Firefall

FireFall System Requirements (Recommended):

Processor (AMD): Quad Core @ 2.8 Ghz (Athlon II X4, Phenom, Phenom II X4)

GPU: AMD/ATI Radeon HD 4850 or Nvidia Geforce GTS 450

MEMORY: 4 GB

DirectX: Version 9.0c

Network: Broadband internet connection

Hard Drive: 20 GB available space

*These are my first impressions on the release of FireFall, I was not involved in the Beta or Alpha and am speaking from a non-biased perspective regarding the title with 10 hours of play.

“FireFall is a dynamic, open-world MMO shooter with limitless exploration of a vast future Earth, rewarding skilled players as they progress through a deep story. Players will be able to customize in a living world that constantly offers new challenges.”

-Overview Page, http://www.firefall.com/features

The Story:

The setting is based in the future Earth after being invaded by the Meld and the Chosen. Humans use bionic suits referred to as Battleframes in order to defend and push back the oncoming attacks from these mysterious invaders. So it’s time to take back the planet in the name of Human kind.

The Release

FireFall, the F2P MMOFPS/MMOTPS with a Borderlands feel. This is a phrase heard by a lot people when players describe this game. With the large selection of guns, random loot spawns, an art style that resembles a slight cartoony feel with its vast color schemes FireFall can definitely stand on its own merit with its own unique style. So the game has been out for a week now and I started playing it late last week in between playing the Archeage Closed Beta alongside starting some LOTRO. A little late to get on that bandwagon but I digress. Now to dive into the Good, Bad and the Ugly of this game. I have to say beforehand there isn’t so much Ugly as there is questionable doubts about certain aspects of this title.

Good:

• There are several Battleframes that feel different when it comes to strategy of play.
• The use of the Z-Axis which hasn’t been implemented in many games dare I say it’s usually been glanced over in other titles and adds another piece of depth to gameplay.
• The ability to switch between First and Third person instantly as well as switching Battleframes whenever you want.
• The random event spawn system is epic, definitely adding to the exploration of the map as a whole.
• There is actual challenge for those that play alone, encouraging those players to actually consider teaming up in order to get objectives done.
• The crafting system is extensive, adding another level to how you progress later on in game.
• Vehicles and gliders that help you explore the map faster than on foot is always a treat.
• Grinding doesn’t feel like any other MMO, it feels more engaging to the player rather than point and click turn based RPGs.
• Hours of content that are ready to be played and discovered
• PvP for those who enjoy that type of gameplay over PvE.

Bad:

• Instances are susceptible to random players joining at any time. If you are Thumping solo, you will have players come to help even if you don’t want this.
• Since release, the servers can sometimes have latency problems where you may jump on a cliff and then rubberband back where you started before you jumped. Sometimes you’ll waste a whole clip on an enemy and it’s like you’re shooting blanks into them before they take any damage.
• Servers are broken up into “shards”, friends may be on the North American Server but they may be on different “shards” within the server. To the new player this may seem confusing.
• Grinding Crystite (in-game currency/crafting material) is a little bit of a hassle, but if you are a loot-whore, then this might not be as much of an issue when playing.
• Level grinding when playing solo feels long, finding it a better strategy to play in a squad in order to reap the benefits of fighting mobs.
• Other than Thumping and the Job board, there isn’t much else to do with regards to gameplay.
• A lot of players don’t really talk when they fight alongside you, they will fight and usually leave without saying a word.

Ugly (Questionable Doubts):

• The lack of actual instances that feel like they matter to any story, yes the story is there but it’s sort of glossed over unless you read up on the lore.
• Feels like another generic “World is taken over by otherworldly beings and only you can stop it” type of setting.
• The latency is an annoyance once you start playing for a while and starts to show how buggy it can be when you are on a highly populated “shard”.
• Only the hardcore players might deem it fitting to grind through the crafting system in order to make use of it and may leave new players overwhelmed.
• Gameplay feels fresh for the first 10 hours of play but feels like a hard grind after that becoming a drawn out sequence of “wash, rinse and repeat” leaving players feeling somewhat underwhelmed at the experience.

Final Words:

The big question is does this game live up to what it promises? Yes and no. It does give a dynamic open world experience and is a solid shooter by all accounts. The weapons and customization of the Classes makes for new experiences every time. The grinding and exploration make for hours of gameplay. However, even after release the game suffers from latency issues, a lack of story elements, and at times feels underwhelming. But overall is an enjoyable experience for Casual and Hardcore players alike.