E3 2002: Chaser preshow report

Fishtank Interactive will be showing Slovakian developer Cauldron's upcoming PC sci-fi shooter at this year's E3. Chaser will be a colorful, futuristic shooter that takes many cues from Half-Life. Specifically, Chaser will have an involved story that takes place in conjunction with your actions, just like Half-Life.

In the game, you play as the character Chaser, a top secret operative on a futuristic, late-21st century Earth. Unfortunately, Chaser has lost his memory, and what's worse, he's being hunted by a mysterious group of assassins who want him dead. In his adventures, Chaser must recover his memory and find out why he's a wanted man.

He'll do this by traveling across the futuristic Earth, which has become an overpopulated urban nightmare. With the overcrowding on the planet, the exodus of huge numbers of people to off-world space stations, and the rise of mob rule, the price of life has become cheap in Chaser's world. He'll eventually have to leave the planet and explore outer-space areas. The game will have about 30 different locales, and each of them will be populated by both friendly and not-so-friendly characters. Chaser will meet about 20 different characters that may help or hinder his quest, and he'll tangle with about 30 different kinds of hostile enemies. According to developer Cauldron, Chaser will have an extremely detailed character animation system, thanks to its CloakNT graphics engine. Chaser will feature a full skeletal animation system that will let characters perform multiple actions simultaneously, such as walking, talking, and using items without breaking stride.

Chaser will need to take care of himself as well as his business, and he'll be armed with upgraded futuristic versions of firearms such as shotguns, grenade launchers, and sniper rifles. But in the tradition of Half-Life, Chaser won't just be a simple, straightforward shooter. The game will also feature a number of specific goals, including team-based missions, in which he'll have the support of a team of computer-controlled characters.

Chaser is currently scheduled for release at the end of this year. We'll have more information on Chaser at the show.