E3 '07: Fracture impressions

Terrain deformation isn't exactly a cutting-edge gameplay mechanic. Red Faction did it way back in 2001 and received a bit of a slap on the wrist from the gaming community because it didn't really add much to the game other than some fun multiplayer dynamics.

Day 1 Studios is the latest developer to roll out deformation as a big draw card, using it in the upcoming third-person shooter Fracture--published by LucasArts. We've covered Fracture previously, but for the newcomers, the general gist is that the game takes place a shade over 150 years in the future. You play Mason Briggs, a heavy-weapons guy who grew up in the faction split between the USA's east and west nations. The backstory covers a lot of current world issues, including stem cell research and global warming. Stem cell research is outlawed after birth defects begin to appear, and a group of scientists move to the west to continue their research into manipulation of the human race. The east and west don't see eye to eye on anything, and a world war of sorts breaks out.

Briggs is part of the Atlantic Alliance, the only playable faction in the game, and is up against the Pacificans, a group of over-genetically modified freaks with abilities like super jumping--which makes them hard to shoot.

As with our previous demo of this title, we were shown the second level of the game. The level consists of a burned-out husk of San Francisco's Bay Area, complete with the stark orange Golden Gate Bridge against a bleak, cloudy backdrop.

Also showcased were several weapons in Brigg's arsenal, including a shotgun and assault rifle. You can only carry two weapons, each with a secondary fire, but on top of your environment-morphing grenades they seem to offer enough protection and choice to get the job done. The LucasArts rep demonstrated the grenades you'll be able to use in the game, and showed off some of the dynamic artificial intelligence, capable of adapting to environmental changes. In one instance, after dropping a tectonic grenade to provide cover, we tried to flank the enemy on the other side. On seeing us, he ran and attempted to combat-roll behind the mound for more cover.

Environmental deformation plays a major role in not only your enemy interaction, but in some cases becomes a requirement to solve a mission. We threw a tectonic grenade and used the ground's new height to push a gun turret into a force field, destroying it. While the dynamic deformation means you'll never play the same level the same way twice, when asked if there were options to explore alternative ways of achieving goals, we were told that the turret could not have been destroyed with one of the other of the grenades at your disposal.

Although the title is still in development, the demo did show off the finalised animation for the antimatter gun--a weapon that spits out a small vortex, capturing earth around you and building it into a giant snowball made of rock that you can fire at your targets. Fracture doesn't ship until around this time next year, so there's still plenty of time to refine, complete and polish before it hits shelves in 2008. The early looks we've had are already positive, and we'll be following this title with interest.