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Preview  Ecks vs. Sever
- By Mike Schneider [Editor In Chief]
November 9th, 2001 Update:
A lot has changed and become known since we first played this game at the Electronics Entertainment Expo. Among noticeable changes since the playtime at E3 is that Sever is now a female character, where as what was originally on the back of the mockup box stated Sever to be a male character. However, the fact still remains that you can choose either character for slightly branching storylines.
The Complete Story:
During an undercover mission in hostile territory, all contact with Sever was lost. Now years later, Sever has resurfaced and seeks retribution on the Government that has wronged her. Sever is a highly trained killer - trained in assassination and counter terrorism. She is an elite tactical agent, Werewolf class. Basically, she is a thorn in the Government’s side.
FBI agent Jonathan Ecks studied Behavioral Sciences, Special Weapons and Tactics. Ecks cleared two of the FBI's 'Ten Most Wanted' list within his first years at the Bureau. He is the best the Agency trained. Noted for his overzealous tactics and blatant disregard for authority. He is scarred by the loss of his family in a tragic car bombing. His wife and child are dead because of a failed attempt that should have been for him. Taking medical leave of absence, Ecks welcomes the chance to join them.
The FBI offers Ecks one last mission - find Sever. His reward is to receive information on the whereabouts of his family. Yes, the car bombing was staged and his family is still alive. Ecks has everything to fight for and to be reunited with his family will mean crossing paths with Sever. Now the player enters a high-octane world of Government agents, explosive weaponry and a sinister force controlling the destiny of these two operatives.
Not only will Ecks and Sever have to face one another, but they will also have to take on the personnel of local law enforcement as they attempt to stop them. Security Guards, SWAT Teams, FBI agents and the mysterious NSA operatives will oppose them.
The Facts:
- 24 single player missions [note our original impressions specified there only being 14 missions] spanning three key locations, including warehouses, hotels, bars and government headquarters.
- Official count of 10 “real world” weapons – just as was initially told to us at E3. Some examples are listed in the impressions and weren’t including in this fact list only because we can’t yet confirm whether those weapons made the finalized list.
- Many modes of multiplayer for up to four players.
Multiplayer Modes:
Ecks vs. Sever features three distinct styles of Multiplayer mayhem. In all instances, up to four players can link up and participate in these games.
- 2-4 Player Death-match
This will be a standard multiplayer death-match game for 2 - 4 players with various combinations of weapons and a number of levels to play in. The conditions for overall victory would be the first player to reach a certain number of frags or the player with the highest number of frags at the end of a specified time limit.
- 2-4 Player Bomb Kit
The player’s objective is to locate three colored components of a bomb detonator (each player has their own color) and can assemble them. The first person to construct the bomb and take it to the main frame NSA computer wins the game.
- 2-4 Player Assassination
One player plays as either Ecks or Sever with the objective of assassinating a number of VIP’s (Top government officials). The other player’s (choice between SWAT/FBI/NSA) must successfully protect the VIP’s by eliminating Ecks or Sever. If all the VIP’s are assassinated, then Ecks/Sever player wins he game. If Ecks or Sever is killed at any point then the SWAT/FBI/NSA team wins.
Other Ecks vs. Sever News Items:
- Ecks vs. Sever Interview
- 20 NEW Screens, 1 NEW Movie
- Ecks vs. Sever Character Sketches
Ecks vs. Sever should be available in stores soon, and we’ll have a complete review of it for you then.
-Preview Update by Mike Schneider, 11.09.01
E3 Impressions, May 20, 2001:
Yesterday it was Dark Arena that I played to death and immensely enjoyed as a first person shooter. Today, Ecks Vs. Sever took me by storm. The demo only contained one level, but I was able to get an excellent feel for the game.
The graphics in the game are really good, even for the GameBoy Advance. What was especially noticeable was the amount of detail in the weapons. Although there was only a pistol and machine gun in the level I played, Ecks Vs. Sever will contain ten weapons, including 2 pistols, an oozie, shotgun, grenade and rocket launcher, mines, and three other realistic weapons. The weapon animations are also great, but the characters themselves still move a little jerky. Environments are also really pretty and feature a lot of varying colors. Like Dark Arena, enemies appear to be sprites.
The game will contain 14 missions when it’s released in November this year, with a really cool storyline. Here is what it says on the back of the Ecks Vs. Sever box:
Jonathon Ecks – Ex FBI. Man hunter. The best. Scared terribly by the terrible loss of his family.
Sever – Rogue NSA Agent. Weaned on violence. Trained assassin. Gold, disciplined, effective. Seeking retribution on the government that betrayed him.
Two pawns within a greater government scheme.
Engaged in a deadly ‘cat and mouse’ hunt, these men came together. Fighting for the truth. What they learn is that they might be faced with a threat, greater to each other’s than themselves.
Can they stay alive, long enough to learn the truth?
Within the game, you can choose to be one of the two characters, and the game features a dynamic storyline that changes depending upon your character. Like Goldeneye for N64, the missions are objective based; and they have a really realistic feel to them. Your enemies are entirely human, such as security guards, swat forces, or FBI agents.
Control was very tight in the game, too. The “A” button fires your weapon, and L and R allow for strafing. When you hit an enemy with a shot, it sends them falling to the ground. As it should be in a first person shooting game, as I pulled the trigger with each shot, I already knew whether I was going to hit the enemy or not, which is a testament to the controls being pinpoint.
Lastly, I was able to play a little linked multiplayer action. I played one on one with one of the game’s producers, and promptly beat him 5 to 1! The game’s frame rate is maintained exceptionally well in multiplayer, and the graphics are still superb. Moreover, we’ll be able to use 1 cartridge to link to four GBA’s; however, doing so will not allow as many arenas and options to be available for multiplayer play. I asked two different people about how many multiplayer arenas would be available and what sort of environments we’d see in it, and what I can gather they’re still working out the details on that… One told me that there’d like be 14, each of which would be based off of the environments from the one-player missions. The other told me that he couldn’t really answer it because they aren’t far enough along in developing the levels, but he also thought there would be some environments totally different from anything seen in the one player. So, I guess we’ll just wait and see what we’re given.
Overall, it cannot be emphasized enough how much I enjoyed Ecks Vs. Sever. Come November, it’ll definitely be on my list of “to get” games. It looks like it will offer Dark Arena some good competition for the first person shooting crown on GameBoy Advance.
- E3 Impressions by Mike Schneider, 5.20.01
- 11.9.2001 |
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INFO |
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Release Date:
11.01.2001
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