives. Upon attaining a certain amount of kills with certain weapons, teams will have the option to start missions. An example of a mission is Assassination, and these affect both teams. Everyone is informed of the objective, but it's a side-mission, so it can be ignored. To make things even more challenging, it's possible to have multiple missions going on at the same time.
Players will also be able to customise their characters in the game, with lots of modifications available for weapons and armour. This means players can gear themselves fully to certain play-styles. For example, it's possible to really increase armour and bullet damage, but it's also possible to become invisible to the radar.
All of these aspects really promote that Section 8 is about teamwork. A team that's fully functioning will be able to dominate, but it's still possible to have some fun with the game. The controls weren't the tightest, and the special abilities seemed a bit laboured, but the premise of the game is good.
It's due out in Europe n the 18th of September, and the 11th of September in the UK on Xbox 360 and PC.
