Section 8, First Person Shooter for PcCand Xbox 360

I bought and have played Section 8 for about a month now. Section 8 is a First Person Shooter (FPS), created by TimeGate Studios and South Peak Games. It operates through the Games for Windows Live client. This game has a small single-player storyline, most people would probably spend more time playing in online multiplayer games. This game in a sense is familiar through the FPS gaming genre, but there are a few original aspects that aren’t a huge draw to the game, enough though to keep you interested perhaps to get your moneys-worth from the game.

FPS games, in general, put you in the view of a character (First Person View). FPS games also have a Heads Up Display (HUD), which gives you information about your surroundings in-game. As the last letter of the acronym indicates, guns for shooting and other weapons are used throughout the entire storyline and/or game itself. Even the weapons you can choose from are typical FPS weapons, Machine Gun, Assault Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, Sniper Rifle, and Missle Launcher (not a lot of Area of Effect with the Missle Launcher, that is something out-of-the-norm with this game).

Section 8 is also similiar to other FPS games with vehicles to assist you in your path of destruction, however they aren’t exactly original vehicle concepts. The biggest, most expensive, and very useful vehicle is the tank. The tank, as said before, isn’t an orginal concept. But it does have one original twist to it, it allows other players (up to 4) to ride around with the driver and shoot various types of weaponry onboard. The second vehicle is called the Heavy Armor. Essentially it is a mech-like person that you control, having access to a machine gun and also smashing opponents by swinging your arms, or as a finishing move, either picking them up and shooting them or picking them up and throwing them against the ground.

Another way that Section 8 is unlike other First Person Shooters is in the variety of gametype. Most First Person Shooters have multiple gametypes, from Free for All, Team Free for All, Capture the Flag, King of the Hill (has different names depending on the game) type games. But this game only has one gametype, the King of the Hill type of game. Two teams battle back and forth, trying to capture multiple Control Points (CPs) located at opposite ends of the map. The entire multiplayer

Where Section 8 starts to branch off from the average FPS is other “deployables” you can call in while battling. These deployables include a Sensor Array, Minigun Turret (Anti-personal), Supply Depot (allows for repairing anything and letting a player change their equipment setup), an AA-Turret (Anti-Air), and a Rocket Turret (Anti-vehicle). In order to call these deployables onto the battlefield, you must acquire requisition points. Requisition points are accumulated by assisting in kills, killing players, participating in missions throughout the battle. After accumulating requisition points, deployables and vehicles become available based on how many you have.

Other, perhaps small aspects, that allow me to say this game branches off from other FPS’s, are the Passive Modules, Tools, and the ability to “burn-in” from the sky. A player can have up to ten Passive Modules in their setup at a time. Passive Modules give bonus effects, such as extra damage, extra shields, extra armor, faster speed, faster recharges, stealth, etc.. Tools that you can include in a setup include a Repair Tool, Detonation Packs, Grenades, Mortars, Sensor Blocker, Micro-Sensor, and Knife. Burning-in, allows a player to drop in onto the field from the sky, with the ability to brake and move around to change your drop location.

Overall, Section 8 provides a familiar setting while introducing some different features that add a new experience to the FPS genre. This game includes vehicles and weapons both familiar to the avid gamer. But there are also passive modules, tools, and deployables that are certainly an exposure that is distinctive.