It’s kind of a weird concept: a console game that ties directly into the events, happenings, and universal mythos of an ongoing massively multiplayer RPG for PC. But that’s exactly what the upcoming massively multiplayer online FPS Dust 514 does. For those of you who like to do a little extracurricular mouse-and-keyboarding outside of your 360 jockeying, the name EVE Online might just ring a bell, and this genre-hopping spin attempts the grand experiment of tapping into the same vein. Well, sort of.
Dust 514 plays out like a sci-fi version of the Battlefield games, as intergalactic corporations in the far-flung future fight over star system–sized territories, one planet at a time. You aren’t a corporation, of course. Instead, you’re a marine who, alongside fellow troops, uses configurable weapons, vehicles, and air support to reclaim areas. But the game’s hook is that any territories you win here are directly reflected in your PC game of EVE Online, changing the fortunes — for better or worse — of your corporation or alliance’s universe-wide takeover plans.
That might sound like normal publisher hyperbole, but trust us: EVE Online is the most elaborate online game around. Players travel across a universe consisting of over 7,000 star systems, joining armada-sized corporations, mining and/or fighting in equal measure. The economy is frighteningly elaborate, with player-owned corporations amassing billions in virtual funds through their actions. The universe has been rocked by its own controversies, including “Deep Throat”–style informants and players manipulating situations to destroy organizations by bleeding them of their hoarded wealth. There’s even a council made up of both developers and players to deliberate on the future of the universe and the game’s content. World of Warcraft this ain’t.
So how are you and your 360 going to play your part in this grand battle? Well, um, no one knows yet. Aside from winning territories for your superiors, there’ll be some connection between the earth-bound army boys and the ships flying above, although developer CCP Games is currently quiet on specifics. It could have something to do with monetary transactions: guerrilla forces fighting to ensure there’s an organization signing their paychecks? That’d be a new one.
Think of it like Return of the Jedi — battling forces on the ground while in the skies above a titanic space armada is blowing seven shades out of them. It’s a symbiosis between different genres and platforms that has so far never been realized due to tech limitations and more.
CCP hasn’t confirmed a release date, meaning it’s a headache the developer is a long way from solving. It’d be a shame if the only real interaction between the two is boring stat-swapping while the tides of war shift between multiple sides, but given CCP’s pedigree, we have faith that they have the chutzpah to pull it off.
Regardless, Dust 514 presents an engrossing experiment worth watching for sci-fi fans and FPS nerds alike.
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