E3 06: Hard Truck Apocalypse: Rise of the Clans First Look

LOS ANGELES--Have you ever wondered what would happen if you crossed Twisted Metal from the PlayStation with Wing Commander: Privateer? Hard Truck Apocalypse: Rise of the Clans might just be that game. We got a look at this stand-alone expansion to Hard Truck Apocalypse at Buka's booth during E3 2006. For those not familiar with the previous game, Hard Truck Apocalypse is a vehicular combat game with role-playing game elements. You earn money over the course of the game, which you can use to upgrade your truck with new weapons like machine guns, cannons, and rockets. You can also upgrade components like engines or armored cabins for extra protection.

This expansion pack will offer a brand-new campaign with up to 20 hours of new gameplay. Rise of the Clans will also offer a new quest system to players, which will include different types of gameplay, like timed missions, fetch quests, and racing. Some technical improvements have been made to the game engine, such as with the lighting. Night missions will look more dynamic, because headlights and use of flares will come into play after dark. Location-based damage has also been introduced, which will allow you to try to shoot out tires, knock out weapon mounts, and even shoot directly at fuel tanks and cabins for critical damage.

Multiplayer will also be introduced to the game and will be limited to deathmatch or team deathmatch. Buka representatives compared the mode to classic Quake, where players can just spawn in, drive around picking up weapons and armor, and use teleporters to help get around the map. Currently, Rise of the Clans is scheduled for release on the PC in late 2006.