Everybody wants a piece of the online gaming pie, and start-up indie developer Hi Rez Studios is hoping that Global Agenda's third-person sci-fi shooting action is a valid meal ticket. Its February 1 release is nearly upon us, and I spoke to Hi Rez's Todd Harris and Chuk Vinson to get some advance details out. You can also check out the video below for a walkthrough of Global Agenda's four classes narrated by the Hi Rez guys.
The premise of Global Agenda is blah blah blah sci-fi action! The shooting takes place primarily in instanced 10v10 matches that emphasize territory control. Like most team-based shooters, Global Agenda's four classes have to play off of each other for maximum effectiveness. The differentiation here is that the gadgets go way beyond James Bond-level stuff. You've got deployable energy shields, invisibility cloaks, energy swords, Doc Ock-style mechanical arms that repair nearby turrets, and more. None of these things are terribly original on their own, but taken in aggregate they make for some gonzo action.
Accumulating experience and money through wrecking dudes slowly progresses you through the game's 50 levels. You'll unlock new traits and equipment as you go along, as well as earning new tidbits to outfit your avatar with. It's pretty standard progression stuff, where a higher level generally means new options rather than greater raw power, but there's more.
Global Agenda isn't just another online shooter. While you can jump into online or bot matches out of the box, dropping $13/month on a subscription fee gets you into the persistent Conquest mode. This gives you access to massive player-driven battles for resources, crafting, player mail and all the other MMO stuff you'd expect.
With its MMO face on, Global Agenda doesn't suddenly become a grindy World of Warcraft clone. There is no travel time; you simply warp into whichever battle you want to join. You can continually progress your character though playing the regular 10v10 PvP matches and/or the four-player PvE co-op scenarios (which Hi Rez admits are a secondary priority to the PvP content). More importantly, you can get into what Hi Rez is calling "alliance versus alliance" battles.
Player-created agencies can launch combat missions in disputed territory during the hours that it's available for conflict (a necessary mechanic, ensuring that there are sufficient players concentrated in certain areas to result in cool battles). Successful Conquest mode missions reward your agency with resources, production facilities, research labs, and more. This is the mode that Hi Rez expects dedicated players to spend the majority of their time with. There are many opportunities to have a persistent effect on the game world here, which the developers are hoping will justify the monthly fee to enthusiasts.
I've never seen an independent studio set their sights this high in all my time covering video games. This kind of ambition is typically reserved for the EAs and the Sony Onlines of the world (or at least the adventurous 1990 versions of those companies). Still, after hearing the enthusiasm and obvious passion for their game from the developers at Hi Rez, and having spent some time with the beta, this thing has a chance. Hopefully, enough gamers give it a shot that it can reach its potential.
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