PAX Day 1: FireFall Demo
By Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG Editor-In-Chief
After we finished the hour long demo of Wildstar, our crew sprinted to the Red5 Studios booth for a detailed presentation of FireFall.
Spunkify got to get his hands on the controls and play through an intense round of PvP while being coached by the developers. The PvP in this game is very fast paced, very skill oriented, and a total blast of fun. The jetpacks really open up new venues of FPS action as players leap over trees and buildings in frantic gun battles.
All the expected elements were present including objective based modes and death matches. Even in this very early demo of Firefall, the classes seemed smooth and balanced, with a well rounded team really coming through together in a fire fight. The ability to revive a fallen comrade also made for some really dramatic shootouts in which a team would cover their ally from enemy fire while one member attempted to pick another member off the ground. Of course it ended in tragedy when a beefy player flew 40 feet above them and stomped both players into the ground on impact.
As intense as the PvP in this game was, the PvE is what really makes this game worthy of being the PAX spotlight game. There was a constant flow of information as Spunkify hurdled through the open game world. Various characters chatted with each other and with him in a small window in the top right of the screen. Mission objectives were clearly defined and rather dynamic, creating a scene just sane enough for players to not become confused, but just chaotic enough that boredom will never be an issue.
It came to a sudden conclusion when a small space shuttle docked above town and began an all out assault on the helpless populace. Spunk jumped into action, firing directly at the ship and fending off the endless wave of ground troops embarking from the space craft. Various points around town were labeled as defense points and the AI intelligently sought to capture and hold these points, destroying any players crazy enough to stand in their way.
In the end the town was overrun and destroyed, proving that this game’s PvE has teeth. The skill requirement and challenge of play this game seems immense, and I guarantee any hardcore MMO player seeking FPS elements will not regret playing Firefall when it is released later this year! If it sounds too good to be true than watch this Trailer and become a believer.
