The following is taken from a post of mine on the Firefall beta forum.  Firefall is a first person shooter/mass multiplayer online game that is also free to play. ...so that's a FPSMMOFTP?  It is still very much in beta, but they are getting pretty close to an official release, and things are starting to come together and get balanced.  First, I will let, erm... myself ramble, and then tell you a bit about the nitty-gritty of the game.  Oh, and if you want a beta key (its currently a closed beta), I have 5 keys to give away, so hit me up here, PM, or in steam chat with your email addy and i'll shoot you an invite.

Sorry for the long-winded-ness, but I have spent a LOT of time with this game, I actually sorta feel like its sorta mine...

This rambles a bit, I swear its pertinent to Firefall.

So, I just finished playing Black Mesa, a mod for Source SDK. Basically, its the original Half Life 1, with updated levels, character models, guns, combat and even more difficult puzzles. This was amazing fun, I got to play one of my very favorite games, and play a modern game (and thus justifying my overkill computer and 46" monitor/TV) at the same time.

This got me thinking; what is it about Half Life that is so compelling? Why is it, 12 years later, that this game (granted shined up a bit, but the general IDEA is still the same) can still make me lose an entire afternoon? And more importantly, do these things translate to other games, namely Firefall?

Now, many have waxed lyrical about the many virtues of HalfLife; the total immersion of having the player in first person and controllable at all times, the tight blending of shooter and puzzle elements, the at the time groundbreaking physics engine. But I think these are just details.

I think the the thing that brings me back over and over again is that they leave so much unsaid. Who is G-man? What has the Lambda team been doing? and for how long? The more you pay attention to the little details, the more questions are raised, and you spiral down the rabbit hole.

I miss this in modern gaming. Too many games feel the need to explain every little detail from the outset, dropping monolithic slabs of story on your head. And thats all very well and good, but its not the only way to do things.

Now, Firefall. I know that this is a beta, and by no means the finished product, and I know that Red 5 is going for a somewhat community driven story. But I have to say, I am super hopeful at the moment! So much about the world is unknown, the melding, the Chosen, the cause of the crash of the Arklight... The hinted-at mental abilities of Pilgrim (read the Manga if you don't know what I'm talking about there). And I love it.

I know that people are rabid for information right, but a part of me is almost hoping that things get left out, that we as a community are compelled to return time and again to try and figure things out, and that Red 5 continues to hold out on us, and make us think and question.

Thank you, ...myself... So, a couple of things about Firefall.  Basically, there are five basic classes, all with HUGE skill trees, and different abilities.  There are 2 modes that you can play Firefall in, Arena style PvP (which so far is team based, five on five matches), and open world PvE.  I've been mostly living in the PvE world, as the competition in PvP is REALLY tough at the moment, and also it was the first part of the game "finished" so it has the most polish.  

The open world is a Strange and wonderous place.  Massive mutant coral grows on the land everywhere, and there are crazy formations of rock and jungle everywhere.  Moving around the massive map is made relatively easy by your jet pack, which provides basic directional control and ~8-10 seconds of jet time, before having to recharge (recharges in just a few seconds on its own).  this adds a whole new dimension to how you move in combat and out, and can create some hilarious fun times.  In addition, there are boost pads throughout the world that you can launch off of and take a glider ride over the world.

Red 5, the developers, have come up with a pretty interesting mechanic for expanding the game.  Right now (and when it goes live) there is only a 5k x 10k patch of land uncovered, and everything else is consumed by a sort of deadly fog, called "The Melding".  Red5 has decided that instead of them releasing and unlocking areas of the map and game at predetermined times, it will be community driven.  So you, me, and everyone else playing globally, will have targets and objectives to hit in order to push the melding back and eventually get to the endgame (I've heard rumors that there is actually something like 6 totally different endgames, depending on how the community as a whole progressed, but unconfirmed as yet).  

In addition, there are a wide variety of natural and un-natural creatures that would like nothing better than to use your ulna as a toothpick, as well as an enemy army that is trying to push the melding back towards you, and raiding your towns and outposts all the time.  Its a constant, fast paced fight, with everyone scrambling to complete mission objectives and gather resources in between bouts of warfare.  

OK, I'm tearing myself off the keyboard now. I could literally clatter on for hours about Firefall, but if you want to know more, head on over to http://www.firefallthegame.com/ and check it out.  And dont forget, if you want a beta key, hit me up before they're gone!

SFC.Braxis*BK*

Well in my opinion the reason half life 1&2 are so good is that the the main character is not a big shot well not to start with. And you relate to him and in away feel that the accident is your fault and feel that is your responsabilty to put it right.

But I agree that making it shinier basically still makes it a great game even after all these years. But I did notice that it didn't take any where near as long to complete.