I entered the alpha last night and after some issues with Steam I finally managed to get the game up and running today. I have steered clear of the forums so that my first play through of the game was as untainted as possible.
The game launched fine and I was very impressed with the musical track which seemed to fit the mood perfectly also the menu worked well I particularly liked the blue colour chosen.
I clicked on start game and found a slight mistake in the pop-up text over the Port City it should read "region of the city". I chose the default loadout and selected the normal difficulty level and launched into the game.
The main screen was clear although I felt the Locked mission text was a little small but I soon worked out how the mission map worked.
I felt the customisation graphics were very nice and all the information was clear, I was wondering if the gear you start with in the inventory is random each mission. I chose gear that I felt suited the Exo's although felt a bit unsure at this stage what advantage each piece of gear gave. Are certain types of gear more suited to certain Exo's?
With my customisation complete I chose my first mission and the game began. I spawned in and found the game screen well layed out and clear, it took me a little while to get used to the movement controls but they soon made sense.
I took out my first enemy fairly easily and the only mistake I made in the first mission was blocking myself in with mines, is it possible to pick up mines deployed in error?
I felt a bit more sound would help the atmosphere but maybe this is something planned for the future. I really liked the enemy comments they added a nice personal touch to the enemies.
I completed my first three missions fairly easily and lost no exo's I had a few close shaves but the learning curve felt very comfortable and I felt that the tactical options will really open up as the game moves forward. I especially like turrets and setting up traps for the enemy bots it's a real buzz when a plan comes together
As I completed missions my inventory grew and I found the customisation manageable but would appreciate some sort functions also the selling price on the inventory screen would help spot the better loot at a glance. I'm still getting my head around all the options but the range of options really makes happy and I'm looking forward to getting my head around all the different types of loot.
One thing I was confused with was the virus ability every time I tried to use the ability I seemed to explode, I thought it was a way of turning the enemy bots to help me.
Overall after my first five missions I'm having a blast and it feels like I'm only scratching the surface. I will play on and post more as I get a better handle on the game.
I have to say well done guys another deep, satisfying, strategic and well thought out game you have really spoilt us this year and I look forward to seeing where this fab title goes next.
