Ah, the first post on the new computer and well the first post in quite a while now. So I’ve decided to go a bit old school (horrible phrase) and return to the roots of the blog by writing about video games! However not just any video game but the indie PC title Shattered Horizon which I picked up recently in the Steam sales.
Shattered Horizon is a very unique online only first person shooter from Futuremark Games Studio which released way back in November 2009 but was recently brought to my attention after seeing it in the Indie Heavy Hitters pack on Steam (Valve does indeed own my soul and the best part of my wallet now). The basic concept of Shattered Horizon is first person combat IN SPACE, now we’re not talking your typical space marine Halo type fare, but rather actual zero gravity combat with astronauts in jet packs darting around between asteroids and space stations. The result of this is an experience unlike anything I or even the majority of people have played before, however not only is the concept interesting but it is executed extremely well as well and after a few games it becomes very intuitive. Though actually getting kills can be tricky as you are constantly zooming all over the place, however it isn’t so difficult that it ends up being frustrating.
One thing to say about the game is that it has fairly high requirements which may prove restrictive for some and it only works with Windows 7 and that other one, you know, “the operating system that shall not be named”. Shattered Horizon is a very pretty looking game as a result of this and it has some superb level design. This creates a very realistic feeling space experience, one of the maps even being a damaged version of our International Space Station which is a nice touch that will appeal to all the space geeks out there! It is a game which does tend more towards the realistic side of sci-fi and before you get on at me about how you can hear the guns firing and how there isn’t any sound in space, the sound is simulated by your suit! Actually, if you go into the “silent running” mode which is an interesting stealth mechanic where you turn the power off on your suit to avoid detection, you can’t hear the gunshots.
Shattered Horizon is a fun and well made game, which is so different to pretty much everything on the market today, but as I write this now there are 15 players currently online, possibly in the world, this number fluctuates up and down at more prime times there can be between 20-30 people. Shattered Horizon has become victim to the fate of pretty much every single smaller online shooter out there as today’s ADD gamers constantly jump from game to game causing online modes too have very limited lifespans, with only the real heavy hitters of the industry holding a steady course, regardless of quality. To tell the truth there isn’t really anything that I believe can be done about it, there’s always just going to be the big dogs dominating the market with the smaller indie titles floundering in the shadows.
Now this wouldn’t be such as bad problem if Shattered Horizon also had an offline component such as a campaign mode, with that you still have a game that you can play even years after it came out. Unfortunately however since it is solely an online game, once the playerbase is gone well you are to be honest screwed, which is something that will make me hesitant to buy an online only game from now on. I feel that I’m in a difficult position here, I want to recommend that people should go and buy the game and if it did have a thriving online community I would do so with no reserve, but I am reluctant to suggest it to someone. I don’t know whether it is too much to ask someone to put down their hard-earned cash on a game which seems to be rapidly disappearing into non-existence, as with the current server populations I can’t quite see Futuremark keeping them up for that much longer.
Unfortunately Shattered Horizon is a game that has probably run its course, which really is a shame, but I know that I’m going to be playing it from time to time if I can get a game, and when I do it’s almost always great fun! So if you do end up picking the game or if you already have, be sure to send me an email, the address you can find here and we’ll be sure to play a game or two!
