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May 11, 2006 | 6:20 PM PST
by: John Thomas Perkowski
One of the most impressive new developers showing at E3 is the brand new company Webzen. This Korean based company is making its first showing, and we are very impressed by its E3 setup and one of its two headline games: Huxley. We got a chance to participate in the Huxley challenge and find out more about this ambitious game.
Huxley takes place in a post apocalyptic future. One of the coolest aspects is the fact that this future can be accessed by either a PC OR an Xbox 360 owner. In fact, Huxley is the first game that can be played both simultaneously and competitively cross-platform. This amazing feat should bridge the gap between console and home computer at the same time.
Huxley seeks to also do something else ambitious. While it is a MMORPG, similar to Everquest, it plays more like Unreal Tournament. In essence, Huxley intends to combine the fast twitch-based gameplay of a first person shooter with the persistent feel of an online role playing game. Webzen has promised up to two hundred people can be in the same instanced zone for combat, and the servers themselves can hold a massive 5000 people at the same time. Logging off doesn’t end the game, all of it is hosted on the Korean developer’s massive servers.
What races you can play depend on which system you play on. On the PC, you can play as the Sapiens or the Alternative. The 360 can’t play either of those, but gets a unique race all its own: the Human Liberation Guard. Each race plays differently, has access to different weapons, and uses different vehicles. We got a chance to try out the Sapiens.
The game has three distinct classes you can play. The enforcer is a close range combat class, best at taking enemies out personally. Activating his skill, speed, we found his movement rate nearly tripled, and he closed range with his foes lightning fast. Next was the mid range fighter, the avenger. Lastly, from long range is the devious Phantom. This sniper based class is deadly at long range, but weakens as you get closer. None of the classes we played against seemed unbalanced, and no matter what type you play as, your going to have a lot of fun.
Like any RPG, the goal of the game is to level up. Players are going to be divided and subdivided in ranks of 10. So levels 1-10 fight against one another, while levels 20-30 fight in entirely separate zones. Max level is 50, and special benefits open up for those who put in the time to max out their game. These benefits weren’t explained to us, but at that level, its a rare enemy in the game that can even fight with you.
The game also features vehicle air based combat. You can fly anywhere you want, but be cautious, as the further you get from the ground, the bigger the target you become. The vehicle we got to try out seemed like a sled and controlled rather similarly. However, its massive laser guns chewed anything on the ground to shreds. Not only that, it featured a boost function. Considering the depth of control the ship had, it's not hard to imagine clans and players forming around just being pilots.
We got a chance to compete in a Huxley match. This one was centered around Sapiens vs. the Alternative. The goal in this round was to conquer several radar stations. The side that captures every radar station wins the round. If you die, you respawn at the last captured radar point, and if you don’t have a radar to spawn at, you lose. The battle was frantic, with radar posts switching back and forth as teams desperately fought to keep them occupied. In the end, it was the squad formations that turned the tide of battle.
Like any good game that encourages teamwork, the game features small quads of men with a squad leader. the squad can be squads of anything, but the leader is the most important member. Anyone who stays within thirty in-game feet of him enjoys a healing bonus, shield bonus, and respawns much faster than someone further away. Its these benefits that make joining a squad a necessity just to survive.
Webzen has a definite winner on its hands with Huxley. Ambitious in scope and scale, AMN will have more information as it nears it release date.
Huxley takes place in a post apocalyptic future. One of the coolest aspects is the fact that this future can be accessed by either a PC OR an Xbox 360 owner. In fact, Huxley is the first game that can be played both simultaneously and competitively cross-platform. This amazing feat should bridge the gap between console and home computer at the same time.
Huxley seeks to also do something else ambitious. While it is a MMORPG, similar to Everquest, it plays more like Unreal Tournament. In essence, Huxley intends to combine the fast twitch-based gameplay of a first person shooter with the persistent feel of an online role playing game. Webzen has promised up to two hundred people can be in the same instanced zone for combat, and the servers themselves can hold a massive 5000 people at the same time. Logging off doesn’t end the game, all of it is hosted on the Korean developer’s massive servers.
What races you can play depend on which system you play on. On the PC, you can play as the Sapiens or the Alternative. The 360 can’t play either of those, but gets a unique race all its own: the Human Liberation Guard. Each race plays differently, has access to different weapons, and uses different vehicles. We got a chance to try out the Sapiens.
The game has three distinct classes you can play. The enforcer is a close range combat class, best at taking enemies out personally. Activating his skill, speed, we found his movement rate nearly tripled, and he closed range with his foes lightning fast. Next was the mid range fighter, the avenger. Lastly, from long range is the devious Phantom. This sniper based class is deadly at long range, but weakens as you get closer. None of the classes we played against seemed unbalanced, and no matter what type you play as, your going to have a lot of fun.
Like any RPG, the goal of the game is to level up. Players are going to be divided and subdivided in ranks of 10. So levels 1-10 fight against one another, while levels 20-30 fight in entirely separate zones. Max level is 50, and special benefits open up for those who put in the time to max out their game. These benefits weren’t explained to us, but at that level, its a rare enemy in the game that can even fight with you.
The game also features vehicle air based combat. You can fly anywhere you want, but be cautious, as the further you get from the ground, the bigger the target you become. The vehicle we got to try out seemed like a sled and controlled rather similarly. However, its massive laser guns chewed anything on the ground to shreds. Not only that, it featured a boost function. Considering the depth of control the ship had, it's not hard to imagine clans and players forming around just being pilots.
We got a chance to compete in a Huxley match. This one was centered around Sapiens vs. the Alternative. The goal in this round was to conquer several radar stations. The side that captures every radar station wins the round. If you die, you respawn at the last captured radar point, and if you don’t have a radar to spawn at, you lose. The battle was frantic, with radar posts switching back and forth as teams desperately fought to keep them occupied. In the end, it was the squad formations that turned the tide of battle.
Like any good game that encourages teamwork, the game features small quads of men with a squad leader. the squad can be squads of anything, but the leader is the most important member. Anyone who stays within thirty in-game feet of him enjoys a healing bonus, shield bonus, and respawns much faster than someone further away. Its these benefits that make joining a squad a necessity just to survive.
Webzen has a definite winner on its hands with Huxley. Ambitious in scope and scale, AMN will have more information as it nears it release date.
February 8, 2010
