GRFS Beta - Looking Good

The GRFS Beta is out and so far, so good. To say the least, it looks awesome. The game already shows us that the maps and gamemodes provide many different environments and gameplay aspects which suit the different classes. So, this game looks to use the classes very well, giving each one equal advantages and disadvantages. The maps use both long, open areas for snipers to provide cover and small, packed objective points to provide a fast paced experience as well.

The two gamemodes so far are Conflict and Saboteur. Conflict is GRFS' version of a conventional Team Deathmatch gamemode where you have to claim objectives to gain rewards and points. It looks to work well and as we hoped really does take away that CoD style of gameplay, where people camp and just go for high K/D ratios. Kills dont actually give the team points as the small objectives do, such as capturing and defending many points on a map. Its not your run of the mill TDM gamemode but its as close as GRFS can get whilst maintaining its teamwork orientated style.

Saboteur puts a single bomb in the middle of the map whilst both teams attempt to plant it at the other teams base. This type of game has been seen before in both Halo and Call of Duty and works really well, the bomb carrier is allowed to only use a pistol which makes them an easy target due to their lack to Aim down the sights to get any form of real precision. This means that simply, he needs cover, a lot of it. You cannot just let him do his own thing, you must stick together or at least run ahead to clear a path. If you do ever find yourself astray whilst carrying the bomb though you can always drop it down, pull out your primary weapon once more and cover it whilst waiting for reinforcements.

The visuals look great and really give the game the justice it deserves. The graphics are really good meaning that is able to keep up with the fast paced action and not drop any frames. The aesthetics are decent enough too from what I've seen aswell. The HUD is pretty cool, it moves about when movement is involved, be it running up to the fight or being thrown back from a realistic explosion. The HUD as a whole is good although I believe the minimap placement to be wrong, I like it up in the top right myself.

Another thing that I like the look of is the assassination style kills! These kills are both very effective in maintaining a stealthy approach and also good for just gloating grounds. Every game that I have seen with these style kills they have been used greatly for sheer bragging rights.

Another feature seen in the game is of course its third person perspective, which works amazingly well for a shooter. The addition of the ability to aim down the sights when your gun is equipped with a scope is also a great feature. And of course, there are many different scopes and attachments to equip your favorite weapons with, the game looks to be packed with addition such as this. All in all, GRFS looks to be just what we expected here at Gaming Cow. It is just what we desired from the game, the thinking man's shooter is definitely apparent in GRFS and teamwork is a definite must. The incentive of just winning isn't enough to get people working together, maybe the big XP rewards will be.