Section 8 Preview

Section 8, TimeGate's first-person shooter, knows how to spice up multiplayer. Instead of just starting the battle in pre-determined spawn points, you choose where the combat begins. Entering the map is done by "Burning In", essentially free falling through the planet's atmosphere to a location which you select. The combination of futuristic weaponry, armoured vehicles and the ability to call in reinforcements certainly doesn't make the title any less appealing. Section 8 also manages to include something which too few games have - jet packs. The ability to rain barrages of fire down on your enemies while careering through the sky is always a welcome addition.

Set in a series of distant colonial planets besieged by rebellious forces, The Arm of Orion, Section 8 has a distinct sci-fi atmosphere. The name derives from its heroes; a group of soldiers from the 8th Armoured Division referred to as "Section 8" as it is the US Army's term for anyone insane. These troops are sent into battle with very little chance of succeeding but they have a reputation for fearsome combat and an impressive amount of technology.

The game's single-player campaign is focused on the battle between the rebels and Earth's forces. TimeGate is investing a lot of effort into making this story driven and involving. In the hands-on preview I played, the focus was on the multiplayer and it was an enjoyable experience with a slightly old fashioned feel. If the title's single player mode can capture the same mood as the frenetic and fast-paced combat against human opponents then it will certainly be headed in the right direction.

Combining team based co-ordination, character customisation and vehicle combat with a distinctly old school deathmatch leads to a good blend which is accessible and perhaps most importantly, fun. Each map begins by presenting you with a tactical view of the battlefield, displaying the key locations and areas. The main objective is to capture control points, strategic locations which provide a number of benefits to the owners. These include turret stations and anti-aircraft guns which will prevent the opposition dropping straight onto key positions. Controlling these capture points, completing sub-objectives and killing the enemy earns you victory points. Whoever has the most at the end is the winner.

Before the match begins, you can customise your character by selecting weapons and a series of skills. With your armaments you select a primary and secondary firearm from a wide selection. Being particularly subtle I chose an assault rifle and a rocket launcher. The more difficult decision came when selecting my "passive slots" a range of abilities which help to tailor your character to your individual play style. There are a range of different abilities available, each of which can be increased up to a maximum of level 4. You are given 10 points to spend in total, so I maxed out my armour and jet pack abilities and put the remaining two stats into armour repair.

Next, I had to select where to enter the battle, which proved to be a relatively difficult choice. The map comprised two control points opposite one another and I could see that my team were already well on the way to securing the first. Deciding to play it risky I opted to drop in away from my force and make a move into enemy territory. Falling several thousand feet, very quickly, in first-person is probably not for sufferers of vertigo but it certainly gets you into the game. As I fell I could see explosions and the tiny outlines of friend and foe on the battlefield. Steering my character, I landed behind an outcrop of rock and started to use the mini-map to track down the opposition.

One of the nice features is a temporary "auto-aim" function which locks your crosshair onto an enemy's head for a few seconds while you hammer the trigger like a mad man. This was used to great effect on my first opponent who was left with no armour to protect him and was soon dispatched with a rocket to the feet. Thankfully, this feature can only be used infrequently and needs to regenerate over time. After the short skirmish I was left with some slight damage to my own bulletproof shell, but these are repairable in game with a small device. This proves useful if you can find some spare time in between fights to keep yourself alive.

At this point, my teammates called in a health dispenser and a vehicle which both dropped from an aircraft alongside a mechanical suit equipped with some weapons. Soon enough an enemy called a vehicle in and a large battle started in the centre of the map. There was a good selection of vehicles available and the ability to call them in anywhere, even on the front line, looks set to keep the action intense.

Using the distraction of the larger fight, I used my jet pack to sneakily fly my way into the enemy control point, taking great care to avoid their base defences. Using my rocket launcher to get rid of an opponent guarding the point I began to capture it and with the support of a few teammates it wasn't long before we were accumulating plenty of victory points. "Dynamic Combat Missions" are generated by a system which encourages players to work together on smaller goals and when completed will net the team points. They act as a set of smaller objectives which are created during the match depending on what is happening in the individual game.

Section 8 is currently looking promising with some nice new ideas, especially the ability to drop in wherever you choose. It gives the game a very different mentality to many other shooters as your enemies could be anywhere on the map. However, there are a few slight problems. In the matches I played, one team would tend to get a much better start than the other leading to very one sided contests. Hopefully, upon release, the outcome of the games won't be determined in the opening seconds.

The game's visuals are looking good with some nicely rendered planets and environments, but the Xbox 360 version we saw doesn't quite match up to some other next-generation FPS titles. A lot of Section 8's appeal will depend on balance and the game will have to be very finely tweaked to keep all of its different aspects in check. With so many variations of weapons, character abilities, vehicles and spawn locations it is going to take a lot to ensure that it remains enjoyable. Section 8 is certainly entertaining and with 6 months until release later this year, there is plenty of time for tweaking. Until then, I look forward to that jetpack.