Section 8: PS3 Review

I know the term “hardcore” is thrown around a lot in the gaming community, often with negative connotation, but there’s really no other way to describe Section 8 other than hardcore.  It eats other “hardcore” first person shooters for breakfast. Any seasoned FPS gamer with countless hours of Halo and Modern Warfare play under their belt, after a few rounds of Section 8, will be folded over in the fetal position and rocking back and forth in the corner. Now, does this make a game a success? In my book, yes. Yes it does.

Let’s start with the bad and get that out of the way. Art design/graphics. Section 8 offers nothing new. We have large maps of desert environments spiced with industrial Space Marine bases. The color palette is your standard Space Marine mix of browns and grays, with a generally washed-out effect. The character models follow suit with your standard faceless, armor-plated, futuristic warriors. Graphically, this game is on par with early gen console offerings. Textures are grainy on close inspection and particle effects are few and far between. Still, it’s important to remember that this is a $30 download. What was crucial to achieve fast-paced gameplay was given priority.  Therefore, frame rates are smooth and antialiasing is good enough that distant pixels can be recognized as an enemy marine and not shrubbery moving in the breeze. Furthermore, if you have the time to stand around and analyze such things, you’re doing something wrong. That’s why I insist that you take the time to click on the screenshots in this article to view the larger preview instead of attempting to look at the environment during a match like I did.

Next, let’s move from the bad to the bad but passable aspects of the game. It’s important to note that this game is, in reality, an online FPS. There is a single player component, which I finished twice by the time I wrote this review, but I really have to write it off as simply an introduction to game mechanics. The story and character development in the single player mode were basically non-existent, and in addition to that, the experience itself was short. Still, it forced me to practice advanced techniques and to learn exactly how each of the different online multiplayer modes would function. That’s what leads me to believe that it was only ever intended as a training ground for the real experience; the online multiplayer. Some may see this as a negative for the game. I see it as the development team focusing on the game’s strengths.

Now, on to the good. If a player can get past Section 8′s STEEP learning curve, there is a rich and engrossing experience to be had. At first, it’s easy to compare Section 8 to Tribes/Tribes 2. The suits are similar and, at a quick glance, the gameplay mechanics look very similar. Just like in Tribes/Tribes 2, you’ve got various suit sizes, jump jets, and guns. However, the more you play, the more Section 8 branches off on its own. It’s a game that rewards players not for play time but for practice and mastery of advanced techniques. There are no unlocks. You’ve got all guns and add-ons available on first boot. You just need to learn how to use and combine them correctly. Tribes did the same thing, but I think it’s safe to say that Section 8 takes it a step further, adding a deeply complex character setup and more abilities to mix up the gameplay experience.

For many people, running, spotting an enemy, dropping to prone, scoping in, and then taking that enemy out, is a complex move in a FPS. To give a little perspective, let me describe one of the many basic techniques you’ll have to master to get anywhere online in Section 8. From the ground, when facing a barrier/wall between you and the enemy, engage your sprint at a decent distance from your target. When your sprint reaches full power and bursts into overdrive, jump, and at the height of your jump, engage your jump jets. As you soar over the wall at mach 5, scope in on an enemy, use your lock-on skill, and fire a few rounds while burning your jump jets off and on to prevent fall damage. During all of this, make sure you are assessing the cover layout beneath you. When you do finally touch down, you’ll need to get behind something quick.

This level of complexity is both Section 8′s greatest strength and its’ most crippling weakness. TimeGate Studios has given the console community what it has been asking for for a long time; an experience as in-depth and challenging to master as any PC FPS. Despite what some reviewers may say, it controls well for a game that was clearly initially intended for PC. You can pull off all the same moves with the same sharp results that you’d get with mouse and keyboard. In other words, the PS3 version doesn’t feel like a port. The trouble is, what the console community says it wants and what it will actually play are two very different things.

I fear for TimeGate Studios’ sales figures. With the current popularity of certain pick-up-and-play game franchises, I worry that Section 8 will get lost in the haze of grenade spams and dual-shotgun mayhem. We consolers are geared toward instant gratification. Even if we’re doing poorly in an online match, we’re calmed by our marked upward progress, be it from weapon unlocks or player rank increases. Section 8 doesn’t pander to that crowd. The only way you’ll see progress is with your increased comfort with the game mechanics. When you first jump into an online match in Section 8, for a minimum of the first hour, you will get trounced. There are no two ways about it. From dying before you actually finish airdropping in to impotently dying at the hands of a foe who has 1/3 your health, it’s easy for a new player to either throw his controller across the room or, worse yet, log out and play something he’s more comfortable with. It’s unfortunate but true.

I wonder if my willingness to see it through and play through the pain stems from my roots as an old-school PC gamer. I’ve played Quake with its grappling hooks and Tribes with its ski-jumping. I’m used to getting my ass handed to me until I wrap my head around the gameplay. Still, I recognize that’s not the average gamer’s background. Would todays FPS console gamer enjoy it if they took the time to learn how to play? I truly believe they all would. Section 8 is an amazing experience offering something new and fresh to the PS3 crowd and at a price that won’t break the bank. Now, even with all that going for it, will gamers play the demo and end up buying the full version? The jury’s still out on that. For now, if you decide to pick it up, which is my recommendation, you won’t have any trouble finding populated servers. The game is, overall, wonderful, and many have figured that out. They’ve also been playing a lot longer than you and will be more than willing to tear your face off and show it to you. Do yourself a favor; before jumping online, play through the single player and then load up a few bot matches. The bots aren’t brilliant, but they’re good enough. Once you can consistently beat the bots, then, and only then, jump into an online game. You’ll be having a blast before you know it.

Final Verdict:
Pretty Damn Cool

- Squiddy D. out