Anime From Your Youth Still Gets Your Attention

If you have a passing interest in video games in this day and age you have probably dabbled in the medium of Japanese animation. I have and haven’t seriously followed any series in well over a decade. There are a few titles that grab me whenever something hits new release lists or podcasts that I frequent, mainly Ghost in the Shell and I will defend Cowboy Bebop until the end. Today we fight like we have been inducted into Section 9.

I have my issues with early access titles and free to play titles. This time I paid to play a free title in early access. Ghost in the Shell: First Assault is a Sci-Fi first person shooter that does nothing new. The shooting is responsive, you gain levels by playing, and you can by skins and additional characters with real money. In all fairness, you can unlock more Section 9 operatives with the earned in game currency by investing more time. When it comes to game modes there is Team Deathmatch, Terminal Capture (point based capturing in sequence like Battlefield), and Demolition (it’s Counter Strike, even with one spawn per round). So, why are you telling me about this game?

It is all in the presentation, down to action based clips from the show in some menus. It looks exactly like what the GitS universe should look, futuristic and slightly sterile. The character models are spot on with the entire voice cast from the Stand Alone Complex series! Hearing those voices really hits the sweet spot. Even the Tachikoma think tank helps you in the terminal capture mode. Considering your team is always Section 9, the game projects you as generic “bad guys” to the other team; this also doesn’t let on which members of your team have what abilities to the enemy. Each operative has their own special skill based on their role in the anime. Major Kusanagi has her trademark optical camouflage, Batou shoots missiles out of his arm, Ishikawa can place turrets, and so on. Some of the abilities can be spread to other squad mates through a skill sync; giving everyone around you semi-invisibility can help turn the tide of any battle.

As a free to play game First Assault seems to be pretty on par with other titles. There are temporary items that can augment you slightly in the form of faster reloads, shorter ability cooldowns, and the like. Just like Hawken you gain levels and then are bestowed the privilege of purchasing upgrades with your hard earned cash. This is a model I’m not a fan of, if I’ve put in the time I don’t want to find out I need to grind money to get the item I’ve been after. I can also see how this could get someone to drop real world funds to get around it. Maybe I’m just getting old and can’t cope with these newfangled ways to spend my money.

If you’re looking for a fun, fast paced shooter that you can jump in and out of this is your one of your many answers. It’s still in early access at this point and is due out sometime in 2016. A co-op horde mode would be a welcome addition along with some way to pilot a think tank. When it hits its official release date give it a shot, it’s fun to dive back into a simpler time with familiar gameplay.