Gaming Target - Xbox: Breed

Written by Nick Doukas on May 03, 2002

First Impressions: Possibly the greatest thing since sliced HaloЕ

Since the launch of Microsoft's Xbox last November, FPS fans have had their hands full with Halo. A huge success in every conceivable way, the game has redefined the term УAction ShooterФ. Hoping to step up to the plate with the big boys, UK developer Brat Designs are currently hard at work on Breed, a game that looks extremely promising, though it borrows heavily from Halo in theme and design. Not to say that this is a bad thing, and if the game turns out as planned, we may have the next top shelf FPS on our hands.

The game is set in the year 2600. Since advanced space travel is now the norm, many people have left Earth and settled into colonies on the inhabitable worlds of the nearby Besalius binary star system. Not long after the final ship of colonists arrived in 2602, the colonies came under attack from an aggressive alien species known as the Breed. After repeated attacks, the colony president had no choice but to put out a distress signal to the Earth council for reinforcements. In response, a fleet of United Space Corps battle cruisers was assembled and dispatched to the Besalius system. The colony war with the Breed lasted for decades, finally ending with the USC forces triumphant. However, the colonies lay devastated, and only one cruiser, the USC Darwin, remained capable of making the trip back to Earth. After returning home, the crew of the Darwin, as well as their Captain, the legendary Saul Richter, are horrified to discover the Breed in control of Earth. The crafty aliens had used the attacks on the colonies as a diversion. This is where the game begins, as you assume the role of a grunt (Genetically Revived Universal Tactical Sentient) who, along with your allies, will take on the Breed. Using surgical strikes on their still incomplete infrastructure, and guerilla warfare tactics, it will be up to you to turn the tide in favor of the human race.

Even at this stage Breed is looking like something special. The visuals shown so far look rich and detailed with huge landscapes, well-modeled weapons, and military vehicles that look straight out of Aliens or Starship Troopers. The game will utilize the USC Darwin as your home base, and missions will be launched from this orbiting platform. The Darwin is home to Battalions of GRUNTS, vehicles (such as the APC and Buggy), Fighters and Dropships. Battles will occur in space as well and the Darwin is equipped with heavy laser cannons, useful in the event no fighters are available to defend her. Breed will control from the first-person perspective of course, however, a third-person view is an option when you are in control of the vehicles. Apparently, everything will be available for your use. So, while much of the action unfolds on foot, the ability to take to the skies in a fighter or pilot a dropship into an extraction point with your troops seems to take the Halo formula to the next logical step. The team is utilizing the Mercury engine, which allows for a seamless transition between outer space and planet side travel. Players will be able to pilot their craft from space, head through the Earth's atmosphere, then continue down to the planets surface where a ground assault can begin. Breeds unique Уgameplay kernelФ allows various aspects of a mission to be played out simultaneously in space, or on the planet surface. In other words, gamers will be able to tackle each mission in a variety of different ways. Also, co-op play will be supported (the single player missions can be played with a friend), as will online play. For added realism, a custom built 3D sound engine has been implemented, with radio chatter from friendly units occurring randomly throughout the campaign. You'll also receive mission critical information in this manner. Gamers will have access to a large variety of weapons, as well as mounted armaments indigenous to each vehicle. You'll even have the ability to steal Breed vehicles, though the team is keeping them under wraps for the time being.

The games missions will be divided into three different categories: defend, attack, and collect. This will comprise of defending key areas from attack, wiping out Breed firebases, or retrieving important objects and information. Since missions will take place on the planet and in space, expect to find yourself in some pitched ground assaults, as well as defending the USC Darwin by manning a laser turret or piloting a fighter against Breed drones. Graphically, the game will feature: multi-texturing, soft shadowing, specular highlights, reflection mapping and real time adjusted Сtime of day' lighting to represent the realistic passage of time in the game world. Little touches like this look to put Breed at the head of the pack when it's released later this year. With all of the FPS action we've come to crave (the Xbox seems to be a haven for quality console FPS's, let's hope the trend continues), as well as cool vehicles and space combat to boot, Breed looks like a force to be reckoned with. Only time will tell.