Pariah is the next big first person shooter due for Xbox and PC, and CNET.com.au recently got the chance to look at an early preview of the game.
Pariah comes from Digital Extremes, the same developers who bought us the Unreal series. And as you'd expect from the team that created Unreal, graphics on Pariah are top notch, producing a detailed forest environment in the first few levels CNET.com.au got to see.
The storyline is set in the near future, with players taking on the role of army medic Jack Mason. While transporting a female patient with a mysterious disease, Mason's plane crashes into a dangerous prison region. Mason now has to find out why his plane was shot down, track down the now missing patient, and at the same time survive the hoardes of prisoners baying for his blood.
The first level of the game serves as a tutorial, taking players through the basics on how to control Mason. Controls are your typical console first person shooter ones, with the Xbox controller joysticks used for aiming and moving.
There will be seven weapons found throughout the game, although in our short preview we only saw the bone saw (for melee attacks), the bulldog rifle and the grenade launcher. While seven may seem like a low number of weapons, each can be upgraded up to three times by finding weapon energy cores throughout the game. The bulldog gun's first upgrade, for example, gives you better firing acceleration, while the grenade launcher gives you the ability to remotely detonate shells.
Regaining health is treated much like weapons in the game in that you have to find "ammo" for your health kit. Using the health kit is also similar to weapons, in that you have to arm the kit, then press the fire button to administer a healing dosage.
Pariah has avoided the traditional method of having to cycle through a list of weapons to get to the right one. It instead utilises a weapons wheels - press down Y on the controller and a wheel shows up on screen. Simply move the left joystick to the weapon or item you want to use and it's automatically equipped.
Enemies in the early levels CNET.com.au saw were fairly weak, but they did exhibit some good AI such as using cover and attacking in groups. The rag doll effects used when shooting enemies down also looked impressive. Pariah uses the HAVOC physics engine to good effect, meaning that if you play smart you could use the destructible environments in the game to take out your enemies for you.
Pariah also has four vehicles that can be found and ridden through the course of the game, and reminded us strongly of the vehicles in Halo. The usual deathmatch and team based play are available in multiplayer, with those socially challenged still able to play on the maps thanks to the inclusion of computer controlled bots.
But perhaps the most interesting feature of Pariah is its excellent Create-A-Map mode, which allows you to easily create your own maps for multiplayer sessions. The demo we saw made it look effortless to change terrain, add buildings or turrets, and even change the weather conditions. Best of all, the maps can be downloaded to Xbox Live, where your friends can enjoy your creation, even if your home Xbox isn't turned on.
Pariah is set for release for Xbox and PC on May 17. We'll bring you a full review soon.
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dfain2
02/06/2008, 12:16 PM
rating
8/10
A Game worth playing and A game worth selling
Pros: Good Grafs
Cons: Bad Story Line
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DNT
02/06/2008, 12:02 PM
rating
10/10
This game was great and as I got through it it got better and better but it was as good as halo exept the story line was hard to get
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07/05/2005, 07:07 AM
The Next Halo
I thought there would never be another game as good as Halo, made by a different company. Halo 2, the same deal. But after playing Pariah, and comparing the 2 games, I may have been proved wrong. Everything about Pariah is awesome: the sound, the levels, THE MAP MAKER, the Live feature, etc. This is a must have for any Halo lover or FPS (First Person Shooter) Lover
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picky gamer 2012
14/04/2005, 04:55 AM
Demo was really good...
..Finished the Pariah OXM demo for the May issue and I was impressed. The game was def. pick up and play. Everything felt natural and smooth. Good targeting, VERY sensitive and smooth camera. Good AI. I'm really looking foreward to this one. I have to say for me Pariah beats Halo 2 hands down,... so far. Believe the hype about the graphics... the unreal engine is unreal for sure. Can't say enough about this one!!! More than likely will be an addition to the collection.
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Bob
09/04/2005, 10:55 AM
BEST PC GAME EVER!
I got my video card installed a couple months ago, and my first game was Battlefield 1942 which is also a really fun online game, I'd still have to say Halo PC is still the best.
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Nomenclature
06/04/2005, 05:20 AM
Its a definite..
I've been reading most of the previews for this game and it just might be the one that brings me back to first person shooters. I was so glad to read that "it does not play like Halo 2" in most of the previews. The map editor, from what I read, is powerful and easy to use. No more waiting for DLC except for maybe new things to build with and on!! Vehicles, upgradable weapons, great AI, Havok Engine to the max. I'll make sure to take Halo 2 back and make Pariah the game I trade it for! From the previews it seems to be a "full circle tribute to the old and new school shooters"! Just hope it has all the live features incorporated correctly. I really want to see a good first person shooter with a map editor thats not so cartoony or filled with aliens and purple worlds Can't wait.
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30/03/2005, 04:55 PM
Shows promise to replace halo as a revolutionary new shooter
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{eVo}Ceribrus
28/03/2005, 09:49 AM
Yeah great but doesn't look like there is anything new.
With the exception of a different sytem in selecting weapons, there is nothing new and impressive about this. why is it that developers always go for a quick buck by reinventing old ideas? come on guys really, apart from improving how life like the graphics can be, why not give us, (the hardcore gamers), something new and ground breaking to really get our teeth into? somthing in depth with a storyline to match? somthing thats not too complex but gives us plenty to do and even use our own initiative to create things in game? I have plently of ideas for things like that surely some one who is getting payed by a company to do the same thing would be better than myself?
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