Codemasters firing up Damnation

Publisher partnering with Make Something Unreal winner Blue Omega on a reportedly steampunk alternate-history, open-world action adventure for the PS3, 360, and PC.

Damnation

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Codemasters is most famous in the US for publishing the DiRT series of rally racers, which featured the name and likeness of the late Colin McRae. However, the Britain-based publisher has a presence in other genres as well, such as the first-person shooter Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, which imagines an alternate history where the Nazis conquer Europe--and invade the US.

Now, it appears Codemasters is returning to the alternate history well for a much more radical title. Today, the publisher announced Damnation, a "shooter gone vertical" that will feature acrobatic-oriented gameplay focused on vehicular combat in "huge open environments." Said vehicles will include agile motorcycles and slower, armored means of conveyance.

Officially, Codemasters is being cagey about the story of Damnation, saying only its "epic" plotline will feature a hero named Rourke leading an "ensemble" of characters. It will concern a "postindustrial conflict between humanity and an unstoppable arms dealer" and be set against "iconic elements of American history," according to the publisher.

Unofficially, several online outlets have published details about Damnation not contained in the official announcement. According to WorthPlaying, the game has a hybrid viewpoint, shifting from a Halo-like first-person view during gun battles to a third-person view during puzzle-oriented platforming levels, which the site compared to those in God of War.

Story-wise, the game subscribes to the steampunk pantheon of science fiction, which envisions rapid industrialization bringing 20th Century innovations into the 19th Century. In Damnation, this technological acceleration is precipitated by an alternate US Civil War, which rages for decades into the early 1900s. As a result, the natural and industrial resources of the East Coast are exhausted, forcing the Union and Confederacy to go west in search of new war supplies. There, they encounter said arms dealer, whose arsenal includes a steam-powered giant robot.

Damnation is being developed by Annapolis, Maryland-based studio Blue Omega, which won Epic Games' Make Something Unreal competition with the prototype of the game. It is currently set for release on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 in late 2008.

75 Comments

  • drummerboi43

    Posted Jul 8, 2008 3:38 pm PT

    last time codemasters made an alternate history game (turning point) it sucked...i hope they don't make the same mistake twice

  • two-3

    Posted Mar 12, 2008 7:02 pm PT

    The screenshots look promising even if only early. The scale of the game seems to be huge and it looks like they have spend some time trying to nail the atmosphere for the game with a "wild-west" kind of feel to it. Hopefully this will be one to look for, with shooters increasingly becoming a dime a dozen some twists on existing shooting genres may set this apart.

  • Sub-Zero67

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 8:33 pm PT

    I hope they don't get so distracted working on their new game mechanics that they neglect other parts of the gameplay.

  • JJB03

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 3:04 am PT

    its always gr8 to see a developer take risks with new gameplay and odd storyline rather than the run off the mill first person shooter which wiv seen alot of lately time for somthing diffrent

  • TigerGuy06

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 9:18 pm PT

    Looks like a promising title. Definitely keeping an eye on this one!

  • Cwagmire21

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 12:56 pm PT

    @Cobra05 I always found it weird for women in games to be half naked in shooters - Wear some body armor that covers EVERYTHING - makes sense to me.

  • Stalker700

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 5:57 am PT

    Hmm....looks sweet,I love open world games,so I'm sure I'm gonna like this.
    Looks like 2008 is also starting to shape as a great year for gaming(though still not as good as 2007....yet.)

  • Dryker

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 12:33 am PT

    I shall reserve judgement... but in the meantime might as well play Overlord: Raising Hell!

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 8:42 pm PT

    no thanks codemasters. ur games truly have stank for the past few months

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 7:36 pm PT

    What in Damnation is this?!

  • NanoElite666

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 7:33 pm PT

    Looks interesting.

  • Lord__Darkstorn

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 7:00 pm PT

    this looks pretty good...and versatile!

  • TehEliteElite

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 6:07 pm PT

    MORE Steampunk? Excellent!

  • FACT50

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 3:58 pm PT

    The original mod this is based on from U2k4 was pretty fun (if a little short), so hopefully a full title will expand on the ideas they started in that mod.

  • Ciros_Reuas

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 3:38 pm PT

    Everyone please learn to read codemasters is a publisher not a developer.

  • CaptHawkeye

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 2:56 pm PT

    Wait, you thought Flashpoint *wasn't* innovative? Have you even heard of it?

  • white_light91

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 2:15 pm PT

    This looks promising.

  • Shadow_Fire41

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 1:06 pm PT

    hmmm, interesting, especially since its by Code Masters

  • knetzerthegreat

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 12:58 pm PT

    Speak for yourself CaptHawkeye, I'm so freaking tired of playing the same games over and over again that I WORSHIP any company willing to put resources into new and inovative settings and gameplay.

