E3 Hands-On: Bodycount
by VGChartz Staff, posted on 15 June 2010 / 634 Views
Today at E3 I spent some hands-on time with Bodycount, the latest shooter from Codemasters. You are Jackson Delgado, and you have a gun. Bang bang!
What makes this game different from the deluge of other shooters infiltrating the world’s E3 coverage? First, you can destroy nearly the entire environment, Red Raction: Guerrilla-style, although in this game you can reveal completely new paths through the level by merely blowing a hole in the wall.
Second, and even more important, is the cover mechanic. Instead of the Gears of War-style “push a button to hide” mechanic, it’s a lot more dynamic. Hold down the left trigger to hunker down, improving your aim, and allowing you to peek your head around with the left analog stick. Let up on the trigger halfway and you’ll be able to crouch-walk around. This gives you a stronger connection to your sense of control while in cover. Like other shooters, your aim improves while crouching as well. This is not a “run 'n' gun” type of game.
Bodycount is about a year into development – roughly halfway done. So they didn’t have things like water or cloth textures yet, and the ragdoll physics were still a little wonky (I shot one guy and he flew in the other direction). However, the actual gunplay is solid, and the ability to blast your own route through a wall (with ANY gun, as long as you have enough bullets) is pretty cool. Will a unique crouch mechanic and an infinitely destructible environment be enough to set Bodycount apart from the pack, or will people just see, “Oh, another sci-fi shooter. Woo”? We’ll see.
Check out more Bodycount pics from my playtest in the gallery below, and check back all week for the hottest, latest E3 coverage right here at gamrFeed.
