2009-10-01
The free-to-play massively multiplayer online first-person shooter is getting pretty hot right now. Games like Vogster's CrimeCraft, Nexon's Combat Arms, Red Duck's Alliance of Valiant Arms and Acony's Parabellum are all entering the market with similar play styles and business models. With these (and others) all coming down the chute in the near future, it can be hard to tell which game is worth your time (and any money you spend on microtransactions). To help you decide which game is right for you, we're offering some beta keys of Parabellum over at Fileplanet today.
Parabellum is a modern-day military shooter built on the Unreal Engine 3 that gives players the chance to participate in Counter-Strike-style matches against players from around the world. The matches currently being featured on the US and European servers focus more on straight team deathmatch play but there are also options for campaign play as well. Players rank up and earn blood diamonds in the game, which gives them access to even better weapons and custom clothing. In this way, Parabellum avoids requiring players to spend real cash to earn the items required to stay competitive.
There are four main weapon groups here -- assault rifle, SMG, shotgun and sniper rifle. Players can buy and upgrade weapons in each group and can freely switch among them between spawns in a given match. Each weapon is rated in terms of damage, range, accuracy and a number of other factors, so you can take a look at which weapons best match your play style. Even then, the modifications you can buy will have a tremendous impact on the performance of the weapon. You might add a laser sight, or a heavier stock, or a high capacity clip. Each upgrade costs resources, so you'll want to make sure you develop each weapon in the best way possible.
In terms of clothing, players have even more options, from the standard camo-patterned military fatigues to the more outlandish Viking helmets and leopard print shorts. None of the current clothing options offer anything in the way of armor, so your only consideration is how insane you want to look.
Once you've picked out some outfits and some weapons, it'll be time to head online. The controls are very similar to most other shooters you've played. You can switch between your main weapon, your sidearm, grenades or your fists. Parabellum also offers an active reload feature like that found in Gears of War. When you reload your weapon, you'll see a tiny line slowly drift around a semi-circular meter in the middle of your screen. If you can hit the reload button when the line is within a very narrow highlighted range on the meter, you'll shave a few seconds off your reload time. If you try for the active reload and miss it, however, you'll significantly extend the time it takes to reload your weapon, which could mean the difference between living and dying.
The modern urban levels are typical of the genre with players battling it out in cramped quarters inside buildings with brief excursions out onto the street or the rooftops. The team deathmatches on most servers seem to last about 15 minutes, which gives players the chance to work through each of the weapons they've equipped. Player spawns seem to change according to where the other members of your team are so you can easily find backup when you reenter the game after dying.
In addition to earning XP and cash while you play, Parabellum also doles out a number of achievements that let you track your progress. You can unlock these achievements by killing a certain number of enemies, for instance, or by playing through a whole match without killing anyone (although this seems a little dubious as an "achievement").
You can head over to Fileplanet now to grab your own beta key and try out the game for yourself.
©2009-10-01, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
