Section 8: Prejudice is the sequel to 2009’s Section 8 from game developers Timegate. In the game you will take control of a small unit called Section 8:First Recon and you’re thrust into a very linear storyline where basically you are are the good guys and have to take down a bunch of bad guys who are hell bent on killing everyone. As you continue through the game you start uncovering a conspiracy which adds a nice twist to the story.
The Campaign that you will play is very much on the light side. When it comes to the single player mode it almost seems that, when making the game, they kind of forgot about it and then rushed it at the end, I mean there is a storyline, not much of one, but there is one, which I found did not really pull me much. As you go through the game it really does not get any better. The main protagonist in the game is Salvodor who is this jaded armour wearing guy that really is angry with the world, so sets off to start his own army and set-up his master plan to kill everyone. So, as the good guys you are told to track him down at all costs and take him out.
The construction of the missions are very basic, you have one over riding story arc which is to track down and kill Salvodor and stop his evil plan, and then from that it is split down into Fed-Ex quests which can get a little tedious.
Weaponry in the game is fun, as you have many different combos that you can put together to do different types of damage. Some types of ammo will do better shield damage while others will do none, but really do damage to metal plating and infantry. It really is a nice touch to the game and you will need some time to change your load out depending on the mission you’re on, as you will go up against mechs, tanks and heavily armoured people.
Section 8: Prejudice is helped along in the visual department by the Unreal Engine which everyone and their dog is using these days. As you go through the game you will be treated to many different locations, and for an Xbox live Arcade title it really stands out from the crowd. Most of the tech in the game looks really nice, like the power armour you wear always changes depending on the terrain you’re fighting on, for example if you’re fighting on a blizzard like planet, your armour will take on a white camo effect. You really do get everything you would expect from a game that is using the Unreal Engine.
For me, where Section 8 really comes to life is the multi-player. You have two multi-player game types at the moment; one is Conquest Warfare, which sees you waging war between the 8th Armored Infantry and the Arm of Orion for control of the battlefield. You drop into the battlefield with one purpose: dominate the enemy in a relentless assault of enemy bases, utilizing a variety of on-demand deployables and vehicles and limitless load out customisation opportunities. Each team competes to complete critical missions and objectives, capture and hold Control Points, and score Victory Points (VP). When one team earns enough VP to meet the Victory Point goal, they are victorious and the enemy team is defeated. This game mode is one of the best modes going. The next game mode is Swarm, which lets you take the role of an 8th Armored Infantry soldier with 3 allies as you defend a single Control Point against an overwhelming number of attacking enemy units. To attain victory, your team must protect your Control Point from being captured by the enemy before reinforcements arrive. It’s no simple task, and I have to stay I got stuck a few times while playing this game mode, but once you get the hang of it then it can be so much fun building some defences and trying to hold your ground while you’re attacked from all sides.
Section 8: Prejudice is a game that has all the right pieces for a great game but they have just been put together in the wrong way and has produced a game that really should have been better. To me the only saving grace is that the multi-player rocks and what I think they should have done was drop the single player mode and just made it a multi-player Xbox Live arcade title. What you get for 1200 Microsoft points is an OK game with an OK single player mode and a great multi-player mode. So if you’re looking for some online intense action then pick up this title but don’t expect to be thrilled by the single player game.
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