Section 8 Prejudice Review
Developer Timegate
Publisher Timegate
Platform Xbox Arcade/PC
Release Date Out Now
The Cost of a game is rarely a major factor for us when reviewing games, as generally the full store releases all come out at around the €50 mark and the smaller downloadable Arcade games normally hit the market at around the €10-12 mark so it isn’t usually an issue. So what happens when a game that could stand up to most full price releases comes out on the Downloadable market at Arcade prices? Well we sit up and take notice that what happens.
A clever marketing move perhaps, or the realisation that the FPS market has become overly saturated and that it was time for a drastic move in order to be able to make your mark. The original Section 8 didn’t set the world alight (although perhaps it got judged quite unfairly as it did have a number of interesting new concepts). So here we are Section 8 prejudice rolls out onto the Arcade market boasting a roster that any full release would be proud of.
A 5 hour long campaign that is as good if not better than many recent releases, the production levels are nowhere near as high as the COD or the Halo series in terms of visuals or writing but once you get under the hood the game play is pretty much the same, a numbers of pretty standard levels have been thrown together and for the most part the enemy is just cannon fodder to push you through the levels. You will work your way through it in a day or two bar getting stuck on one of the numerous learning curve spikes were the game jumps from too easy to almost impossible.
The campaign does work as a nice tutorial to get you ready for the 32 player multiplayer side of the game, by introducing you to all the new gameplay modes and gadgets available, but probably the coolest introduction is the “drop system” used for spawning. Your soldier drop’s into the battle from drop ships thousands of feet in the air eliminating the problems surrounds spawn camping. Seeing the ground rush up to you as you slam on the breaks just before you hit the ground is a really brilliant way of entering a match.
As you progress through the game and start to unlock more and more of the elements, you start to learn that Section 8 prejudice as something more to give beyond simply the cost. The options available when customising weapons and armour to player right from the get go is quite extensive (and the best load outs are not limited just to the best players). All load outs are fairly balanced even for the newcomer trying to get to grips with the game. As you get your kills within the matches you are rewarded with in game points that you can then be spend on items such as turrets etc. It’s a system that I enjoy as it gives you something else to play for rather than just plain old XP or working on the Kill/Death Ratio.
The maps are big, and at times a little too big as they can often require a lot of running around but to say the online experience is solid is an understatement. Think Halo and you are not a million miles away, its fast paced action that will have you constantly moving and thinking on your feet. It’s all nicely balanced, with enough customisations and plenty of more updates promised by the developers it will offer months rather than weeks of entertainment.
It doesn’t end there they have also jammed in a number of co-op game types options in the gamemode Swarm for example you must work together to hold off swarms of AI bots for around 15 minutes. Not as easy as it sounds, but the maps are tighter and the action is a lot more frantic which gives you the best of both worlds.
The terms of of gameplay it’s quite similar to the Halo series, even in terms of looks it has similarities (with futuristic soldiers in mechanical suits, with shields and boasting almost super strength sprinting around blasting each other to bits).
Overall : What you get is an enjoyable solo campaign that is probably as long as it needs to be as it isn’t really an epic but still worth a play through. You get huge open 32 player maps in games in a decent stable online environment, and tight co-op maps that are offer you an extra option if you would rather work with your friends than against them.
As a full release I maybe wouldn’t be so lenient but for an Arcade release it really is quite astounding what you get for your €12.99.
Score “B” Great Game.
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