Squad based commands
There are two squad orders available: move and attack. You can point anywhere around your surroundings and send your two team-mates scuttling off in that direction. If they encounter aliens or human opposition they'll only shoot if being attacked so it's your job to make sure they get into a cover position. In addition the system allows you to highlight a specific enemy that you wish your squad to attack and they'll focus directly on them until they're either dead or you command them to move or shoot elsewhere. Your team-mates are extremely adept at finding cover and getting into positions where they have the advantage over the enemy, but their intelligence also changes throughout the game depending on how well you command them. If you're a hardcore FPS gamer then it's quite possible to play a large chunk of the game without utilising any squad tactics at all, but during more intense fighting you'll probably wish that you'd commanded your squad better. By leaving your team to do their own thing they'll suffer a drop in morale, which ultimately affects their aim, their fatigue and their will to fight. The morale system still needs some balancing, but it's clear to see how much it will affect the gameplay. If you command them well they use their own will to make correct decisions and find cover, making progression through the game much easier. Command them poorly and you'll have a real struggle on your hands.
Quarantine was one of the levels I played that demonstrated nicely the progression that's been made since the demo, especially with the animations and design of the aliens, which now look like the 'real thing' (if the real thing indeed exists) as they scuttle across roof-tops and vehicles and relentlessly pursue you with a menacing ferocity. The level also gave me a chance to see the first cut-scene which took place between the elite squad and a local farmer who had took refuge in a barn following a frantic chase scene where an alien was snapping at his heels. Midway has taken the Half-Life approach, a game which they've drawn inspiration from, in creating the in-game cinematics in Blacksite. So, there are no intrusive cut-scenes because gamers will still have full control of their character and can move around at free-will, which keeps nicely with the game’s free-flowing intentions
Click for larger image
Click for larger imageThe most impressive level I played was 'Topside Flight', which began with an 'on-rails' helicopter mission over alien-infested canyons and desert. The segment was fairly typical of the helicopter shoot-outs in GRAW where you sit in the gunner's seat and compete with the movements of the helicopter in order to focus your chain-gun on any enemies moving on the ground. It's fairly standard stuff, but still exciting nevertheless and more so when the sequence came to a dramatic conclusion, ending when we flew over a bridge and spotted a magnificent looking octopus-type creature parked right in the centre, batting away other attacking helicopters with its huge and powerful tentacles.
This section felt rather like a typical big boss battle, where you search for the creature's weak spot and rain down a barrage of bullets at that specific area. To make matters more intense the creature hurled projectiles at our helicopter (like fireballs) and I had to use the chain gun to shoot them before they inflicted damage and then take advantage of the short breaks in its attacks to concentrate on killing the creature himself. It was excellent and intense part of the game and Midway has promised us that there are plenty more of these 'boss type' battles against huge aliens in the final version.
