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| | Title:
Citizen Zero
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System:
Xbox 360
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Genre:
Action/RPG
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Publisher:
N/A
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Developer:
Micro-Forte
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Release:
TBA
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
RP
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Cipher Complex is about a satellite that has been blasted from orbit, which lands in a place where US diplomats don’t want any of their troops going. Guess who gets called in to do the dirty work? (No, not Norm Macdonald) The United States Government has no choice but to send in a splinter cell (no, not Sam Fisher) a man who'll risk everything to get things done, John Cipher. The general story may be as predictable as ever, but the gameplay seems promising. Developer Terminal Reality have a new take on the way players will engage in action games for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Terminal Reality is responsible for several games on current-generation platforms, such as The Sims, Pitfall and A Shark’s Tale. The developers have realized the drought in action games bringing something new to the table for gamers. As gamers, they took on the endeavor to develop and publish Cipher Complex. While the details about the plot haven’t been exposed, the one thing that gamers can look forward to--after being reiterated several times--is that Cipher Complex will be a unique and original take on the action genre.
The one thing that the developers mentioned as being a hook for the game’s play mechanics were the AI opponents. While recent games have given us AI foes that seem to be getting increasingly smarter, Terminal Reality stated that these foes will be the next generation of computer intelligence. Unlike other games (with the exception of Hitman), Cipher Complex will have environments that are an integral part of the gameplay; enemies will search, explore and hunt players down. In one example, the developers noted that if a player shoots out a light, or knocks something over, enemies will not only go over to investigate, but they may fix, replace, or pick up items players broke, knocked over, or took. In some cases, even if it’s a worker or unarmed foe, instead of going over to get clobbered, opponents will be likely to grab some backup. Enemies will also stay alerted from a ruckus a player caused, or they will keep alerted from suspicious events that may have occurred earlier in a level.
Gamers can also expect the standard fare from the AI, with flanking and cohesive unit exercises to bury players into the ground. However, enemies will also work as a unit to carry out separate tasks to resolve or “fix” a situation. While one enemy may get on the radio to call in backup, another one may advance on a position to investigate. The developers obviously have much more in store for gamers, regarding this aspect of the gameplay, but they’re keeping silent about it right now.
Vehicles will also play a role in the gameplay. Going back to the topic about environments, the player’s interaction with vehicles seems to extend beyond the simple matter of blowing them up. It appears stages (most of which the developers have worked for months on) may also be setup for players to actually drive around in vehicles. Whether there will be more than just ground-based, military transportation at the player’s disposal has yet to be revealed. Nevertheless, it would be interesting if there were water or air-based vehicles for players to use, like Lucasart’s Mercenaries.
Going back, yet again, to the environmental aspects of the game, the developers also mentioned that there will be destructible interaction. More accurately, they mentioned that there would be destructible “stuff.” Whether the game will take on next-gen qualities like Project E5, which allowed players to literally deconstruct entire building floors or houses, has not been disclosed. Given the concept art and the stealthy aspects of the gameplay, it’s highly unlikely that gamers can literally level complexes. Presumably, though, the game may feature elements within certain levels that have destructible elements. Terminal Reality also hinted at a feature where the character would receive stat upgrades, but nothing else has been revealed.
From this standpoint it seems difficult to see how the genre could be revolutionized in any way different from what we’ve been experiencing. Certain features seem rather promising, but the developers are keeping very tight-lipped about the game. Cipher Complex is some ways off from being released, but already the inclusion of semi-revolutionary AI opponents, vehicular interaction, and immersive environments seems pretty cool. Whether Terminal Reality can churn out a mainstream, original title that will actually appeal to masses is completely up in the air. In this generation of gaming where original IPs are the least produced titles, hopefully Cipher Complex will start a trend that other publishers won’t be fearful to follow. As of course, we’ll keep you posted here at VG Core on any further news and updates. Cipher Complex for the Xbox 360 and PS3 is scheduled to hit shelves sometime in 2007.
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