Spotlight On - MKZ (at E3 2010)

The Electronic Entertainment Expo has all sorts of things: video games, women in tight clothing, hats, and more video games, including free-to-play online games like GamersFirst's modern-day shooter MKZ.

MKZ is a real-world online shooter that will attempt to bridge the gap between Battlefield and Call of Duty (and free-to-play games). Currently, the prerelease version of the game supports deathmatch, team deathmatch, and conquest modes, which, in the game's early state, can support matches with up to 32 players at once. All matches currently let you drop in and out whenever you please, though you can also join the game's version of a guild, a "corporation," which will grant you access to corporation-exclusive benefits, such as special weapons and items. The game will also include a full suite of achievements and robust statistic tracking, including your character's favored weapons and even which other characters have done you the most wrong in matches.

MKZ will let you play as one of four classes--recon (sniper), assault, heavy weapon specialist, and medic--each of which has different potential equipment and weapon loadouts (along with different weapon attachments, such as scopes and silencers), though all professions can use the game's different vehicles, which will include tanks and helicopters. And since the game incorporates Nvidia's PhysX physics modeling, you can expect to see deformable terrain (such as destructible buildings) on the maps as well.

Like most free-to-play games, MKZ will have a cash-op that will let you purchase in-game items for real money. These will include cosmetic items, like various clothing outfits and a corporate logo, as well as weapons and armor, though it's not yet clear whether all items will be for outright sale, or for rent, like in GamersFirst's other free-to-play online shooter War Rock. However, GamersFirst wants to make sure players can still have a good experience with the game without breaking the bank--staffers estimate that once you reach level 10, you can have a very well-equipped character if you choose to specialize primarily in one class. MKZ will go into beta later this year and will launch early next year.