Game Preview: CrimeCraft

Valerie Gorchinski - Military.com

In a world of endless WWII shooters and vast valleys of World of Warcraft servers, a small and relatively new developer has set out to do something a little different in the online PC gaming world. Military.com recently got paid a visit from Vogster Entertainment who was showing off their upcoming Persistant World Next-Gen Shooter (PWNS - for those of you keeping score) “CrimeCraft.”

At first glance, CrimeCraft looks a lot like a dressed up version of the old classic “Counterstrike,” but once you start to scratch the surface it’s so much more. The concept behind the game may seem confusing, so try to stay with me-- it will be worth it. The short of it can be put simply as “gang on gang warfare in a modern urban setting.” The long of it that the warfare takes place in a variety of games that take place in a world that is constantly changing and evolving so that there is always something new for players, no matter how much time they’ve put into the game.

Player characters are fully customizable and walk around Sunrise City (the fictional, near future city the game takes place in) building their gangs, and doing whatever it takes to survive in this chaotic creation. The visuals are brilliantly rendered thanks to the leverage of the Unreal Engine 3 and careful attention to detail. Special light effects really bring the gritty city to life on the screen. As players wander the different areas of the city, they can choose from a staggering number of items, weapons, clothing, skills and missions. Because the world of CrimeCraft is set in the near future, there are some interesting sci-fi like items in addition to all of the standard fare you would expect. Players may find themselves with the ability to cloak themselves in battle and others may end up being gifted chemists. Part of the game allows players to craft “enhancements” that will temporarily boost particular abilities or skills, with the added twist of varying the quality on the whim of the creator.

Special attention has clearly been given to the accessibility of CrimeCraft. The developers designed the game so that novice players don’t need to be intimidated by more experienced FPS veterans, and those with more experience can jump right into the thick of the action without being bored by a slow learning curve. Vogster will also be launching a social networking site especially for CrimeCraft that will allow players to keep tabs on their gang, their rivals and Sunrise City in general.

CrimeCraft is expected to launch in Q2 of 2009, though an official release date has yet to be announced. The game already looks to be nearly feature complete and should really shine by the time it is made available to gamers everywhere. Keep an eye out for more information on Military.com as the launch date draws near.

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