Damnation

By Bishop Boas at October 27, 2008 3:37 AM

(Xbox 360, PC, PS3) Current Release Date: 4th Quarter 2008

Damnation is an action packed shooter seen from a similar view to Gears of War, which introduces a new concept called "vertical tactics". While most of the shooters today are concentrated on a horizontal view, where most of the enemies are killed at ninety degrees angle from the ground, this game wants to alter the 3D environment where shooting should imply also vertical attacks. Based on this idea, every level is designed to force the player to stay alert every single moment and not only watch his back but also his head and his feet all at the same time.

With the help of the streaming technology a player needs up to 3 hours to cross a level from one side to the other on the normal path and still got the feeling that he is so far from the checkpoint. This is the result of a bottom-up construction of the environment. All you need to do in order to get fast anywhere on the map is to use the environment in your favor. This means performing stunts that make the character climb onto roof-tops, ladders, and jump rifts, to get across from one ledge to the other, to drive vehicles. As complicated as it may seem, these stunts are very easy to be performed, every move giving a sense of fluidity and accomplishment.

You will play as Captain Hamilton Rourke, a veteran of the Great War and a member of the guerilla resistance force called Peacekeepers. Rourke has his own agenda in avenging the death of his fiancé, besides fighting against an unstoppable corporation in the wastelands of Damnation . This sounds like a cowboys places in a punk world. And probably that should be the idea.

Besides shooting all the time and weaving through enemy bullets, the character can use his "spirit vision", to locate the enemies anywhere on the map. In this mode the Captain Rourke cannot shoot or move. On the other side hanging on ladders or ropes seems no problem in killing the enemy. You can choose your own path to any of the locations. There is no pre-defined path in the environment, but a succession of buildings, artificial obstacles and huge rifts.

Because of its speed and tactical approach, a multiplayer for this game is ideal, and most likely will become the core of it. Therefore you can play with your friends in co-op mode throughout the single player, and versus mode on the same console, or online. The spirit vision is implemented in the multiplayer, so anyone can take advantage of its power. Not to mention the verticality of every map, which must bring new state of the art strategical approaches.

Damnation is scheduled to be released at the end of this year for PC, PS3 and XBOX 360. It should be a mainstream product which will surely be one not to check out.