Bodycount Hands-On

Despite the departure of Guildford Studio's creative director, Stuart Black, and subsequently its general manager, Adrian Bolton, Bodycount is still in the works, and from our meeting with senior producer Andy Wilson, it looks to be going well. Codemasters stopped by to take us through a mission in the mines of a war-torn area of a nonspecific African nation, where we got a chance to learn more about the mysterious enemy referred to only as "the Target."

As a member of the Network, you are part of a secret organization that sends trained combat adepts to solve civil conflicts around the world that governments and the United Nations don't want to handle. It's all very secretive and behind the scenes, but you'll soon find out that there's an opposition that's up to something bigger. Known only as the Target, this group is cold and calculating, and we learned at the end of our demo that these guys are also decked out in really nice cutting-edge gear. The enigmatic group wears sleek, fitted black armor, and their faces are shielded by a sinister-looking full-faced helmet. Instead of using more traditional weaponry, these guys are armed with state-of-the-art railguns. At this point we didn't get a chance to interact with them in the game, but we did see a brief trailer and some art work to give us an idea of what this group is about. But enough about them--let's rewind and take it from the beginning.

We were introduced to several enemy types in our last look at Bodycount at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. However, our recent demo put us halfway through act one, where we faced some of the same unit types as at E3 (the not-so-bright grunts), but we were also introduced to the more problematic medics and scavengers. Medics will revive enemies that are down, giving you more work to do, whereas scavengers will pick up all the blue intel that drops from enemies and that you should be collecting. Intel is the game's currency, which you'll need to upgrade weapons and, in this case, get your airstrike capabilities back, so you don't want to lose it to the enemy. In this particular mission, our goal was to C4 the enemy's SAM site to get our air support back online and take down Psycho, the ultra-sturdy commander waiting for us on the other side.

In this mission, you're armed with a G36 assault rifle and a stealthy Super 90 pistol if you want to be sneaky with your approach. For those who prefer a shotgun, one is available fairly early in the level. It has a decent range on it as well, so it works well when fighting in close quarters, which was the case in these mines. What's different about Bodycount when compared to other cover-based shooters is that while in cover, you can still use the analog sticks to lean and maneuver for a better shot, or duck further to avoid getting hurt. Depending on what you're hiding behind, it could be destructible, so being able to shift around while your cover is rapidly deteriorating is quite useful for a better vantage point. A lot of the environment can be destroyed, but don't be expecting entire buildings to collapse or entire towers to blow up. If it's not metal and doesn't look like it'll hold very well, then chances are bullets will be making their way through it. Otherwise, the general framework should stay in place.

Bodycount is meant to be more arcadelike, and this is apparent when you see the intel orbs and ammo drops that fall off enemies when they keel over. These bright blue orbs are easily collected as you walk by because they'll float toward you, but you'll have to get a little closer for the ammo drops. We were told that there's going to be a skill-shot combo system, where the value of intel will increase based on performance. Health packs were initially implemented but have been removed in favor of the regeneration system to keep the pace flowing. Drops are abundant, so ammo management shouldn't be an issue when going through the missions. While this particular mission is more or less linear, there are waypoints on your UI that indicate where you need to go. The level not only takes you forward, but it explores the many levels and buildings that the area has to offer.

This gritty area of the mines is a stark contrast to the glossy, high-tech look and feel of the Target's underground facilities. A lot of attention is being paid to the art direction, and throughout the game's three acts, you'll transition from one distinctly themed area to another with a completely different look and feel. From the futuristic underworld of the Target's base, we saw some gorgeous artwork of the Far East, which is the location in the following act. We don't know yet how it will look in-game, but we're certainly looking forward to seeing how it all turns out. At this point, the controls feel pretty good, even though the cover system took a bit of getting used to. There's still a ways to go, and we'll be sure to update you with more information as soon as it becomes available.

Bodycount is currently set to be released in the summer of 2011 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.