What's brown, bloody, and filled with bullets? Team Tachyon and Tecmo Koei's explosive new third-person shooter, Quantum Theory.
What we're talking about: Quantum Theory, the new third-person shooter from developer Team Tachyon and publisher Tecmo Koei.
Where we saw it: At the Tecmo Koei booth on the 2010 Tokyo Game Show floor.
What you need to know:
- In Quantum Theory's case, the most obvious comparison is certainly the most apt: it looks, plays, and handles like a Japanese Gears of War. From tank-like protagonist Syd's roadie-running, baddie-punching demeanor to the shaky over-the-shoulder viewpoint and cover-based mechanics, Quantum Theory certainly shares more than a few aesthetic flourishes and gameplay mechanics with Epic's blockbluster.
- The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic environment, and finds the earth overrun by a sinister alien threat known only as "Diablosis." The bulk of Quantum Theory is set in and around a set of Diablosis-infected Towers--looming organic spires that serve as the game's premier "living environments," actively eroding and shifting in real-time the higher Syd climbs. The living environments definitely build on the game's cinematic appeal, with set-pieces regularly rising, falling, and undulating throughout the action.
- Syd won't be taking the fight to Diablosis alone; the enigmatic Filena fights by his side, paralleling the hero's hulking demeanor with her swift, slender skill-set. Players are urged to use their AI teammate as another weapon in Syd's arsenal, picking her up and throwing her at oncoming swarms of enemies. Matching Syd's powerhouse build with Filena's acrobatic expertise is a core gameplay mechanic, and vital to traversing Quantum Theory's treacherous living terrain.
- As you may have gleaned from the game's barrel-chested protagonist and explosively gritty attitude, Quantum Theory draws some heavy inspiration from the action movie heroes of the 1980s. Testosterone-infused genre mainstays Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were cited as big influences on Syd's "shoot first, ask questions later" approach to the Diablosus pandemic.
Point in development cycle: The game is actually at 100% completion following three years of development, and is set to hit U.S. shores later this month.
My take: I was pleasantly surprised by my time with Quantum Theory. In all honesty, initial screen-shots and trailers had me a bit at bay, but after spending a bit of hands-on with Team Tachyon's third-person shooter my curiosity has certainly been piqued by its cinematic flair and innovative living environment aspect. Here's hoping that what Quantum Theory does differently is enough to set itself apart from other, similar shooters.
