The alien force have gone about killing everyone in sight and breeding, virtually setting up their eco system aboard. Before you can really figure out what’s happening, you need to arm yourself and proceed with a few simple objectives. You’ll be guided by a virtual AI, the Companion, who sounds way more off-kilter than he should. There’s also that bit about the Angels, mysterious beings who sound way more fearsome than the bugs that’ve killed everyone on the ship. So there’s that.

As you start out, you have the option of undertaking VR training to learn the game’s mechanics. Everything is fairly straightforward to this point, as the protagonist can jump, climb ledges, equip multiple weapons including an assault rifle, handgun, shotgun and more, along with different ammo types to inflict different levels of damage.

"Dark Matter’s aiming mechanic is interesting. You have hover your cursor over an enemy to sufficiently shoot them using the mouse, but can also drag your cursor ahead to shoot enemies that you can’t see. "

You wouldn’t think it at first, but that flashlight sees a lot of use. As you explore the Endeavour, there are several parasitic organisms which respond in different ways to light sources. One parasite shuts its jaws when you shine light on it, thus allowing you to walk past safely, while another glows fearsomely and can explode if you continue illuminating it. This makes for some interesting moments when the two are paired together, as you must think about how to proceed rather than running and gunning through hallways.

Dark Matter’s aiming mechanic is interesting. You have hover your cursor over an enemy to sufficiently shoot them using the mouse, but can also drag your cursor ahead to shoot enemies that you can’t see. As you encounter enemies such as the Baby Crawlers and Crawlers, this method turns out to be useful for avoiding damage. You can also sprint to put some distance between you and the parasites, but back-pedaling and letting them eat lead isn’t the best strategy here. That being said, refining your aim can be a little iffy.

In the preview build we played, it took a bit of time to properly fine tune your aim onto a Crawler – and when you’re using a weapon like the shotgun, which takes time between each shot, it can lead to a few annoying instances where you suffer damage simply because you didn’t orient your shots carefully enough. Of course, the Crawlers won’t be waiting around to get shot so it’s understandable. A little more tweaking should fix this problem.

As it stands, the enemy AI is as it should be. There were times when the parasites began spazzing out and just moving about in one place, allowing for a good free shot. This didn’t happen too many times, and for the most part, the enemy AI is relentless.

" Enemies have a tendency of jumping out of vents, both behind you as you wait for an elevator to approach, or in front just as you’ve reached a major objective."

Level design is pretty solid. You’ll be navigating dark hallways, crawling through air ducts and working your way across many different areas of the Endeavour. Though you’ll mostly be slogging from one area to the next, there is still the constant fear as to not rush ahead. Each of your surroundings must be carefully approached. Enemies have a tendency of jumping out of vents, both behind you as you wait for an elevator to approach, or in front just as you’ve reached a major objective.

InterWave is working on many of the issues for the game, and correcting bugs overall. However, this all depends on the funding that the project receives. As the developer has noted, “In a somewhat ironic twist, the biggest delay to Dark Matter’s development could come from the success of this Kickstarter. The projected completion and delivery dates are based on the basic funding goal only.”

Either way, Dark Matter is already an immensely fun experience that still holds plenty of twists on the Metroid formula to be entertaining.

Event Interactive has been working on a full commercial version of their 2009 indie hit rComplex. The game is almost done, and release is set for February 2012, on iOS to start with. Further planned releases currently include Android, Steam and the Apple App Store.

Here is a bit about the game from the official press release:

rComplex will keep you on your toes. As a complete reimagining of the indie title that garnered so much critical acclaim in 2009, rComplex returns to the shadowy world that sees the running man pitted against the ever-approaching darkness. It never stops. It never rests. It just keeps coming.

Interwave has released the fifth of the six planned tutorial videos for their FPS/RTS hybrid Nuclear Dawn. The video teaches players on how to control their troops and use them in various scenarios- in battle, exploration, collection etc.

Nuclear Dawn was released on PCs and MACs this September, and will be released on the Xbox 360 later this year. Stay tuned for more info.

