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"[GAME] Gotham City Impostors"

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This thread has been linked to the game 'Gotham City Impostors'.
Sun 12/02/12 at 13:46
Regular
"Short Attention Sp"
Posts: 76
Let's get one thing out of the way, shall we? The shadow of the Call of Duty franchise hangs massively over the multiplayer landscape, like the obelisk in Stanley Kubrick's 2001. It dominates all, to the point that it has completely redefined what players come to expect from their shooters. It is the new template, and Monolith have taken this very much into account with their new offering. Levelling up, perks, even the ability to prestige; all are fully present and accounted for, albeit with different names. Even the control method is taken directly from the monster that is Modern Warfare.

But, you know what CoD doesn't have? A grappling hook that lets you, after a little practice, more or less fly around the whole level. It doesn't have bear traps. It never once unleashes a cloud of bats over the enemy team. And even though the whole kill-cam feature really is cool, it is not quite as funny as watching a fat guy in a cardboard Batman mask gloat with the phrase "Undone, by a HERO!" in all their pompous glory, as if they were a rejected voice concept for The Tick.

It is this comedic element that is key, then, in separating Gotham City Impostors from other team-based multiplayer shooters. In terms of gameplay alone, it could be any other game out of dozens. 3 gametypes, none of which are really anything new, over a choice of 5 maps. But in terms of styling, presentation, and attitude, it has a whole lot of OOMPH going for it. Rather than take any of the big boys on on their own terms, Monolith have opted to try and capture the comic book sensibilities that the subject matter would naturally enforce, and the game reaps the rewards of this approach.

The plot, if such a flimsy premise for a game can truly be called such a thing, is that Batman is absent from Gotham City. The absence of the Dark Knight has led to some of his fans forming their own vigilante group, called the Batz. At the same time, a bunch of wannabe Clown Princes of Crime have banded together, referring to themselves as the Jokerz. Therefore, Batz fight Jokerz. To all intents and purposes, that is the entire story right there. The two teams are essentially just different coats of paint, as differences are entirely superficial. There is no bonus to playing as either side, nor is there even a way to pledge allegiance. In the lobby during pre-match, you will be assigned which team you get to play on, so get used to being on either side.

The real star turn is provided by the customisation system in play. Whilst there is a perfunctory class system built-in, with 5 rather standard archetypes to choose from, these can be abandoned as soon as the Custom Loadout option unlocks, which is done as early as level 2 and can theoretically be reached after a single match. (Should you choose to play the single-player challenges, it can even be reached without ever playing an online game at all. More on these later.) In a particularly beautiful and inspired move, no weapons or support items have any limits on what level you have to be to use them. Unlocking anything in the inventory merely requires an unlock token, which are dished out every couple of levels.

Before long, you are able to set your body type, your face, your voice, and most importantly of all, your outfit. In-game performance is rewarded with Costume Coins, and it is these that you use to buy the various items of clothing. You can go for something awe-inspiring, or you can concentrate purely on that which makes you guffaw the most. Fear not about the 105 pieces of paid DLC that already litter the virtual marketplaces, every single piece of it can be earned in-game as well.

Before you are even one percent of the way through your potential journey to level ONE THOUSAND, you can be playing as exactly who you want to be, with exactly the weapons and perks that you want to be using, even sounding as disturbing and psychotic as you could wish to. You want Roller Skates, Body Armour, and a Rocket Launcher? Done, easy. Or perhaps you would like a Freeze Ray and Bear Traps. You don't have to wait, they are all just one unlock token away. It's refreshing. Further, once you hit level 30 you are able to pick your Psych Profile, which lets you earn bonus EXP based on your play-style. This means team players can harvest better items more quickly, but lone wolves also have an option to suit them.

As it is a multiplayer game, there is no actual campaign to speak of. The single player mode is just a series of challenges, time trials utilising the various gadgets available. These are fun in their own way, and even prone to causing outbursts of foul language when you fail to reach the gold medal by 0.2 seconds, but they won't be to everyone's taste. Nicely, EXP earned in the challenges is added to the same pool as your multiplayer character, but the lack of individual leaderboards is a tad frustrating. Clearly, the focus is the all-action multiplayer game, with challenges being a nice side dish for those that wish to indulge.

So, what we have is somewhat of a niche take on a tried and tested formula. How this will be adopted by the gaming community remains to be seen, but there is certainly a solid enough base for something more than a "Flavour of the Month" title to be built on. With another game-type or two, a sprinkling of extra maps, and a little bit of open-mindedness on the part of the masses, Gotham City Impostors could go on to be a success story. By lifting the mechanics from the current go to multiplayer title, the learning curve for new players is extremely gentle. But by pitching itself firmly in the "Why so serious?" camp, it may well come as a welcome relief to those who long for a little more fun in their nightly blasting sessions.

