Overload

Seriously, if you are looking for "Descent for the 21st century", this is the thing, right here!

GOG really needs to be more aggressive with letting us know about upcoming releases ... again I bought a game DRM-infested because I really, really wanted it - only to find out it was coming to GOG (later) ... sigh. Admittedly, this complety flew below my radar for some reason, so I umpulse-bought it when it was released on *****. The game is a great flashback to the GO'times if Descent. It's modern enough to allow new players to get in, and still it retains a lot of the greatness the original games had. More, please :)

Back in 1995, Descent basically created the genre of 6 degree of freedom shooters. Hunting through narrow mines in some zero G environment still is as much fun today as it was back then. While this game does not bear the official "Descent" title, it is the closest to a Descent 4 we will ever get. Although Overload does differ from the originals in some aspects (notably, the turn speeds are way higher than the classics allowed), the gameplay and handling of your ship still feels just right. Challange Mode is an interesting and very arcade-like addition to the singleplayer campaign and multiplayer action. As always, your controls are fully configurable, all kinds of keyboards, mice, joysticks and gamepads are supported and can be mixing together just nicely. The graphics style is very unique, clean and consistent, and the particle effects are just awesome - it is always fun to watch stuff explode, and even after 100000 kills, they still don't wear off, I can assure you. It is also nice to see day-one Linux support for a gem like this. If you'd ever had a bit of interest in the Descent series or in the 6dof genre, you should buy this immediately. If you never played any of these games, Overload can be a great and modern introduction to this kind of games. If you're still unsure, try the free "playable teaser" (which is also available on GOG).

If you've played any instalment of Descent - including Descent 3 - there are things you will find very familiar in Overload, as it seems to mash up the best parts of all three games. You've got a plot similar to the one from the first game (which, as a bonus, is written by the same guy who wrote the plot for FreeSpace), the secrets from the second, and the huge levels from the third. If you've got a powerful rig, you'll love the incredible explosions that happen when you blow things up; people like me with an OEM PC will get along just fine on the lowest graphics settings. I should probably draw extra attention to the "secrets from the second". At its core, Descent was an action game, but Descent II's single-player levels had hidden areas that could be accessed after solving some kind of puzzle, which gives you early access to end-game weapons as well as secret levels. There is no shortage of secrets in Overload's single-player campaign - just in the first level alone, there are 15 hidden areas! Overload subtly hints at the ability to play the game your way. The most obvious hint is the upgrade system in the single-player campaign, which allows you to tailor your gunship's properties and the weapons you've acquired to suit your playstyle. However, a more universal feature lies in Overload's expansive set of options. You can tweak everything from standard things like FOV and HUD detail to highly specialised things like how quickly the ship spins depending on how fast you yank your controller. I've personally spent a substantial amount of time fiddling around with the controls to see which mixture is the one I'm most comfortable with. If you find the single-player campaign too boring, get on multiplayer. Cross-platform support and a community comprising stalwarts in the Descent community means that you'll be squaring off against some of the first and best 6DOF players in the world. Overload is THE NEW definitive 6DOF shooter and is matchless in its concept.