Re-spawning takes on a whole new meaning when you are facing re-entry from 15,000 feet.
The PS3 download only release of Section 8 has finally arrived, and it clocks in at 3.6 GB’s in size. The game is geared for multiplayer, but playing the story mode is a must as it serves as a great tutorial to learn the mechanics of the game.
- Custom Loadouts Mean No Class Limitations
The story follows trooper Alex Corde. He is a member of the elite 8th Armored Infantry Division which has been nicknamed ‘Section 8’. The nickname refers to a military regulation that is used when someone is mentally unfit for duty. Due to the insane missions the 8th are tasked with, all other units consider these guys nothing short of crazy. Who else will jump out of an orbital dropship at 30,000 feet, and burn into battle, with only a gun and a jetpack? Once deployed, they use advanced weaponry to attack and neutralize enemy defenses in a fast assault.
- Heavy armor can rip you apart. Literally!
The story only covers 8 missions, so it’s definitely just a side note to the overall experience of the game. The multiplayer aspect is where the game creates the best experience.
- Multiplayer Action
Battle maps can be huge, but having the ability to drop in at any point can be a plus, just be sure to keep an eye out for any enemy troops. Dropping into a full squad of troopers wanting to kill you is never a good thing.
There are 11 multiplayer maps in all and the PS3 was given three exclusive maps.
Multiplayer matches consist of a zone style of battle where you capture and hold a specific station by hacking it, and then kill any enemy who comes close. There can be up to 32 players in a match, with 16 members per team. You have the ability to drop automated weapon turrets to assist your defense, but if you and your team mates aren’t working together, you will probably fail miserably. Along with turrets, there are also tanks you can have dropped, even though they can be a little tricky to drive.
- Armored Tanks
Occasionally side missions will pop up. They are called Dynamic Combat Missions (DCM). You may be tasked with things such as taking out a VIP, guarding a VIP, or taking out a convoy. It adds a little something to the game play that you don’t normally get with ‘first person shooters’.
There is also Swarm mode which creates a game where you are outnumbered by ‘bots’ and have to kill them all to succeed. Trying this on ‘Insane’ is not recommended except for the hardcore gamers that have more than a few hours logged into this game.
- Heavies are deadly
The graphics are powered by the Unreal Engine and look good on an HD TV. They aren’t groundbreaking, but they aren’t jaggy or choppy either. The level design is fairly wide open, with some places for interior battles here and there. The level of design detail for the environments are again good, but not groundbreaking. The armor designs for the troopers are great and fairly unique. These aren’t your everyday space marines.
- Section 8 Troopers
Something that’s new to the PS3 realm, Section 8 allows anyone to host a dedicated server for up to 32 PS3 player’s through TimeGate’s proprietary TGNServer. For the first time ever, you can host your own PS3 dedicated server from the comfort of your home PC.
The soundtrack for the game fits well and the tempo of the music rises and falls with the action well. The music was composed by Jason Graves, who also composed music for Dead Space and Star Trek.
Section 8 will never be heralded as a great story driven game, but that isn’t a bad thing. The story mode does a great job of teaching you the mechanics of the game, and who really wants to play a boring tutorial. The developers added in just enough story to prepare you for online battle. The online battles can be very fun and hectic, but if there’s no team work, there will be no team left.
Burn into battle today!
