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Section 8 was one of the surprises I found on the show floor while attending appointments.  At first glance, you figure you are looking at a Halo clone at best, but once you start putting in some hands on time with the game, you start to realize that there is a lot more to be had in Section 8.  Aeropause sat down with the executive producer of Section 8 for a tour of the features in Section 8, and then spent some time with the game on the show floor.  After all of this, I really think that with some strong marketing and hype, Section 8 could be a surprise hit for Southpeak Interactive and Timegate Studios.

Section 8 is being designed to have a full single player story, while also containing a host of multiplayer features.  In the single player campaign, you are Alex Corde, part of a group of space Marines that are sent out to attack at the very heart of the enemy group known as the ARM of Orion.  This group of Marines have been nicknamed “Section 8″ because most in the service feel they are crazy for volunteering to take on such difficult missions, normally deep in enemy territory.  For the uninitiated, Section 8 is a term used by the military for discharging someone that is deemed crazy.

The game plays out very similar to a Battlefield game, but with a few new twists.  The biggest change is how you spawn into the battlefield, which is probably the most defining feature of Section 8, which is the Burn In.  In Section 8, you do not just respawn at a select base or spawn point, but instead, are dropped into the battlefield from 15-20,000 feet in the air.  As you are Burning In, you can guide yourself to any point on the map where you want to show up.  Your suit even has air brakes in it, so as you get closer to your destination, you can make last minute maneuvers.  This is very important when you see a tank right under you as you get closer to the ground.

So of course, the first thing someone will think of doing is Burning In to a capture point, right away, adding it to the team that the player is on.  Timegate had already thought of this, and has included defensive armorments that will fire at anyone that comes into a specific range of the control point.  The map will show a red circle that defines the area of the these defenses, so players can avoid them at all costs on the Burn In.  Trust me, I tried to drop into one of these sections, and was killed before I hit the ground.

Another defining factor of Section 8 was the ability to buy defensive and offensive items to bolster your side in the conflict.  With kills, successful Burn In’s and other factors, your character will gain prestige points.  These points can upgrade your character, or, more importantly, buy upgrades for your forces.  If you come up against a tank that is mowing down your team, call in a missle battery with your prestige points.  You will be able to look up and watch the unit Burn In, just like any of your teammates, and land, immediately deploying its battery of weapons.  Offensive items like vehicles can be purchased and deployed in the same manner.  It adds a bit of strategy to Section 8 and breaks up the combat sequences that you will face.

While multiplayer is a strong focus for Section 8, the single player story is not neglected, giving the player over a dozen missions which will explain who the ARM of Orion are, and why they are attacking the established government that rules the land.  We did not get to see any of the single player in action, but the development team says that they know there is a section of people that prefer to just play single player, so the single player campaign is getting a focus by Timegate programmers.  There is a offline skirmish mode that will give players a chance to get the multiplayer experience without having to hit the online servers.  This will give people a place to practice, or even let protective parents give their kids an online experience, without actually playing with strangers online.

Timegate Studios is hard at work putting together the final touches on Section 8 for a Fall 2009 release.  They also plan to support things like dedicated servers for both the Xbox 360 and PC systems, although the game will not support cross-platform multiplayer.  DLC is also in the works after the final game is shipped and will be available on both systems either via the Games for Windows marketplace or the Xbox Live marketplace.  And yes, you read that last sentence right, as Section 8 will support Games for Windows Live on the PC platform, allowing users to get achievements, and DLC through the Marketplace.

So far, Section 8 is shaping up to be a great alternative to those that might be getting tired of fighting their way through the battles of Halo.  It is offering a lot of new features that change up the gameplay significantly, while giving enough of a familiar experience of the FPS genre.  I feel that Timegate Studios and Southpeak have a nice hit on their hands that could end up dominating the online play charts for some time.