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| | Title:
CellFactor: Revolution
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System:
Xbox 360
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Genre:
First Person Shooter
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Publisher:
TBA
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Developer:
Immersion Software & Graphics
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Release:
December 2006
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Rating Pending (RP)
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With the rich first person shooter franchise going strong it isn’t hard to say that almost every idea for the genre has been used. Whether it’s fighting aliens, Nazis, robots, or any other imaginable enemy, the first person genre seems used up. The last great first person shooter evolution was FEAR. FEAR combined amazing AI with some of the sickest slow motion graphics and gameplay ever to be seen in the videogame industry. Unfortunately for console gamers, FEAR was only released for the PC. So the guys over at Immersion Games decided to give console gamers their own first person shooter with amazing powers. Recently announced at GDC, Cell Factor is another stab into the first person shooter evolution of “give them powers and guns.” While only a tech demo multiplayer trailer was shown, it did give gamers a good idea on what to expect from the title. It pulls several ideas from Halo, FEAR, and believe or not Star Wars.
Graphically the game looks comparable to a slightly better looking Perfect Dark Zero. The textures and HDR looked standard for an Xbox 360 game. The character models were probably the most disappointing part of the entire tech demo. They didn’t look that great and the ragdoll physics of their deaths was very much like PDZ’s, but without the annoying twitching. Now don’t think that the game won’t look better as the final product. This is only a tech demo and I’m quite sure Cell Factor will be polished up to take full advantage of the Xbox 360 hardware.
The gameplay though was the true highlight of the trailer. Immersion Games is giving players a wealth of choices on how to dispose of their opponents, all of which look fun. First up is the standard shoot and kill. While obviously a big part of the gameplay, the trailer did not really focus on this potion of Cell Factor. Only one gun was showcased throughout the whole trailer and its special abilities were focused on more so than its actually use. This firearm seems to come loaded to the teeth with ways to dish out pain. Besides the expected bullets and grenade launcher, players are also going to have the option to unleash what can best be described as a black hole grenade. Out of everything showcased in the trailer, this weapon easily won the eye candy prize. When released it emits a strobe of pink lines as it randomly skims across the surface of the playing field. Suddenly, every single thing that is not bolted down is sucked towards the bomb. The demo placed a lot of objects in the area to produce a better effect, but vehicles as well as other players were also not immune to the powerful vortex. The bomb then inverts inward and explodes, sending everything it had pulled in across the map. The visual effect is very similar to that of grenades explosions in FEAR.
In addition to the firearms players are also going to have vehicles at their disposal. Two were shown in the trailer. The first was a flying death machine. Not only could it unleash volley after volley of missiles but was also highly maneuverable. The trailer had the ship tumbling head over heels numerous times in an effort to dodge incoming fire. Also available was a two man ground vehicle similar to the warthog in Halo. One person drives and the other shoots. It was not featured nearly as much as the flying ship but it also did not seem as effective at taking out opponents.
The big unique push for Cell Factor is its inclusion of special abilities available to the player. Complimenting the hefty weapons and vehicles is the player’s ability to use what can best be described as force powers. I can them force powers because they are very similar to the powers used by a Jedi. One that was truly focused on was the push ability. No item was immune to this powerful attack that could shove players, missiles, and even vehicles in any direction the player desired. Players will also be to able grab objects to throw them, and even fly.
Like I said earlier, Cell Factor is going to be an interesting game. It is another one of the few first person games to try and provide gamers with abilities beyond just simple firearms. It looks promising but there needs to be some work done. Graphically it needs some polish, and if the trailer is any indication, using the powers is going to be the only way to truly be a master at this game. Hopefully the vehicles will be given more power in order to balance this out. Look for more news during E3.
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