Unreal Engine 3 MMO, Hessian, Preview

Unreal Engine 3 MMO, Hessian, Preview
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It’s All About The Money

It took a little scouting to find this title but it happens to be another Unreal Engine 3 powered third-person shooter. Now many international gamers outside of South Korea probably never heard of this game but don’t count it out as a title that you may be seeing made available the world around by the end of the year.

Moreover, for gamers who wanted a third-person shooter that wasn’t an over-the-top, anime-style game like Gunz: The Duel or Alaplaya’s S4 League, then Hessian might be a breath of fresh for when it does arrive Stateside.

Fighting Over Oil…That’s New

Too much oil is never enough

Much like a lot of other military shooters as of late, the highlight of Hessian’s story is that private military contractors are vying to win over oil supplies for the companies representing supply contracts to different countries due to a rise in terrorism. The story sounds awfully familiar to another real life scenario that involved a certain Vice President, his assassination squad and a heck of a lot of oil at stake that required security from PMCs.

Nevertheless, gamers will pick a “side” and ultimately throw out all forms of civility as they battle in 16 player PvP bouts for control of oil in levels designed around the theme of securing certain facilities associated with the “crisis”. The reality is that during the actual in-game segments the story really won’t matter to most players who are just trying to stay alive and rack up as many kills as they can.

Burying The Competition

The guy hiding behind the car is about to get sniped

The shooting mechanics in the game closely resemble many other third-person powered Unreal Engine shooters, which mainly boils down to Gears of War 2. The highlight, though, is that wall-covering and environmental manipulation plays a pretty big part in advancing through the ranks and burying the competition with a hail of gunfire.

Many of the maps are large but with compact corridors and cover points littered throughout many of the levels to ensure that players just don’t run out into the open and get gunned down. Wall-hugging and melee attacks play a strong part in the actual gameplay of Hessian and it can be used to great advantage during team deathmatch and for exercising a little bit of stealth.

These Tools Were Made For Hurting

Is that Gordon Freeman?

One of the highlights of Gears of War was that getting up close and taking the fight to the enemy in melee combat was about as effective as laying waste to them with a shotgun. Well, the same thing applies in Hessian as there are a variety of melee weapons in the game that allow players to bring some heavy hitting moves to their opponents.

There is actually a selection of different moves available for players to execute depending on the situation and position of the player. However, the game doesn’t just have standard close-combat moves but it also sports counter-moves that can be performed by players as well. Yes, it’s possible to sneak up and attack someone and for that certain someone to turn the tables and reverse the situation on the attacker by allowing for a counter-kill move. It’s somewhat similar to Gears of War 2 where players can button mash their way out of a tight spot during a melee encounter.

Wanted Dead Or…Just Dead

When all else fails…blind fire

Languishing over the proper weapon to use or not having enough guns to choose from doesn’t seem to be an issue with Hessian. While an actual list of weapons has yet to surface, it’s been made apparent through the videos and screenshots that everything from 9mm Berettas to G36 assault rifles make the cut. And yes, the age old favorite AK-74 is among the weapon cache available in Hessian. Gamers can also rest assured in knowing that close-quarter weapons like shotguns and sub-machine guns are present, along with long range weaponry for those who like keeping a distance and picking off opponents with sniper rifles. Details on weapon modification and upgrades are a little thin but it’s obvious that scopes and silencers make the cut.

Stylized Mercenaries To The Rescue.

Vin Diesel called, he wants his head back

Like any free-to-play, third-person shooter on the market, there’s really no point in taking the fight to opponents unless there’s some form of differentiation from the rest of the online competition. Facing off (and teaming with) clones can easily drag a game down and make it all seem a bit moot and drab. Well, GSP Interactive and Yoitt Studios has made sure that gamers have a fair selection of equipment, garb and accessories to choose from.

Like the weapon list, there still aren’t actual details on the overall selection of clothing and military accoutrements, but there has been footage and screens that showcase a wide variety of character options, including hair styles, facial features, upper and lower body gear, along with colored and camouflaged equipment. The only thing that has yet to be confirmed is whether or not selecting a female gender will be optional in the final game.

Hessian has successfully completed both closed beta tests and is scheduled to go open beta in 2010. Expect global availability either by the end of 2010 or early 2011.

Official Hessian Website

This post is part of the series: MMO Third-Person Shooter Games

A list of recent and upcoming third-person shooters to keep your eye on.

  1. H.A.V.E. Online: MMOTPS Hands-On Preview
  2. Last Online MMOTPS Preview
  3. Psychic Online MMOTPS Preview
  4. Hessian MMOTPS Preview
  5. Dizzel MMOTPS Preview