You might’ve heard of Crytek‘s Warface (not to be confused with Warframe, mind you), as it released on Steam/PC back in 2013. Back then, free-to-play shooters weren’t quite as commonplace as they are now, so the game thrived better than expected. However, its journey to consoles didn’t quite take the same route, as the game came and went on Xbox 360 without finding said audience.
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But now the team at Crytek is giving it much bigger exposure, with a release planned for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this summer, complete with a closed beta test and full release weekend for all players to take part. And it looks to be a good time for it, since free-to-play games like Fortnite and H1Z1 are thriving right now.
Crytek was kind enough to invite me down to check the game out over a few hours of gameplay, and despite the fact it shows a little bit of age here and there (it is a 2013 release, after all), it’s pretty solid — especially if you’re looking for a first-person shooter that delivers the goods.
While the production value isn’t quite as high as, say, Call of Duty, Warface looks good, running at a smooth pace even when enemies are loading up onto the screen. It also offers a variety of modes, across both co-op and competitive. So there’s a lot to do with your friends, although the real distinction lies in the different classes within the game.
There’s Class In These Classes
For instance, you’ve got the Rifleman, who serves as your general assault character with different rifles and machine guns at their disposal. They’re also the most likely to have weapon refills in case you run out during Specialist Operations (or Raids), which is more possible than you might expect.
Next up is the Medic, who can heal up fallen comrades as well as deliver a great deal of close-range damage with the shotgun.
Engineers are up next, helping out teammates with replenishing lost shields, while at the same time packing some powerful SMG’s to mow down foes.
Finally, snipers are capable of hitting foes from afar with great precision — they’re perfect to get your back from above while your team is advancing to the next objective.
What I like about Warface is how natural the game feels. Aiming and precision shooting is remarkable, especially when it comes to pegging enemies from a distance. This is very useful during Specialist Operations, as you’ll need to pick off enemies that are firing rockets at you, creating a great deal of damage in the process. Taking them out first and then focusing on close quarters is a good strategy.
Play To Win, Not Pay To Win
Each member of the team has benefits, particularly with the firepower they pack and their specific talents. Since I’m all about taking out enemies pretty closely, Rifleman felt right at home for me. But I enjoyed the Sniper class as well, which is usually a wash since I’m not the greatest at distance aiming. But here it feels just right, which is a surprise considering that Warface got its start on the PC front.
As for the available matches, multiplayer has a lot to offer between Team Deathmatch, Free For All and a number of others. We didn’t get to play with too many of the modes, but they offer a pretty good amount of variety for a free-to-play game. There’s also going to be a Battle Royale mode introduced by the time the console version comes around, though we have yet to see it in action. Hopefully it’ll offer a good alternative to Call of Duty: Black Ops IV‘s upcoming Blackout mode. We’ll see.
I especially liked the Plant the Bomb mode. In this, you play one of two sides. The first tries to defuse bombs that are set on a map; while the other sets the bombs and tries to assure they go off. Obviously, either team can win depending on certain conditions, such as if an entire team of members is eliminated or if the bombs go off or are defused. This was an exciting mode that I can’t wait to see more of.
Now, since the game is free-to-play, there may be some concerns about someone paying extra to gain a huge advantage over others. However, the game’s Project Lead, Alex Shimov, noted that the game is all about “play to win” instead of “pay to win,” which means that premium content is limited to cosmetic stuff at best. It’s gained quite the community online as a result, so the console versions should fare about the same.
A Free-To-Play Shooter Worth Checking Out
As for the Specialist Operations, prepare for tough challenges. Here, you have to take down robot turrets, undead creatures with an immense amount of speed and soldiers that try to blind you with sniper beacons and gunfire. They all pile up with each wave you go through, and it’s 45-50 minutes of pure intensity. In fact, the run we went through ended in failure as we were overrun right before a helicopter was supposed to save us. That’s how intense these Operations get.
There are also general Operations that tie into a more basic storyline, and we tried out one portion of this mode during the stage, where we took down different terrorists as a group while moving on to new objectives. It would’ve been nice to get more background on these enemy forces, but this mode is good fun with the right team by your side.
While the whole “free-to-play” idea and slight age don’t put Warface in the same league as other AAA shooters, there’s something enjoyable about it that really works. Maybe it’s the gameplay; maybe it’s the array of modes available for single and multiplayer; or maybe it’s just the fact you don’t have to plunk down a heaping amount of money to have a good time. Whatever the case, console owners are sure to enjoy it when it drops later this month in closed beta on PlayStation 4.
Following that, the game will get Early Access on August 14 on PS4; followed by a full release on both that platform and Xbox One in September. We can’t wait to see who comes on board for the fight.
(NOTE: My.com provided travel and accommodations for the hands-on event.)
