Section 8 First Look

In gaming canon, it is traditional that a fall from 30,000 feet is pretty much the end of the game. For Alex Corde, a dedicated Section 8 operative, it's just the beginning.

Of course by this point you must be thinking that another FPS on the major consoles and PC is another drop in the proverbial bucket, but come September, TimeGate might just have reason to change your mind. The developer's new (and first) IP, Section 8, tells a familiar story in a familiar genre using familiar gameplay mechanics, but it's likely that you have never played a game like it.

Section 8 tells the story of a war between two factions: the EDF, the established governmental order around these parts, and the Arm of Orion, the upstart military group with a bad attitude and everything to prove. As the story begins, the 'Arm' has been silently subjugating planets on the outskirts of galactic civilization. Apparently that makes them pretty confident and soon they launch a surprise attack on the EDF. The 'Arm' attacks an outer rim planet and Section 8, a group of elite armored infantry, is called in and so we find ourselves hurtling through the upper atmosphere face first.

That is one of the more interesting aspects of the game as this trailer showpiece ("burning in") is also a consistent dynamic respawn system. Whenever players are KIA (killed in action for non-Brothers in Arms fans), they are "burned in", that is, shot toward the drop zone by your faction's orbiting aircraft. Players must time a jet pack burst to avoid a 500 mile per hour face plant and weakened shields. It's a unique system and should look awesome in first person.

Once in the hot zone, Alex and company will attempt to secure capture points across the terrain, which reportedly stretches for several miles. Once captured, players are granted strategic battlefield advantages. For instance, capturing canons may offer anti-air support to keep enemy soldiers from landing in your location. 

By taking out enemies and completing objectives, players earn requisition points that can be used to secure new vehicles, armors and, presumably, modifications for individual characters. In Section 8, character classes are dynamic, and players can boost their abilities in Passive and Active categories. Active boosts are physical enhancements like weapons or gadgets, while Passive augmentations provide intangible boosts to attributes like speed or mobility. Interestingly, any armament added to your body armor can be blasted off in battle.

Play modes are recognizable (single, multiplayer, instant action), but Dynamic Combat Missions (DCM) that add objectives to missions will keep the action fresh. Multiplayer has received a fair amount of coverage, but details are still sketchy. Still, 16 possible players have been confirmed for consoles and double that number on PC. Section 8 will be burning in September 2009.