Previews

Plan your attack – Epsilon preview

The idea of a squad of highly trained operatives infiltrating a locale with unknown numbers of terrorists warms the cockles of my heart. Perhaps it has to do with all those years of playing the original Rainbow Six games at LAN parties, but when I read the description of Epsilon on Steam with its AI and cooperative modes including overhead maps and waypoint systems I gladly volunteered.

I should start by mentioning that the game is available now on the Steam storefront as an “Early Access” title, which basically means that you get a playable level and a bare feature set right now of an unfinished game. As Serellan’s development team progresses and more content is added, existing customers get all the extra content for free while the store price gradually rises to the intended $40 USD price point. There are a significant number of features that are slated to be added – however with a team of five and a ton of work to do, Early Access users also have a lot of sway in which features should be done first, as well as providing valuable feedback.

So what do you get for your eight dollars right now? Currently there are two game modes – Elimination and Story Mode, and a single map. Future features include different difficulty levels, non-lethal weapons and a host of gaming improvements, and the opportunity to deliver feedback which can help shape the game.

EPSILON02Epsilon is, as of right now, a solid tactical shooter experience. Despite rough edges, the gameplay shines as being shot hurts, lives matter, and “guns-a-blazin’” is a quick way to die. Squad controls and tactical creeping are the order of the day, so don’t expect that Rambo’s headband is going to absorb damage, and there aren’t health kits or regeneration to save you. Bullets bring death, and since you can’t swap to control AI teammates don’t be thinking your squad is there to provide three extra lives. Note that there is a co-op mode listed, but is currently unavailable
The other side of Epsilon comes in the form of setting waypoints and coordinating attacks. You can plan your attack where your crew works apart from you to follow waypoints set and clear another floor while you creep along solo. While Elimination games give you access to floor plans, Story Mode takes it a step further and you can explore the areas using existing security cameras to tag enemies and get a fantastic view of the layout. Unlike old Rainbow Six games, however, you can update your plan as you go along, so don’t be shy.

The graphics and audio are serviceable, and as this is Early Access I don’t knock them, however positional audio isn’t really there and the one level included is sparse in detail. I fully expect Serellan to step up the presentation as the development moves forward. Directing AI teammates and their pathfinding is alright, but sometimes you may find your squad travels on the wrong side of a wall – this was while using ad-hoc commands rather than instructing them to use waypoints, mind you.

EPSILON01

There is a charm to seeing the bones of a game just being built, and certainly one as compelling as Epsilon. The callout to pre-Vegas Rainbow Six titles including Eliminations’ answer to Terrorist Hunt has me excited to see what Serellan can pull off. Furthermore, squad-based tactical combat has been trending towards no storyline (see Titanfall, Evolve and Rainbow Six: Siege). If ground-floor access, playing a solid game, and supporting a talented development team is something you can see yourself doing there are worse ways to spend eight dollars.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, at a young age I was forced to decide whether the harsh northern winters were going to claim my fingers, or to turn to the safer pursuits of indoor activities. Little did I know that a little game called Ninja Gaiden would bring my digits more pain than frostbite ever could. Starting with Vectrex and C64 games and moving forward through the era of electronic entertainment, I sampled as much as I could in the different platforms, and began my interest in PC gaming from wrestling with DOS memory management.

While console games were a part of my earliest gaming memories and I certainly had played on most platforms including 3D0, all things Nintendo, PS1 and the like, truly the PC was my domain until the Xbox. As an old PC gamer, I ever chased the cutting edge technology. Eye of the beholder with CGA 4 colors was my first step down the the path of blowing thousands of dollars on PC upgrades over two decades. Ultima 7, with the Guardian talking to me through my monitor, still haunts my dreams and keeps me ever hoping for a decent Ultima 8 and 9. From the 3DFX SLI VooDoo2s and Aureal to today's GPU driven DirectX games, the new and shiny pictures seem to keep me going. My PC gaming has slowed down with the market shift though, and although I have choice games that will ever be on PC, I have found myself in console gaming with a bit of portable gaming in my life.

Back around the turn of the millenium (and long before fatherhood), I had fired off an email offering to help Ron with a little-known site called ConsoleGold. Little did I know it would be be a part of my life to this day. While I've seen my fair share of shovelware (thanks Ron!), I manage to try and find the fun in most games. Leaning towards sandbox and action titles, I've grown to love games for their potential to reach art. Console agnostic and excited for the progress of tomorrow, I fancy the latest and greatest, but still enjoy the good old classics ... as long as they've been revamped from their 8bit graphic roots.

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