1. Summary
2. Background
3. Hype

Section 8 is being hyped as a truly free shooter, where roving packs of players can drop in anywhere they choose, drop their stuff in beside them, and use their fully customizable armor to dominate the opponent that just landed nearby. Should this hype really be believed? It certainly sounds too good to be true, and in the case of Section 8, a game which looks generic but fun, it might be the thing that kills the perception of a good game. Big hype, little delivery, but gameplay that is still fun and solid.

Section 8's touted "drop anything, anywhere" feature is probably the most regarded feature of the game. In reality, in order to prevent players from abusing this feature (and they will, if given the chace), they put something in to prevent players from doing just that: anti-air guns. These bad boys will most likely kill wayward players that drop into their zone, forcing soldiers to drop outside hotzones and then move in to eliminate the guns. It's a nice addition to the strategic balancing of the game, but it will probably disappoint many players just cracking open the game. Don't say we didn't warn you.

We also doubt that the deployables will be very robust. They will most likely consist of deployable versions anything from bases as well as two or three vehicles. It's not that we don't think that the developer could have come up with more, it's just that, undoubtedly, the more deployables and vehicles you have, the harder it becomes to balance the game. The harder it is to balance the game, the longer it is until it comes out. Here's hoping that if the deployables are rather limited in scope in the initial release that patches or mods push it forward and add some variety.

Next comes the customizable armor feature. Unless this includes things like changing out specific sections, such as thicker head plates for weaker chest plates, it is unlikely players will really use the feature. Most games like this have default load-out lists which usually create a way for the average player to jump in and hold their own against the hardcore killer. It's just the way they are made. When the game does all the customization for you, why bother doing any yourself?

Player statistics tracking is one of the biggest changes to first-person shooters of the latest generation, and Section 8 hardly wants to get left in the rain. This means that your score will most likely level up your character, encouraging you to play more. Much like those other games, though, it is doubtful tha tleveling up your character will actually provide you with real benefit other than a set of shiny awesome chevrons next to your name. Still, this is the one feature that is best taken at face value, since there's not much more they can do with it. It's pretty cut and dry, really.

The most interesting, although not quite as touted, feature of Section 8 is the addition of "Dynamic Combat Missions," or DCMs. Supposedly, DCMs allow players to feel like every game they play is different, as objectives are never the same twice. In reality, it will most likely end up with a few different missions that repeat themselves, and players will get so good at performing them that it becomes second nature. Still, while it is easy to doubt the robustness of a list of missions that trigger according to player actions, a list that randomizes location and time based on player actions would be a big step in the right direction.

Undoubtedly, Section 8 will contain Games For Windows Live and thus screw over the social gamer contingent. It sucks to be pessimistic like this, but you can almost count on any game being released on a console as well as PC as having two things: limited to no LAN gameplay, and Games For Windows Live. It's a disturbing trend in recent games that really hurts the LAN-based play that a lot of gamers grew up with. Move away from the online model and back towards the physical one. There's a reason why games like Starcraft and Unreal Tournament are in the annals of LAN history.

Section 8 has a steep reputation to live up to. It pulls from sources as classic to sci-fi as they are to gaming. Things like Starship Troopers and Tribes. It's also built itself up as an epic, dynamic shooter with an emphasis on playing against others. We'll see if it manages to pull ahead in a market over-saturated by similar games and establish itself as a true classic, or whether it gets washed away in the flood.