Section 8 Preview

Section 8 looks to offer something different to other FPSs

Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. The first-person shooter genre continues to be one of the most over-subscribed when it comes to what's actually out on the market. If you're an FPS maker and you want your game to stand out, you need to do something different from what's come before.

With Section 8, TimeGate studios has taken the approach of mixing a hefty degree of tactics into the familiar explosive gunplay. The futuristic story casts you as a member of the eponymous Section 8 - a heavily armed military squad famed for taking on near-suicidal missions. Each soldier is equipped with an armour-plated combat suit that allows them to be dropped straight into a warzone, jumping straight out of an orbiting transport ship some 15,000 feet above the ground. This process is known as "burning in," and plays a highly decisive role in battles.

In the single-player game, you'll find yourself taking on the Arm of Orion - an insurgent group determined to help colonised planets break away from the control of the Earth-bound authorities. However, this narrative-driven campaign is largely designed to prepare you for multiplayer gaming - the true focal point of Section 8. Here you'll take part in large scraps with a maximum of 16 participants - although this number may increase as development progresses.

At the start of a match you'll take your pick from one of six pre-set weapon loadouts that form a rough equivalent to the character classes seen in Team Fortress and other similar games. Each loadout provides two primary weapons, a grenade-like armament and a couple of special abilities. If you don't like the ready-made configurations, you can tailor one by using 10 character points to alter your setup: if you want to go out armed with a sniper weapon and a rocket launcher, that's your choice. You can also spend points on increasing your armour value and the speed at which you move. As you'll soon discover, these last two attributes have a fairly significant effect on how you battle - but I'll explain this in a moment.

If you want multiplayer bots you're in luck

Once you're kitted out, it's time to choose a burn-in location. Rather than simply spawning on the battlefield, an overhead map of the level allows you to pick the exact place for you to come raining down from above. It's worth taking the time to think about this: depending on the number of players involved in a match (and the game mode), there'll be a number of bases available for you and your rivals to capture. Unfortunately these outposts come equipped with a range of automated anti-aircraft guns, so attempting to drop straight in will probably result in you being killed before you even set foot on the ground. At the start of a round you'll probably want to land somewhere just outside of their range, but if you and a few mates are feeling brave (or nuts) you could all try burning-in to the same base. Who knows? Maybe one of you will survive and secure an early advantage.

Once you've picked a spot, you'll find yourself plummeting towards the ground at an alarming rate, with the entire stage beneath you. As soon as you've fallen a certain distance, you'll be given the option to slow your descent; this makes you an easier target for hostile troops below, but it also gives you a limited amount of control over the direction you move in - allowing you to land into good sniping positions atop high buildings and bits of scenery. Alternatively, if you choose not to slow down you'll simply crash down to Earth with a violent thud. It's an unusual way to start a deathmatch, but it's also a lot of fun - a bit like Pilotwings but with the added risk of being shot in the head. I'm also told that there will be an Achievement/Trophy for killing someone by landing directly on someone's head. This sounds pretty challenging to me, but I'm certainly going to give it a go.