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Hands-on: Firefall

6:15 PM on 08.27.2011   |   Daniel Starkey

Hands-on: Firefall photo

The first thing pretty much everyone notices at this year's PAX Prime are the several dozen massive banner ads for Firefall, a free-to-play MMOFPS/TPS and the first project of Red 5 Studios. Firefall was first announced at last year's PAX Prime and playable earlier this year at PAX East

I got to play for an hour or so, and I came away feeling like it was a fusion of Unreal Tournmanet 2004 and Borderlands. There are a few different modes, including instanced eSports maps for the competitive folks, as well as a persistent universe that gives players dynamic missions based on what is going on in the game world.

The "campaign" centers on a conflict between humans and an AI-controlled alien faction known as the "Chosen." Periodically, the Chosen will attempt to capture player-controlled cities and outposts by taking out communications and sweeping in with dropships. The players attempt to repel these invasions by protecting generators and antennae, using massive turrets to fight off the Chosen's battleships. If the humans succeed, they are well-rewarded; if the players lose the aliens maintain control of the area and will need to be pushed out eventually. 

There are several classes to play and they include a medic, heavy weapons, and sniper. Each class gains skills as they play and upgrade their equipment. For example, when I started playing I had one relatively weak rifle with a one-off ability that allowed me to load up a sticky explosive rounds. Within about 30 minutes, I acquired a rifle that could rapidly fire about a dozen of those sticky rounds. It radically changed my play-style. Instead of hiding out and picking off foes from afar, I could get in close and take out scores of them quite easily. And because all players have jetpacks, anytime I found myself a bit overwhelmed, I could simply fly away.

After logging quite a bit of time in the "MMO" side of Firefall, I hopped into an instanced PvP map. Much like World of Warcarft's battlegrounds, all of your items and equipment from the overworld carry over into PvP. You're also given similar dynamic objectives to accomplish with the rest of your team that reminded me a bit of Team Fortress 2. I had a pretty good time with it, and found myself shouting more than a few obscenities in both excitement and frustration. 

Firefall still has a few months to go before it launches this winter, but what I saw was really tight. The game itself is gorgeous, and everything just felt smooth. The learning curve is very generous, and I was able to pick it up quickly, coming away from it with a really solid understanding of a lot of the basic mechanics.

There's a lot of talent behind this project, including the project lead for World of Warcraft, so it's a safe bet to keep this one on your radar. 








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47 comments | showing # 1 to 47
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Sterling Aiayla Lyons's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 18:53
Sterling Aiayla Lyons
Been watching this one since they announced it last year. Any words on a beta?
JBWill's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 19:40
JBWill
Sterling: Beta is starting this Tuesday, they just told us that earlier today.

I too have been following this game for awhile, and I haven't been this excited for a game in a long time. In addition to the project lead from WoW, they also have the lead designer from Tribes, and the author of Ender's Game working on this game. And it's free, what more can you want! :)
josmeister's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 21:02
josmeister
This sounds extremely interesting, consider me EXCITED
Mr Andy Dixon's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 21:58
Mr Andy Dixon
Thanks for the preview, Starkey! I watched some people play this and it looked pretty fun. I just hope they didn't blow all their budget on the bajillion ads I've seen.
Jeff Snyder's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 23:29
Jeff Snyder
Yeh, Firefall is gonna be amazing.
Askuro's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 23:31
Askuro
The community and Devs are incredibly supportive. I have high hopes for this game.
Illian Amerond's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 23:36
Illian Amerond
This game is great, evnen with the X-Box controller support! After playing the Demo at PAX I am so pumped and know that this will be a true next gen game everyone will love to play.
The community is great and the Devs are in it 100% with us, so if your looking for a game that gives back as much as you put into it; then this is the game for you!
GhostsWrath's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 23:36
GhostsWrath
I've been following this game since september '10, and the more videos and screenshots that come out, the cleaner it looks. Just watching the most recent videos from PAX this weekend (8/25-8/27) has really got my hyped up to play.

