Merchants of Brooklyn out now on Steam, is already 20% off

8:00 PM on 03.17.2009   |   Jordan Devore

23 comments

Well, that seemed fast. Indie PC title Merchants of Brooklyn was released today on Steam for $19.99, but if you buy it before March 24, you can get the downloadable game for only $15.99 (20% off). I'm not entirely sure what -- if anything at all -- this says about the quality of the product.

Running on CryEngine 2, M.O.B. is a melee combat-focused first-person shooter that comes off visually as a gritty, more mature (re: goretastic) version of the Crackdown aesthetic. As a neanderthal in the future with a mechanical arm, you will kill people in-game, naturally. Because, let's face it, what else are you going to use the silly thing for? Note: this isn't a rhetorical question -- I wanna see what you guys can come up with!

Also, you can use your high-tech appendage to make people's eyes pop out (as showcased above), turn decapitated heads into grenades, and many other insane things that will surely appeal to a selective audience. I haven't run across any impressions as of yet, so if you've tried M.O.B. out, drop us a line in the comments.

Paleo entertainment debut TITLE merchants of brooklyn now available on Steam

Independent Game Company Fuses Modern Mayhem with Ancient History in episodic first-person shooter

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – March 17, 2009 – Paleo Entertainment, an independent game company, today announces the first volume of its debut title, Merchants of Brooklyn, is to be available for download on the popular Steam platform.

A unique project that merges frenetic combat in a massive vertical world, Merchants of Brooklyn is a dark tale of revenge and destruction presented in a unique graphic novel art style. Laced with humor and a twisted sense of history, M.O.B. offers a truly unique vision of a future where cloned Neanderthals roam the streets, and where society has urbanized toward the skies in colossal vertical settlements.

M.O.B. tells of a dystopian New York where environmental crisis has forced the population to literally inch closer to the sky through a massive network of bridges to avoid the toxicity of the surface. The violent change call for a new breed of laborer and modern science answered the call.  Society then witnessed the birth of new working class -- Neanderthals.  Physically powerful but mostly obedient, the Neanderthal population exploded and clogged the lower levels of the city where they were forced to fight in blood sports.

As Matteo, a Neanderthal fighter specially engineered for mental and physical superiority, players will blast their way through a sprawling dystopia where the glow of towering megastructures illuminate epic firefights and brutal hand-to-hand combat. Using a biomechanical arm made specifically for Matteo by a mysterious scientist, players will rip through hordes of ancient enemies, such as Neanderthal thugs, as well as futuristic foes, such as Hover Droids and security drones.

Built using the Crytek 2 engine, M.O.B. sets the stage for a brutal struggle between the past and future. Players will employ an arsenal of futuristic weaponry through the shape shifting biomechanical arm, as well as devastating melee techniques. Using everything at their disposal, players will explore the underbelly of future Brooklyn and begin their ascent to the higher levels. Players can also take the carnage online through various multiplayer modes, included in the first volume.

The first volume of Merchants of Brooklyn is RP (Rating Pending) by the ESRB (expected M - Mature) and is available as a PC download via Steam for $19.99. Paleo Entertainment will share development updates and product details on upcoming volumes in coming weeks.

More information can be found on the Paleo Entertainment site at www.paleoent.com