A budget price, pitched battles on tightly designed maps with no obviously superior build, an intriguing in-game notoriety system, plenty of unlockable challenges and rewards, and a healthy dose of the sillies all combine to make this one well worth the investment of your time. It might not be popular for long, and the servers may well be empty in the next few months, but you will find plenty to entertain you while it lasts.
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
Sun 12/02/12 at 13:46
Regular
"Short Attention Sp"
Posts: 76
Let's get one thing out of the way, shall we? The shadow of the Call of Duty franchise hangs massively over the multiplayer landscape, like the obelisk in Stanley Kubrick's 2001. It dominates all, to the point that it has completely redefined what players come to expect from their shooters. It is the new template, and Monolith have taken this very much into account with their new offering. Levelling up, perks, even the ability to prestige; all are fully present and accounted for, albeit with different names. Even the control method is taken directly from the monster that is Modern Warfare.

But, you know what CoD doesn't have? A grappling hook that lets you, after a little practice, more or less fly around the whole level. It doesn't have bear traps. It never once unleashes a cloud of bats over the enemy team. And even though the whole kill-cam feature really is cool, it is not quite as funny as watching a fat guy in a cardboard Batman mask gloat with the phrase "Undone, by a HERO!" in all their pompous glory, as if they were a rejected voice concept for The Tick.

It is this comedic element that is key, then, in separating Gotham City Impostors from other team-based multiplayer shooters. In terms of gameplay alone, it could be any other game out of dozens. 3 gametypes, none of which are really anything new, over a choice of 5 maps. But in terms of styling, presentation, and attitude, it has a whole lot of OOMPH going for it. Rather than take any of the big boys on on their own terms, Monolith have opted to try and capture the comic book sensibilities that the subject matter would naturally enforce, and the game reaps the rewards of this approach.

The plot, if such a flimsy premise for a game can truly be called such a thing, is that Batman is absent from Gotham City. The absence of the Dark Knight has led to some of his fans forming their own vigilante group, called the Batz. At the same time, a bunch of wannabe Clown Princes of Crime have banded together, referring to themselves as the Jokerz. Therefore, Batz fight Jokerz. To all intents and purposes, that is the entire story right there. The two teams are essentially just different coats of paint, as differences are entirely superficial. There is no bonus to playing as either side, nor is there even a way to pledge allegiance. In the lobby during pre-match, you will be assigned which team you get to play on, so get used to being on either side.

The real star turn is provided by the customisation system in play. Whilst there is a perfunctory class system built-in, with 5 rather standard archetypes to choose from, these can be abandoned as soon as the Custom Loadout option unlocks, which is done as early as level 2 and can theoretically be reached after a single match. (Should you choose to play the single-player challenges, it can even be reached without ever playing an online game at all. More on these later.) In a particularly beautiful and inspired move, no weapons or support items have any limits on what level you have to be to use them. Unlocking anything in the inventory merely requires an unlock token, which are dished out every couple of levels.

Before long, you are able to set your body type, your face, your voice, and most importantly of all, your outfit. In-game performance is rewarded with Costume Coins, and it is these that you use to buy the various items of clothing. You can go for something awe-inspiring, or you can concentrate purely on that which makes you guffaw the most. Fear not about the 105 pieces of paid DLC that already litter the virtual marketplaces, every single piece of it can be earned in-game as well.

Before you are even one percent of the way through your potential journey to level ONE THOUSAND, you can be playing as exactly who you want to be, with exactly the weapons and perks that you want to be using, even sounding as disturbing and psychotic as you could wish to. You want Roller Skates, Body Armour, and a Rocket Launcher? Done, easy. Or perhaps you would like a Freeze Ray and Bear Traps. You don't have to wait, they are all just one unlock token away. It's refreshing. Further, once you hit level 30 you are able to pick your Psych Profile, which lets you earn bonus EXP based on your play-style. This means team players can harvest better items more quickly, but lone wolves also have an option to suit them.

As it is a multiplayer game, there is no actual campaign to speak of. The single player mode is just a series of challenges, time trials utilising the various gadgets available. These are fun in their own way, and even prone to causing outbursts of foul language when you fail to reach the gold medal by 0.2 seconds, but they won't be to everyone's taste. Nicely, EXP earned in the challenges is added to the same pool as your multiplayer character, but the lack of individual leaderboards is a tad frustrating. Clearly, the focus is the all-action multiplayer game, with challenges being a nice side dish for those that wish to indulge.

So, what we have is somewhat of a niche take on a tried and tested formula. How this will be adopted by the gaming community remains to be seen, but there is certainly a solid enough base for something more than a "Flavour of the Month" title to be built on. With another game-type or two, a sprinkling of extra maps, and a little bit of open-mindedness on the part of the masses, Gotham City Impostors could go on to be a success story. By lifting the mechanics from the current go to multiplayer title, the learning curve for new players is extremely gentle. But by pitching itself firmly in the "Why so serious?" camp, it may well come as a welcome relief to those who long for a little more fun in their nightly blasting sessions.

A budget price, pitched battles on tightly designed maps with no obviously superior build, an intriguing in-game notoriety system, plenty of unlockable challenges and rewards, and a healthy dose of the sillies all combine to make this one well worth the investment of your time. It might not be popular for long, and the servers may well be empty in the next few months, but you will find plenty to entertain you while it lasts.

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