I'm not really sure where to start if/when I get into beta. Whether it be the open world PvE content with friends, or causing a massacre in PvP. Plus it's FREE!!
Illian Amerond's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 23:39
Illian Amerond
Tuesday, August 30th should be the beginning of the Beta invite process which will roll out like a Google + invite tree. Read more at the forums here: www.firefallthegame.com
Al Coholic's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 23:48
Al Coholic
I heard Firefall was everywhere at PAX, even in the bathrooms. :D

Can't wait to play it, it looks so awesome.
Uz3r013's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 23:49
Uz3r013
More praise to Firefall! I have not seen a bad article yet. But i need to correct this guys class titles, its Medic, Assault, and Recon. There is also a 4th class of engineers but besides that, good article. just adds more fuel to my fire :D

The best bit i think is hearing how noob-life starts in the game, that is one thing i have not heard about.

SpaceMovies's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 23:57
SpaceMovies
Ohh drooool.
ghost778's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2011 23:58
ghost778
I think we already have our GOTY. COD who? Battlefield what? Firefall is where its at. You guys have yet to read a bad review because you cant say anything bad about a game so good.
Warstratigier's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 00:03
Warstratigier
Its good hear that the loot people can recieve can completely change the way you play. I can only wonder of all the possibilities out there to mix and match the loadouts of your battleframes and weapons. In fact, if it can cause a person to tinker and experiment with such modifications for hours then I say that's a big plus going for this game too!
tuchaka's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 00:10
tuchaka
beta starts tuesday, game launches december this game is gonna be huge
tuchaka's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 00:11
tuchaka
beta starts Tuesday, game launches December this game is gonna be huge
Alonzo Torres's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 00:20
Alonzo Torres
I have to admit it i am inlove with the concepts of this game :D and cant wait to put there game through the ringer XD
Jarred Versical's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 00:37
Jarred Versical
Love all the new info coming out of pax, just making me more and more hyped about this game. For those of you that are curious they announced they would start doing beta selection off of the fourms after pax is over, they will hand out invites over time and give invites to players already invited to give to their friends. and approaching a final character wipe/item shop release in december
Jeremiah Massey's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 00:43
Jeremiah Massey
The game has come a long ways when they first started putting out videos. I'm looking forward to beta and checking this one out. If you're not sure if it's for you, take a look at their site and hit up YouTube. There's a lot of interviews and videos out there to get you interested if you're on the fence.
Arciex's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 01:24
Arciex
Don't forget the FAAAALCOOON Butt-Stomp!
GravityError's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 01:45
GravityError
All about that Falcon Butt-Stomp. Can't wait for Tuesday!
Tim Hunter's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 01:51
Tim Hunter
Ah, nice! Loving the attention the game is getting! Have to agree with Uz3r013 how it's a little off putting how the article didn't list the battle frame names right and how it didn't even list the Engineer, but it's not that big a deal I guess. This Tuesday should be interesting to see. ^_^
Audiocannon's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 02:01
Audiocannon
Anyone know if the beta sign-up they did at last year's PAX with those keycards is gonna mean anything? Because I was there for that and really wanna get into that beta
kilL8's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 02:32
kilL8
i've been following this game for a while now.

really looking forward to. actually this is the game you should look forward to if you are a shooter person but also like world of warcraft.

sign up to the forums (you're automatically registered for beta) and say hello. really nice community. no haters, no flamers. all good people, still. ;)
IanCoves's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 02:51
IanCoves
Firefall has grown so much since I noticed it last year, so jealous you got to play the PvE dropship mission already, sounds like the current features and missions are polished well. Can't wait to see the character/battleframe progression offer a lot of different play styles and to hear that in only 30min your character made a significant increase gets me very excited.
Mathieu Devos's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 02:56
Mathieu Devos
I've been following this game for quite a while and man, what a show so far. We've had the chance of watching some livestream. An epic show including open world pve, a new game mode, a new pvp map and the 4th battleframe.

Tuesday will be the day that beta starts so that so should be a very exciting day as well :D.
Mathieu Devos's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 02:57
Mathieu Devos
I've been following this game for quite a while and man, what a show so far. We've had the chance of watching some livestream. An epic show including open world pve, a new game mode, a new pvp map and the 4th battleframe.

Tuesday will be the day that beta starts so that so should be a very exciting day as well :D.
Mathieu Devos's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 02:59
Mathieu Devos
I've been following this game for quite a while and man, what a show so far. We've had the chance of watching some livestream. An epic show including open world pve, a new game mode, a new pvp map and the 4th battleframe.

