Satellite Reign First Footage Reveals Powerful Syndicate Heritage

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Satellite Reign First Footage Reveals Powerful Syndicate Heritage

It's still in a "pre-alpha" state but the first Satellite Reign gameplay footage shows off what looks very much like a proper successor to the great and mighty Syndicate.

Satellite Reign, in case you've forgotten, hit it big on Kickstarter [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/5livesstudios/satellite-reign] last year, raising over $760,000 to create a long-overdue follow-up to the classic 1993 RTS Syndicate. Syndicate was a game that in many ways made the stuff we play today, including EA's 2012 shooter "reboot," look tame by comparison: As the head of a global mega-corporation, you kidnap people off the streets, cybernetically enhance them against their will and pump them full of drugs to ensure they'll carry out your bidding - which may include massacring hundreds of innocent civilians to get at just one guy. Good stuff!

Anyway, enough reminiscing. Satellite Reign is intended to be a "spiritual successor" to the old Bullfrog games, and in fact the core team at developer 5 Lives Studios includes veterans of the original Syndicate games. Even so, there's always a certain amount of trepidation when it comes to such things. Will they get it right - and perhaps more importantly, will a 20-year-old game hold up in the modern era?

As much as you can judge with pre-alpha footage, Satellite Reign seems to be on the right track. 5 Lives unveiled the first gameplay trailer today and while the interface, audio, weapons and effects are all placeholders, the look and sound still manages to be just about dead on.

"It's so early we weren't going to show any combat or civilians," the developers wrote. "The video was actually meant to demonstrate the agents coats reacting to wind from the cars zooming by, but before we knew it we were showing crowds of civilians, CCTV cameras, cover usage, x ray camera mode and even a couple of enemies."

It's a long way from finished, but I'd call it a very good first step.

Source: Satellite Reign [http://satellitereign.com/]


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Pink Gregory

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Jul 30, 2008
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Much as I don't find Syndicate to be that good (or at least I haven't played it enough quite to get it yet...), oh my. Oh my.
 

Blarg Blargson

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Dec 7, 2008
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Some things I noticed in this pre-alpha game:
1. There are security cameras what can notice you, but you can shoot them.
2. Unlike in Syndicate, your crew of agents is not in danger of being TPKed if you cross the street without looking - cars will now stop for people in the road. (Addendum - in the future, stop signs will be placed AFTER the crosswalk.)
3. You can interact with physics objects (like barrels) in the environment by shooting them, which probably also means explosives will send stuff flying everywhere.
4. Everything looks really shiny. Seriously, this is the prettiest top-down strategy game I think I've ever seen.

Overall, a promising start.
 

Mumorpuger

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Apr 8, 2009
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I wonder if there's a way to suggest the possibility of adding custom soundtracks...
 

Zhukov

The Laughing Arsehole
Dec 29, 2009
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Rats.

I heard of this earlier and for some reason got the impression it would be turn based.
 

Mumorpuger

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Apr 8, 2009
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Andy Chalk said:
Mumorpuger said:
I wonder if there's a way to suggest the possibility of adding custom soundtracks...
Why would you want to?
So I could pump in the original Syndicate soundtrack!

Back in the day nothing got my blood pumping faster than when the slow laze of the regular mission music switched over to "Incoming Enemy Agents!"

Or, if you were watching my mouse hand at the time:

*click*
...
*click*
.........
*click*

*CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK*

Here's an example, for those unaware.

Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbDP7DVqzIw&feature=player_detailpage&list=PL45820F9380B5C8EC#t=151]