  Don't seem so impressed - all that is is a futuristic aerosol spray can and a lighter. |
I'm thinking of a game. It's a first-person shooter that features wonderful graphics, sprawling outdoor environments, a grandiose storyline full of plot twists, and the only console it appears on is Xbox. What is the game?
If you said Halo 2, you're wrong. There's a new addition to the Xbox that features everything mentioned above and more. Say hello to Pariah, a futuristic game developed by Digital Extremes - the same folks who first brought you the Unreal series. It takes a while to really get going, but Pariah is a welcome addition to the flourishing first-person shooter (FPS) genre.
In Pariah you play as Jack Mason, a doctor for the Transgenic Control Commission. You're ordered to transport a cryogenic chamber holding a mysterious woman named Karina off of Earth - a planet that can now be best described as a mostly-uninhabited wasteland. Your ship gets shot down shortly after takeoff and you crash back down to Earth. You lose Karina and are ordered to find her. Oh, and keep in mind that Karina is infected with a mysterious virus and for reasons not given to you, she must be returned at all costs.
The game takes place mostly outdoors, which is great because the Havoc physics engine used in the game is a great excuse to blow things up and send stuff (especially other humans) flying. The graphics are impressive; the sun gleaming in the sky, the leaves falling from trees, the stunning explosions - everything around you looks superb and helps suck you into the world you traverse.
The game consists of going from point A to point B to point C, finishing objectives while enemies do their best to stop you in your tracks. The enemy AI starts off very weak but increases quite a bit about halfway through the game. In the later stages, enemies not only come in large waves, but they'll split up so you can't just take out a number of them with one grenade or rocket. It's tough to get quick-kill head shots, making things even tougher because if you just wound an enemy, 90% of the time that will cause them to fly into a frenzy and run around in double time.
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The beginning of the game introduces you to a machine gun, a shotgun and a grenade launcher and as you progress you'll also pick up a sniper rifle, a rocket launcher and a plasma gun. Here lies one the best aspects of the game: upgradeable weapons. Hidden throughout the game are special powerups known as WECs. You can collect these and save them or use them right away to power up your weapons. Each gun has three upgrades; the first costs one WEC, the second costs two and the third upgrade uses three WECs. In other words, it'll take six WECs in total to power up completely. It's a nice little way to switch things up and it gives the player a feeling of control in a mostly-linear landscape.
The only problem with the single player mode is the plot itself. It gets too confusing as the story progresses. Characters are introduced without enough backstory and things in general happen sometimes for seemingly no reason at all. The game ends very unexpectedly and the final cutscene results in more questions than answers. It sets itself up for a sequel (and there most certainly is a Pariah sequel already in development), but it seems like this game would fit in better as a sequel itself. It's intriguing, but also a little frustrating.
An Xbox FPS isn't an Xbox FPS nowadays without some kind of multiplayer/online portion and Pariah delivers the goods, though it could be describe as Multiplayer Lite. It's not nearly as expansive as games like Halo 2 or TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, but what it does provide is honest-to-goodness, solid fun. There are classic game modes like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag and a few more to keep things interesting. Bots can be added for offline practice sessions as well as online if you're looking to add a few more body bags to the mix. The levels are mostly outdoors and there's a good mix of level sizes to suit small, medium and large groups of players.
If you don't find a level to your liking, fret not. Pariah includes a downright awesome mapmaker. You're given some pre-made maps and for lack of a better term, it's up to you to play God. With the touch of a button you can raise or lower whole sections of land, alter weather conditions and lighting, add ramps, vehicles and all kinds of other things. Maps can be uploaded online so you can share your creations with others. Nicely done.
When push comes to shove, Pariah is a solid FPS. Everything it does, though not done expansively, is done very well. Most importantly, it has the all-important replayability that can sometimes make or break a game. This game stands up to any FPS out right now, and surpasses some.