Tuesday will be the day that beta starts so that so should be a very exciting day as well :D.
IanCoves's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 04:24
IanCoves
Firefall has grown so much since I noticed it last year, so jealous you got to play the PvE dropship mission already, sounds like the current features and missions are polished well. Can't wait to see the character/battleframe progression offer a lot of different play styles and to hear that in only 30min your character made a significant increase gets me very excited.
Son of Makuta's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 05:26
Son of Makuta
Looks cool, although I have to admit that it does sound very, very much like Global Agenda (which is an awesome game, I'm just not convinced I need two of it).
Manuito's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 05:28
Manuito
Thanks for this preview. It's nice to know that the open world in Firefall is causing a good impression at PAX... the PVE is what I really want to check out as soon as I can play the game, as I think it is what really makes the game different to most others. They want this game to last for several years, wich means that the world is only going to expand and more features will appear!
Maarten Vermue's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 05:41
Maarten Vermue
I've been following this game since the beginning of March, and I've got to say that they keep surprising me with their awesome footage. Everything they show is even better than I imagined :p I really hope I get in the Firefall beta
rammstein812's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 07:20
rammstein812
Nice that you mention "instanced eSports maps", it's going to be great to watch live competitive matches. Nice article!
Leo Leonardo's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 07:59
Leo Leonardo
concerning the keycards from last year's PAX - your guess is as good as mine, the good thing is there will be a lot of ways to get into the beta, so just stick around, you'll get it eventually
mythbuilder's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 07:59
mythbuilder
Love the power armor bag packs. Wonder why I'm reminded of Startship Troopers...
spazmcnasty's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 09:13
spazmcnasty
firewall is going to be awesome! And so far I have nt heard one bad thing..can't wait to play it
MGhost's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 10:29
MGhost
this is that we have been waiting for
CBT!!!
Alx223's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 10:41
Alx223
Game looks great really looking forward to it. The amount of good press about this game coming out of pax is just astonishing. I hope I have a chance to play it myself soon. I hope to see more about this game soon.
FireWater's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 10:54
FireWater
This game is definitely looking great, I am so happy that it is coming out soon!

I'm not sure what to play first, PvP or PvE, what do you guys think?
ImOnTheRadio's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 11:36
ImOnTheRadio
Nice read, but it would've been nice if you would've gone more in-depth with the PvE.
A side note: the heavy weapons exoskeleton is called assault.
Glowbeans's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 11:43
Glowbeans
I have been watching for this game for a long time. Borderlands in a persistent world is right up my alley. I hope that the shooter combat is as fun as it looks.

I had no idea Mark Kern was the project lead of WoW though, sounds good to me!
donshi's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 13:32
donshi
Dynamic PvE missions look incredible. I can't wait to get "thumpin'" in the beta as soon as possible. Firefall looks to be the best F2P title this year.
donshi's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 13:32
donshi
Dynamic PvE missions look incredible. I can't wait to get "thumpin'" in the beta as soon as possible. Firefall looks to be the best F2P title this year.
Hrockle's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 14:08
Hrockle
To those who think that Firefall is like GA:
They both have sci-fi themes, they both have jetpacks, and they have similar class names. If you learn, read up some facts, watch some trailers, you'll realize that they are actually quite different. I won't deny their similarities, but I will say that there are some significant changes in gameplay.
Hrockle's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/28/2011 14:15
Hrockle
To those who think that Firefall is like GA:
They both have sci-fi themes, they both have jetpacks, and they have similar class names. If you learn, read up some facts, watch some trailers, you'll realize that they are actually quite different. I won't deny their similarities, but I will say that there are some significant changes in gameplay.
Travis Case's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/29/2011 10:12
Travis Case
It should be interesting to see how Firefall does in the esports pvp arena style of play. Its got some pretty big dogs it needs to knock off (TF2, MW, Halo) but I think they could do it.

On a different note, what games are people playing now that you think Firefall will displace? For me its TF2
Ryan Sebring's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/30/2011 02:06
Ryan Sebring
Did they show any vehicles at pax? I remember from the first gameplay demo, seeing vehicles driving around the surface as the ship you were in, flew over the terrain.

Is there any more info on vehicles or jetpacks?
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