Vivisector E3 2005 Impressions

We had a chance to go behind closed doors with 1C to take a look at Vivisector, its Island of Dr. Moreau-inspired shooter. We didn't see a tremendous amount of content from the game, although we do have some new details to share with you. For more info, see our pre-E3 writeup of the game.

We specifically asked about the role-playing-game-esque upgrade system, and although it seems like it's still being worked on, we did see the main character of the game earn experience for killing enemies, which can apparently be used to increase some of his stats and weapon abilities. The bulk of the demo we saw occurred in a scientific lab, which soon came under attack from the game's mutated animal enemies, which dropped in through the skylights in classic SWAT-team fashion. We only witnessed a minute or so of blasting, but the enemies in Vivisector currently look pretty nice, with patches of fur that fall off as they get shot, revealing tissue and bone underneath.

We weren't shown much more than that, but we did manage to pry loose some more details on the game. Apparently the notion of being able to freely move about the island is being de-emphasized; the island is now split into three large zones in the form of rings around the center of the island toward which you'll be progressing. As you move further into the interior of the island, the game will ramp up in difficulty and shift from straight action to a more horror-fueled style of gameplay; the game that was specifically brought up as an influence was Alien Vs. Predator.

Only time will tell whether or not Vivisector can run with the big dogs of the first-person shooter world, so stay tuned for GameSpot for more info on the game in the future.