TechMasters: The Wait Is Over

The Wait Is Over

On loading up Firefall for the first time, you're treated to a fancy intro that showcases the game's expansive backstory. While it seems heavily detailed and nuanced, it can be summed up as earth being under siege from aliens and an intergalactic storm that's mutated a majority of its wildlife and inhabitants, and it's up to you to save the world. It surprisingly leaves a lot unanswered and is filled with plot holes. Nonetheless, you'll find it of little consequences as you're brought into a game world that filled to the brim with things to do.

You'll discover a sprawling land rife with opportunities for exploration. Be it repelling weird-looking insectoids or undertaking missions for additional resources (known as thumping) Firefall sets you up with a lot to do, and it gives you the means to do so. You can switch between different classes such as being a healer or doling out tremendous damage thanks to powerful armour that the game calls as battle frames. As you blast through the colourful world you'll realise that the experience gained with each class is retained as you switch out to try others. It's a flexible system that makes Firefall fun.

But it's tragic that the core gunplay itself feels a tad weak. Guns don't give much feedback and killing an opponent isn't as satisfying as it should be. Throw in a slew of non-challenging bosses and a ton of missions that require you to team up with friends, and you have a brilliant game that's only half way there.

It doesn't help matter that Firefall's locales look gorgeous during the day but rather drab at night. The cartoonish aesthetic is a hit or miss depending on your opinion of how good games like Borderlands look. Compared to other massively multiplayer online games like Wildstar, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and The Elder Scrolls Online present themselves, Firefall appears drastically outgunned in the graphics department.

Thankfully, Firefall is a free-to-play game and weighs in at about 8GB. Compared to other MMOs, it's not a large download. You don't need a super powerful PC to run it either. While it shows promise with some cool ideas and an interesting overworld, we hope subsequent updates make it as good as it should be.