You know, it has been twenty years since the Soviet Union fell, and the cold war ended. In the meantime, something has been lost to the general populace. Without the disembodied “Red Scare” to keep us in check, America has lost an ultimate foreign centralized “evil” that we can blame all ills.
This hasn’t stopped videogames from making games with a Russian set of bad guys. Modern Warfare 2 is a solid example of this. Even though this can feel a little…unrealistic (when have Russians really been an ultimate enemy in the last ten years?), it still provides game fodder. Thus, we see a joyful return of Rush’N’Attack: Ex-Patriot. Coming out this fall, I was presented with a boldly colored game that looks a lot like Shadow Complex or Bionic Commando: Rearmed. This makes sense, as Rush’N’Attack: Ex-Patriot is built off the Unreal Engine, so you can expect a lot of similarities.
Rush’N’Attack: Ex-Patriot tells the story of an elite group of American soldiers who aim to liberate some Russian prisoner that has been imprisoned for the last ten years. Unfortunately, they apparently are not as elite as they would seem, as the mission quickly goes to hell. You play as a solitary figure Sergeant Sid Morrow armed with only a knife who must go through three levels to save everyone. I say levels, but my representative of the game mentioned that “level” really isn’t the best word for describing these stages. Each one is larger than a typical level in a platforming-based game, however they will be smaller than the world of Shadow Complex. It appears there will be upgrades to your main character as you play, and exploration will play an important role in the game.
However, unlike those two other games, what I was shown is a decidedly weaker interest in guns and gun play. Most weapons, like the uzis, the rocket launchers and grenades are all quick-use weapons that you’ll pick up from enemies. For the most part, Morrows runs this game with his knife. It’s a powerful tool, and all the attack animations are contextual. Rather brutal and bloody, the game is surprisingly also bright and colorful. Rush’N’Attack: Ex-Patriot is certainly going to get an M-rating. Typical for these sort of games, don’t expect any sort of multiplayer. There is a lot to look forward to with Rush’N’Attack: Ex-Patriot. Fans of the original series are certainly going to want to pay attention to what Konami and Vatra have coming this Fall for XBLA and PSN.
