Section 8 Preview

Right off the bat, I want to clear something up. This game is NOT a simulation of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development housing assistance program known as Section 8. Sorry to disappoint all our readers out there looking for a game that lets them live the action-packed day of a bureaucrat.

This game IS a sci-fi first-person shooter with a robust multiplayer component. The game’s already drawn a bucketful of comparisons to the Battlefield series and Tribes. After some hands-on with a beta, I would say it’s a fair one to make.

Section 8 has both a single-player and multi-player gameplay. The beta only showcased the latter. The goal on multi-player maps is to earn a certain number of points before the other team does. These are earned through accomplishments like holding certain areas, killing enemies, or driving a convoy to a specified destination. 

One of the game’s relatively unique elements is spawning. You select your spawn point from a bird’s eye tactical map. You then drop from a hovering spaceship and “burn in” to the battlefield. Be careful where you choose though, or you’ll get targeted by enemy flak and will make it to the ground in a million pieces.

Another feature that kept gameplay interesting was the credits you earn to purchase new items. The coolest I saw was a tank which can carry you and three of your team-mates. These are expensive though so you might have to settle for a giant armored suit which you can hop in, plod around the map and mow down rivals with.

A strength of Section 8 is clearly the character customization. You can choose from some pre-designed classes, like a recon sniper. Or you can build a character from scratch and choose how strong to make him in areas like firepower, accuracy, or armor.

The maps are big but you don’t need a vehicle to get around. Hold down the shift key and your character breaks into a sprint that would make Usain Bolt look like a turtle with a sprained ankle. A nice touch because it meant I was never for then a few seconds away from a firefight.

For those of you looking for a first-person shooter with a rich multi-player offering, I recommend you take a closer look at this game. Developer TimeGate Studios is releasing Section 8 August 28th for PC and the 360.