Section 8 is a futuristic science fiction first-person shooter from Timegate Studios. But Section 8 adds enough of its own into the mix to make it a worthwhile alternative for fans of the genre. Inspired by the Aliens and Starship Troopers movies, the game is similar to, and will appeal to fans of the Halo and Gears of War style games. The characters in it are dressed in armour suits, and equipped with weapons similar to those of the aforementioned games. Section 8 takes place in the distant future, when mankind has begun to explore and colonise deep space. A group of rebels called the ARM of Orion has begun to infiltrate government, and capture some of the colonised planets. The response is to send the 8th Armored Infantry in to recapture the lost worlds. You play as Alex Corde, one of “Section 8” battling on the planet of New Madrid. The game features all the things we have come to expect from an FPS, a huge array of weapons (including knives, pistols, rifles, shotguns, as well as grenades, explosives, and mortar launchers), explosions galore, an almost unlimited supply of enemies for you to battle in the single player campaign, which is called Corde’s Story. But single player is really a training mode to enable players to familiarise themselves with the game in preparation for the online multi-player mode, and that’s where the game really comes into its own. Instead of re-spawning on the battlefield, players “burn” in from low-planet orbit. As a result, they can control to some extent where they re-appear on the battlefield. Players also have the ability to use a jet pack to enable them to perform short duration aerial hops during battle. of course, while “burning in” you can be sniped by other players, so you have to use what manoeuvrability you have, and your air brakes to prevent this happening. The result of you , and your opponents, burning in is that it is difficult to maintain a strategic overview of the battle at any one time. An opponent could burn-in behind you at any point, so you have to continually watch your back. The game is class-based. But player characters can be customised, through the use of various modules that control the player’s speed, stealth abilities, and the regeneration of the limited-use jetpack. So, characters and classes are fairly flexible. Characters have both shields and armour, one protects from ranged weapons, the other from nearby attacks, which you choose depends on your style of play. Players can make use of a selection of vehicles and equipment, including heavy-armour suits, tanks, gun turrets, and sensor arrays. Devices may be bought during the game using Requisition Points. The game features a kind of mini-game or side mission called a Dynamic Combat Mission, which player can initiate at any time during combat. Successful completion of these missions, which include things like protecting a convoy, or destroying a strategic installation, will award the player with Requisition Points. A unique feature of Section 8 is the X-Server. This enables users with a Windows PC to set up and manage their own dedicated game server, thus enabling on-line play without a Xbox Live Gold accept, though most fans of this type of online-focused game will have XBLGold. But using an X-Server will give XBox 360 owners the chance to take part in 32-player on-line games, twice the number of players as possible without an X-Server. Different enough to the competition to warrant a look, Section 8 will rewards the player who is looking for a co-operative on-line multi-player gaming experience.