Glen Atwell
Shaun InguanzoProject Origin hands-on: is it shooter of the year?
August 5th 2008 04:08
Console:
Xbox 360
Article:
Hands On
Score (out of 10):
No Score
Author:
Shaun Inguanzo
Online Multiplayer:
Yes
Hands-on with the Xbox 360 version
PROJECT Origin, the dark horse in this year's gaming race, could well steal the Game of the Year mantle from its FPS competitors.
Bear in mind that the list includes other blockbuster titles such as Resistance 2, Killzone 2, and Battlefield Bad Company.
After just 20 minutes of playtime with the preview code, courtesy of Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, Gamer Herald can tell you that this is one bad mother of a game.
Project Origin is the sequel to FEAR, a survival horror game first released on PC in late 2005, and takes the experience of that game to an entirely new level.
A colourful, open world now awaits gamers as opposed to the drab grey corridors of FEAR.
And the game engine developed by Monolith Productions gives Project Origin a level of detail and beauty rarely seen in video games.
This little beauty has brains where it matters, with enemy AI quick to react to your fire, some even opening car doors to shield themselves if you flank them.
The game environment is fully interactive, with most buildings able to be damaged or even destroyed by gun and rocket fire.
In one instance, I couldn't access my mech because it was standing in an electricity-infused pool of water courtesy of a drooping power line.
After launching a rocket at the power pole, brutally and awfully disconnecting it from the power network, the cable - and pool of water - were harmless.
This surprised WBIE marketing manager Mark Aubrey who said he had never seen that scenario in the many demo-runs he had given gaming journalists since E3 in Los Angeles last month.
It means gamers will have to be aware of their environment, and this was further demonstrated by the atmospheric crumbling bricks from destroyed buildings, leaking water, planes whooshing overhead and cars that offer anything but cover when they explode.
The on-foot element of Project Origin is largely about survival. But step inside a mech and you'll soon discover that Monolith is planning to incorporate some Duke Nukem-esque destruction in what is shaping up to be more of an action than a horror title.
The mech and its two powerful chain guns ripped through enemy troops, some whose upper torsos were bloodily detached from their legs.
Devastating rockets spiraled towards targets, and even if they missed, the falling rubble crushed the grunts who dared stand in my way.
Attention to fine detail is evident in Project Origin, with the player actually mounting the mech as opposed to magically appearing in it.
A faint static haze covers the mech view to denote the on-screen mech HUD that points out enemies and prioritises their threat level on the fly.
Mechs notably - and deliberately - move slower.
The game was in an unoptimised state, and while it looked a treat, at times the frame rate suffered.
Also, the weapon quick-select feature is tricky to use. You hold LB (L1 on the PS3) and use the right analogue stick to select a weapon.
Its downfall is that it doesn't pause the game, leaving you vulnerable to attack. I'd recommend that Monolith pause the game when the button is held so that in single player it is indeed a 'quick select'.
Mr Aubrey said the frame rate, and any other problems, would be ironed out before a release scheduled for sometime between October and December this year on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
He wouldn't confirm if mechs would make it into the game's multiplayer mode, but Mr Aubrey did say that Monolith had significantly improved the multiplayer game since FEAR.
However, we will all have to wait for a multiplayer preview as no official announcements have yet been made.
Final thoughts:
I loved what I saw and played, and right now, Project Origin is at the top of my list of most anticipated games.
The graphics are beautiful, the controls smooth, the mech and on-foot gameplay a healthy combination of action and survival.
And hey, I haven't even mentioned the Matrix-style slow motion that has returned, along with a detailed gore model that, while slowed down, looks absolutely brutal!
The player's interaction with the environment is impressive and there's always something to stimulate your senses.
Enemy AI, while smart, still suffers when sniping. The whack-a-mole technique can still be used to pop a cap into enemy snipers, who bob up and down from cover without any true sign of intelligence.
On the ground, they are flawless and challenging, retreating if wounded, meaning they could be waiting around the corner. Oh, and they pull out sidearms if lying injured on the ground.
Please sir, can I have some gore?
