Section 8 is definitely not just another scifi shooter. The player follows the 8th Armored Infantry, orbital drop troops who fight to defend their land against the Arm of Orion. Don't worry, this will make sense soon. While the main focus is on speedy multiplayer action, this game does include a campaign but it's not exactly memorable.
Corde's Campaign follows one faceless drop trooper's revenge against the Arm. Basically, this is an extended training mode with some story line elements, even though I still have no idea why these two factions are fighting. However, this is helpful for new players to go through to learn how to use all the new weapons and deployables. Stick with it for a mission or two and you'll be a multiplayer pro. Stick with the storyline all the way through and you'll get a 2-3 hour long story that really doesn't clear up anything but has a decent ending. Missions weren't terribly difficult when I played them through on normal so if you wanna kill a lot of bots, this will be a good experience for you.
Now multiplayer is the best part of Section 8. Heck, it's even first on the main screen. Players get to completely customize their load out of weapons, usable items like grenades and repair modules, and passive skills like how much armor you have or how long you lock on to a target. Respawning is probably the coolest part of this game, as you can "burn in" into anywhere on the map making hiding and sniping almost impossible, so watch your back at every turn. Ever wondered what it was like to fall from the sky? This is exactly what you do! Very awesome to feel the first and every time after that.
The way you win multiplayer is by capturing a base, making respawning easier and gradually gaining point for however long you hold it. Points can also be scored by the usual killing other opponents but one other way is to activate missions in the middle of the fight. Missions can include VIP and Convey missions which gains your team much more points than simply killing but also rewards the other team for stopping them. Just be careful when you use the missions and work as a team.
I like how easy they make matchmaking on the 360; it almost seems like they took everything you can do on the PC version and ported it over. Finding a match is quick and there are a lot of options to chose from like what map, how many bots and players which can be between 16 and the very hectic 32 players. There can be some lag at times but not enough to be a problem.
If you need some new multiplayer action, it's defiantly worth a look. If you're looking for some story line, well, go rent an RPG or something.
The Good:
Multiplayer is solid. Custom loadouts make sure that you'll never find the same character twice and no weapon is extremely over powered compared to another.
The Bad:
Could you at least tell me why I want the other team dead? And how are they going to make a sequal to this? Section 16? I don't think so.
Bottom Line:To fuel that mulitplayer need, at least rent it. Dont expect much more than a well balanced shooter though.
This review is based off the full xbox 360 version and the PC beta version.
I'd like to thank you guys for all the new games to review and hope I can get through them fast enough!