Nuclear Dawn is a breath of fresh air for the genre. I was very impressed when I played a few games, as it really showed glimpses of brilliance. There are a few faults and some niggling issues here and there, though. First of all, Nuclear Dawn is a FPS + RTS hybrid that plays really well. The developers knew what they were doing here and it shows. You really won’t have any problem with the gameplay mechanics on offer as it is quite straightforward. The game is a multiplayer only shooter, so there if you need a comprehensive package, you won’t find it here but what you’ll find is a well-made squad based multiplayer experience that works quite well.

The game runs on the Source Engine and doesn’t really require any high-end computer to run, as you would expect with that engine. Also, the thing that is baffling is that you don’t really have many options to play with either. The commander is the central figure in the game, who can build structures and manage the other things that are so essential in a RTS game. People who are not fortunate enough to be the commander go head-to-head in battle in the classic first-person shooter style. You can do a vote kick against the commander if you feel he isn’t doing a good job. It’s all well implemented here.

There are two factions, namely the Consortium and the Empire. They really don’t feel all that different from each other except the colors. You can pick any faction or one of the four classes in-game when you die. It’s a game of controlling the territory and aggressively pushing forward and defending your base against an onslaught as well. Once you push into the heart of the enemy base and destroy the bunker the game is yours. The game supports 32 players so it really feels busy at times, as if you are in a real battlefield. Of course, graphically you can’t expect a lot here but still, it looks great considering it is running on an old Source Engine.

There are a lot of weapons to choose from here. I liked the Sniper implementation as it reminded me of the Killzone 2/3 Sniper who has the ability to cloak. Here it is more pronounced as you can really miss someone camping while cloaking. The weapons range from SMGs to Assault Rifles to the damn Chaingun as well. I really hate this gun in this game, as it feels very powerful to me combined with an insane range. If you end up anywhere close to a guy with a Chaingun, you won’t make it out of the battle in most situations. Other than this, the game feels quite balanced and all the weapons pack a punch. Destroying structures with weapons other than RPGs rarely works though and is very time consuming.

There can be a lot of tactical gameplay on offer here if you are pit against a good team and if you are in a team with people who know what they are doing, especially the commander. The spawn system is pretty decent as you don’t have to wait a lot of time to get into the action. I love the maps in the game, they really promote some good close quarters combat and long range action. Some of the map design is just brilliant. There are quite a few available at your disposal here. I am really fond of the abandoned Arab map, which gives a feeling of loneliness. There are six maps here and they are all well created. if your teammates are aggressive, you can win any games easily but it also depends on the opponent.

The learning curve is slightly high here, as I mentioned before due the lack of a single player component. Even a decent tutorial would have helped as mostly you have to learn through trial and error. The server browser is pretty decent and you can join games quickly. I haven’t encountered any lag in this game and it seems like the developers really put an effort into the netcode. It’s one of the main reasons why the game is so much enjoyable if you find a good game. There are a lot of options to communicate with your teammates especially with voice chat and the classic press ‘T’ to chat that makes PC online gameplay a lot of fun for people who are unable to voice chat due to the lack of a mic.

Nuclear Dawn is a simple straightforward game. You need to learn all the gameplay mechanics before you can become competent at the game, and it will take a while and if you do it will reward you with some find tactical FPS and RTS goodness. The game runs well, and the visions of the designers are realized here as it doesn’t get too much annoying. I would have liked a single player component though, as it would have served two purpose – making people familiar with the game and also giving them less competitive gameplay to hone their skills. As it stands now, the game is still well worth buying if you are looking for a different yet fun multiplayer game on the PC.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

Iceberg Interactive and InterWave Studios have released launch trailer for the upcoming FPS/RTS hybrid Nuclear Dawn.

In Nuclear Dawn, you take the role of a soldier and explore war-torn post-apocalyptic landscapes, modelled on modern cities. Take the fight to your enemies as armoured, assault or stealth infantry, using various weapons across ten distinct load-outs to accomplish your objectives. The first person shooter action in Nuclear Dawn is hard, fast and unforgiving, with weapons that rely on skill and tactics more than on twitch reflexes and map memorization.