Section 8 Review

Game:  Section 8
Year (s):  2009
Company:  dev.  TimeGate Studios
            pub.  SouthPeak Interactive
Engine:  Unreal Engine 3
Type:  First-Person Shooter, multiplayer emphasis

Price (as of February 5, 2012 )

Regular price on Steam:  9.99
Lowest Buy-It-Now on eBay (new, with shipping):  6.50

Game Time:  Campaign on normal, first time, under ten hours

Obligatory Trailer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZQ00rtmX5k


Plot

You're a soldier in the 8th Armored Division, and you're at war with The Arm of Orion faction.  Fight! 


Gameplay

This game reminds me of the Star Wars: Battlefront franchise.  All maps are squad-based assault missions, with multiple objectives and a handful of different loadout options.  Section 8 adds deployable objects, like turrets and supply drops, that are launched to the ground from orbit.  These cost money, which is gained through kills and completing objectives.  The power armor everyone wears has a few neat tricks; my favorite of which is the jetpack.

The single-player campaign is short, and intended to basically be a tutorial.  It's incredibly easy, as your squad mates can't die (though friendly-fire will toast their shields), and you have no limit on your number of spawns.  Unfortunately, the campaign doesn't teach you everything.  I tried a couple of instant action maps and really didn't know what was going on.  The team that drops deployables first seems to have a huge, unrecoverable advantage.

All players have the same amount of shields and health, and the same power armor toys.  Weapons are fairly inaccurate, and the loadouts are not terribly distinct from one another. 


Games for Windows LIVE

A Games for Windows LIVE account (hereafter shortened to LIVE) is required for any progress in the campaign to be saved.  I've had problems with LIVE before, so I wasn't surprised when I ran into trouble.  I tried running this game half a dozen times with no saved progress, then stopped playing it for a week.  The next time I played it, it worked fine.  I largely dislike LIVE.


Expansions / DLC / Sequels

Sectio 8: Prejudice was released in 2011.  It is said to have more content.  .


Final Thoughts

Flying around in a jetpack is gratifying, and the game is cheap.  That being said, there are a lot of cheap games, most without LIVE accounts required.  I find no compelling reasons for the single-player gamer to buy this one.