One of the most popular areas of gaming today is online multiplayer. Deathmatch modes that allow gamers to compete with other players from around the world are one of the key factors driving sales for the likes of Call Of Duty and Gears Of War. And now South Peak seeks to capitalise on this with its latest FPS.
Section 8 is a sci-fi shooter with an emphasis on massive battles between two factions: the Eighth Armoured Infantry and the Arm Of Orion. Players join squads of heavily armoured troopers and fight for control of alien worlds. However, South Peak is keen to stress that this is far from your traditional online fragfest.
“Section 8 is going to redefine the way multiplayer shooters are played,” says European marketing director Ed Blincoe. “We’re really expecting this game to break out into the mainstream and take a lot of ground away from other first-person shooters who are still reliant on the traditional core mechanics of the genre. Gamers want and need something different from a shooter and the genre needs to evolve. Section 8 is that evolution and will deliver an unrivalled online experience.”
Rather than focusing on concentrated battles, Section 8 removes many of the limitations found in rival titles to give gamers much more freedom.
For example, rather than spawning in on the ground level at a specified place, they begin by leaping from a dropship high above the battlefield, allowing them to land wherever they want.
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“Section 8 has several killer features,” explains Blincoe. “We’re rewriting the traditional rules of a first-person shooter by letting people spawn into the game anywhere on the map they like and giving players access to all weapons from the outset.
“Section 8 also allows them to take any combination of weapons they want onto the battlefield through customised loadouts, and call down vehicles and equipment whenever they want with instant deployables.”
PEAK OF ITS POWERS
However, with this freedom comes a need for tactical strategy. Players can only select new weapons and vehicles by earning credits based on their in-game performance.
Once accessible, they must use these advantages sensibly – it’s no good calling in a dropship to deliver a tank while in an area surrounded by enemy anti-air turrets. Anyone that tells you different is a nincompoop.
While the game boasts an extensive single-player campaign and Instant Action mode, allowing offline players to battle the competitive AI, the key selling point will be the multiplayer mode.
South Peak will be working hard to raise awareness of the online options available during its comprehensive marking campaign.
“We’ll be running our own dedicated servers from launch, giving Xbox 360 gamers 32-player matches and PC owners 64-player matches,” explains Blincoe. “These will be ranked servers and players will be able to track their gamerscores against people from all over the world on the newly-launched website and community hub at www.joinsection8.com.
“Section 8 will be a core title for retail over Q3 this year. We’re releasing at the right time for the game to take hold and will be backing that up with a huge marketing pre-awareness campaign that takes in key opinion formers right through core gamers to the mainstream that will make Section 8 a must-have title for gamers who get their kicks online.”