  • Cobra5

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 12:57 pm PT

    My love for steampunk is so great, I can overlook that chick's comically underdessed outfit...

    Do artists really think that kind of thing is hot? I think it just looks silly...

  • vogelhut

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 12:33 pm PT

    What the....haha, looks awesome.

  • Nineball2112

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 11:12 am PT

    The screenshots look interesting... I'll keep this one in mind.

  • CaptHawkeye

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 10:25 am PT

    Ok, Codemasters? Let's make something clear, no one cares about these weird homegrown garage titles you keep publishing. We want Flashpoint. Not Turningpoint. There I said it.

  • sinister_id

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 9:41 am PT

    Steam powered giant robot......ok, I guess I can live with that. Seems interesting other than that robot.

  • pourya_ahmadian

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 9:27 am PT

    it seems to be so great;go to my collection;we wait for it;

  • pidow

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 9:20 am PT

    My usual, wait and see.....Turning point was not all that great, so I hope in this one , AI and everything else will be 100% better.

  • ShadoweaverCode

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 9:04 am PT

    "Australian Gears of War" LOL, i'm definitely keeping an eye on this game. Looks good.

  • cheater2000

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 8:45 am PT

    This game looks and sounds AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Strike_Zer0

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 8:25 am PT

    I agree with what the others have said, this sounds pretty good! Should be interesting to see how it turns out.

  • KevComesRipping

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 8:16 am PT

    Main characters look lame... thats huge deal for the initial impact of a game, maybe it will play great, who knows.

  • SaintRasmus

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 7:58 am PT

    I think that i will keep a eye on this game, but if its comes out late 2008, my eyes will be on Fallout 3, Fable 2, Borderlands.

  • Killmajoro

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 7:57 am PT

    I think I will at least keep an eye on this game. The concept looks cool so I am hoping that they don't screw it up! Oh, and because of the Unreal engine, this game looks like Australian Gears of War lol!

  • fgjnfgh

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 7:54 am PT

    I'm laughing right now because the game looks good and if you've been watching codemaster the last 6 years you would know why I'm laughing

  • BringTheBlood

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 7:38 am PT

    Sounds pretty interesting, but who knows, theres nothing to really go on. Lets just hope it doesnt turn out like Turning Point: Fall of Liberty.

  • gatrosk

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 7:22 am PT

    Sounds like something to definitely keep an eye on.

  • ehuman

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 7:09 am PT

    Steampunk is definitely an idea I'm willing to invest on. Though I hope this doesn't turn into a half-hearted flop like their more ignorable games.

  • thekodaman

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 7:03 am PT

    Turning Point: Fall of Liberty wasn't a such a great game... Lets hope they learn some lessons from it.

  • Slayer420

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 6:52 am PT

    This could be interesting or it could be a complete flop. I like the steampunk idea so I will pay attention.

  • BigDaveyDogz

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 5:58 am PT

    seems interesting...hope it works but please if its anything like Turning Point we're in trouble.

  • vahid_xbox_360

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 5:30 am PT

    at last we saw a movement from codemasters. I was going to be Disappointed .

  • Jerian

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 4:56 am PT

    looks rediculous and sloppy from here

  • equili3rium

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 4:44 am PT

    I agree with fishnpeas1. Bring back Dizzy! Raytracing would be acceptable. He would look great!
    Dizzy!
    Dizzy!
    Dizzy!

  • razu_gamer2

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 3:39 am PT

    wow everything for 360/PS3 and PC. Good luck Ninty. Seriously.

  • CasinoOutlaw247

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 3:37 am PT

    Sounds like an interesting game! I'll track it and see how it develops.

  • fishnpeas1

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 2:48 am PT

    The Darling brothers need to bring back Dizzy!! (NOT in 3D!) We also need them to start releasing those £1.99 and £4.99 budget games again!!

  • zoe256

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 2:33 am PT

    Hmm, should be good if it's done well enough. Codemasters are good at driving games but not much else.

    I've still not forgiven them for not releasing a patch for Hospital Tycoon. I hit a bug and can't ever actually finish the game...which is pretty annoying!

  • 42316

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 2:27 am PT

    looks cool

  • MariusSE

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 2:11 am PT

    aye, Lord of the Rings Online is alright though.

  • Geshpenst

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 2:02 am PT

    Jericho, Turning Point, Micro Machines V4, Maelstrom.

    Their games of late have been... less than great.

  • bamfer3

    Posted Mar 6, 2008 12:49 am PT

    always good plot concepts by codemasters but the game ends up s*** -_-

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