PROJECT Origin, the dark horse in this year's gaming race, could well steal the Game of the Year mantle from its FPS competitors.
Bear in mind that the list includes other blockbuster titles such as Resistance 2, Killzone 2, and Battlefield Bad Company.
After just 20 minutes of playtime with the preview code, courtesy of Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, Gamer Herald can tell you that this is one bad mother of a game.
Project Origin is the sequel to FEAR, a survival horror game first released on PC in late 2005, and takes the experience of that game to an entirely new level.
A colourful, open world now awaits gamers as opposed to the drab grey corridors of FEAR.
And the game engine developed by Monolith Productions gives Project Origin a level of detail and beauty rarely seen in video games.
This little beauty has brains where it matters, with enemy AI quick to react to your fire, some even opening car doors to shield themselves if you flank them.
The game environment is fully interactive, with most buildings able to be damaged or even destroyed by gun and rocket fire.
In one instance, I couldn't access my mech because it was standing in an electricity-infused pool of water courtesy of a drooping power line.
After launching a rocket at the power pole, brutally and awfully disconnecting it from the power network, the cable - and pool of water - were harmless.
This surprised WBIE marketing manager Mark Aubrey who said he had never seen that scenario in the many demo-runs he had given gaming journalists since E3 in Los Angeles last month.
It means gamers will have to be aware of their environment, and this was further demonstrated by the atmospheric crumbling bricks from destroyed buildings, leaking water, planes whooshing overhead and cars that offer anything but cover when they explode.
The on-foot element of Project Origin is largely about survival. But step inside a mech and you'll soon discover that Monolith is planning to incorporate some Duke Nukem-esque destruction in what is shaping up to be more of an action than a horror title.
The mech and its two powerful chain guns ripped through enemy troops, some whose upper torsos were bloodily detached from their legs.
Meching, meching bacon...
Devastating rockets spiraled towards targets, and even if they missed, the falling rubble crushed the grunts who dared stand in my way.
Attention to fine detail is evident in Project Origin, with the player actually mounting the mech as opposed to magically appearing in it.
A faint static haze covers the mech view to denote the on-screen mech HUD that points out enemies and prioritises their threat level on the fly.
Mechs notably - and deliberately - move slower.
The game was in an unoptimised state, and while it looked a treat, at times the frame rate suffered.
Also, the weapon quick-select feature is tricky to use. You hold LB (L1 on the PS3) and use the right analogue stick to select a weapon.
Its downfall is that it doesn't pause the game, leaving you vulnerable to attack. I'd recommend that Monolith pause the game when the button is held so that in single player it is indeed a 'quick select'.
Mr Aubrey said the frame rate, and any other problems, would be ironed out before a release scheduled for sometime between October and December this year on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
He wouldn't confirm if mechs would make it into the game's multiplayer mode, but Mr Aubrey did say that Monolith had significantly improved the multiplayer game since FEAR.
However, we will all have to wait for a multiplayer preview as no official announcements have yet been made.
Final thoughts:
I loved what I saw and played, and right now, Project Origin is at the top of my list of most anticipated games.
The graphics are beautiful, the controls smooth, the mech and on-foot gameplay a healthy combination of action and survival.
And hey, I haven't even mentioned the Matrix-style slow motion that has returned, along with a detailed gore model that, while slowed down, looks absolutely brutal!
The player's interaction with the environment is impressive and there's always something to stimulate your senses.
Enemy AI, while smart, still suffers when sniping. The whack-a-mole technique can still be used to pop a cap into enemy snipers, who bob up and down from cover without any true sign of intelligence.
On the ground, they are flawless and challenging, retreating if wounded, meaning they could be waiting around the corner. Oh, and they pull out sidearms if lying injured on the ground.
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Comment by Glen Atwell
Computer Game
Sport Talk
Gamer Herald
he destructible environment is a great addition. let's just hope the OFLC don't turn their noses up at the excessive violence!
bring it on.
Comment by Shaun Inguanzo
Blogocratic Nightmare
All the more reason for an R18 rating. It's a damn fine game and it would be a real shame to miss out on playing it.
Comment by TimmyH
Tech News
Can you HACK it?
Genyration