FireStarter Hands-On

GSC Game World, the Russian development team, demonstrated quite a few promising titles at the last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, amongst which we encountered a fast-paced new first-person shooter, entitled FireStarter. We were lucky enough to receive a beta build of the game, several weeks before the final version hits store shelves (you can expect that to happen on January 27, 2004 Stateside). So, sit back and enjoy the ride as we unveil more about FireStarter.

Close encounters don’t get any closer than this, baby!

Don’t mess with the Gunslinger, dude!

The game kicks off with an impressively animated intro sequence, showing off a couple of characters enjoying the benefits of an ultra-modern playing machine. It's the year 2010 and gaming is slightly different than what we're used to today. The system works simply. You lay down on a high-tech pod thingy, and once plugged in, you are transported into a virtual world where you can roam throughout various arenas fighting against multiple CPU-controlled enemies (the future of gaming, baby!). Things would've been hunky-dory if it weren't for a devastating virus, which managed to enter the computer, causing a major glitch in the system. The virus completely changed the rules of the game, and now you have no other option but to release yourself from this nasty trap by finishing the game. You have exactly 48 hours to do this...

Before I entered the combat zone, I was offered a chance to choose my avatar. There were several characters before me, all with unique profiles, skills, and weapon preferences. Basically, each character features abilities that suit diverse styles of play. There are precisely six different characters to go for: Marine, Policeman, Agent, Cyborg, Mutant, and Gunslinger. Without much thought I opted for the Gunslinger. Although light in armor, this dude is rather fast and vigorous in combat and possesses admirable weapon proficiency. His basic skills include dual weapon proficiency as well as dodging bullets Neo-style (referring to The Matrix bullet-time effect, of course). As I engaged in combat, I was instantly taken by the Gunslinger's graceful movement and firing precision; which helped me tackle numerous foes quite easily... well, at first anyway. It became tougher as I went on. Progressing through the arenas involves increasingly intense combat situations, in addition to a larger number of deadlier enemies. There are no save options during the game (Ack!!! -Ed), hence your only chance to keep going on is by finding special artifacts that appear every once in a while. An artifact is a crucial point of the gameplay. Acquiring an artifact gives players the opportunity to respawn three times from the location where they picked it up. When an artifact appears, you are notified of its presence and given the exact location on the radar screen. The catch is that you have precisely 20 seconds to pick it up or you'll lose the respawn point as well as the entire match (i.e. you restart the map, or continue from the previous spawn point).

The rules of the game are straightforward. Levels, or Industrial Zones as they're called in game, are divided into several combat zones. The object of every match is to survive within the area until the next zone is unlocked. In the first zone you'll usually come across creatures that are relatively easy to wipe out. The thing is though, more opponents will be spawning into the zone every two or three seconds, so you're required to do your best to reduce their numbers before you are completely overrun. It was fairly easy to beat the first couple of levels (once I learned my way around them, that is). Each area possesses an endless supply of ammo, energy units, shield units, and power-ups that respawn after they are picked up. The idea is to memorize the sections well until you get a clear picture of where the supplies spawn (hm, sounds familiar... UT anyone?). Of course, there's also a 2D map in the lower left corner of the screen which helps you find your way around more easily. During my time within an area called Industrial Zone 4, I found myself searching for a decent hiding spot, in the hope of gaining a quick breather from gunning down numerous blood-thirsty baddies. The thing is, the game rarely allows you to cool off from sizzling shootouts. Adrenaline was practically leaking out of my ears the whole time, which sure as hell made me want to play each zone again and again until I've finished it.

I eat Ghouls like you for breakfast.

Hey, the party’s just starting!

As I marched through the confines of the combat zones, enemies kept spawning like crazy. They practically appear around every corner, always changing their spawn point, so you'll never know where to expect them from. Enemies managed to put me in a tight spot every time I would wait around for a power-up to respawn... Dammit, VADAR, get the hell outta there! So, I resorted to the old circle strafe tactic in order to avoid being blown to bits. Also, having to deal with an increasing amount of bad-ass opponents, I quickly felt the need for some heavier firepower. Luckily, weapons spawn according to the difficulty of the baddie AI within a particular zone - as soon as tougher foes march into the fray, the game will unlock a new weapon for you to toy with. Some weapons come in lighter or heavier variants, such as the mini-gun and assault rifle. Once armed with a heavier type of weapon, players will have a better chance against multiple foes. As I delved deeper into the game, I stumbled upon additional firearms; such as the Plasmagun, Electro gun, Mortar, and many others. My personal favorite though, was the Rocket Launcher (ah, there's nothing like a little Quake III reminiscence, I tell ya). This one time, I had an entire horde of bad guys on my tail; I was out of ammo and had no other option besides fleeing. All of a sudden, the game notified me that a Rocket Launcher and some supplies have spawned, and I quickly started making my way through the level, dodging enemy fire as I went along. Once the weapon was in my hands, I turned towards my enemies and opened fire. I immediately spotted a Flamer among them; this guy's really nasty - although, he has weak armor, he packs a rather lethal flamethrower. The worst thing is that before dying, he blows up sky-high, taking any nearby units along with him. This was my only hope of reducing enemy numbers. Luring my opponents closer to the Flamer, I released a few rounds and before I knew, blood and body parts were flying all over the place. So, in FireStarter, there's always a chance for improvising during combat. Basically, improvising is frequently the best way to survive.