E3 06: Dusk-12 First Look

LOS ANGELES--We got a demonstration of a new first-person shooter from Buka called Dusk 12 at E3 2006 in Los Angeles. The game is set in Eastern Europe in the near future, and the story centers on an experimental virus that was designed to create supersoldiers. Things go awry, of course, and the virus causes an entire city to decay, turning its inhabitants into deranged, zombie-like mutants. You take the role of an elite special ops commando sent to investigate the disaster with a small squad of teammates.

For the first part of the game, you'll play as the spec ops squad leader, using squad commands and contemporary weapons like assault rifles and machine guns to take on the mutant menace. The environments in the game look quite detailed, as you explore a rust-covered, decaying city whose appearance is reminiscent of something out of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. You'll fight house to house and street by street, taking on the grotesque mutants and using squad commands to get your teammates to help you out. Dusk 12 takes a page out of Quake 4's storyline, as midway through the game, you become infected with the virus yourself and turn into a mutant. You'll play the rest of the game in this form, which will change up the gameplay mechanics a bit. You'll still be able to use guns and other weapons, but you'll also have other attacks at your disposal, such as melee attacks augmented by super strength, and psi powers that can confuse and damage the commandos that come to take you out. The game will also offer drivable vehicles, including trucks and an APC with turreted weapons that you can fire.

Multiplayer action in Dusk 12 will feature team-based gameplay, with humans versus mutants. Each side will be balanced but will have its own strengths and weaknesses. Dusk 12 is early in development and is scheduled for release sometime in mid 2007.