Do you have what it takes to get a review published right here on Kotaku? Brendan does, as he barrel rolls his way through this space sim shooter.
Yes, that’s right, we’re now publishing reader reviews here on Kotaku. This is your chance to deliver sensible game purchasing advice to the rest of the Kotaku community.
And thanks to the very kind chaps at Madman Entertainment, purveyor of all kinds of cool, indie and esoteric film, the best reader review we publish each month will win a prize pack containing ten of the latest Madman DVD releases.
This review was submitted by Brendan Bennett. If you’ve played Shattered Horizon, or just want to ask Brendan more about it, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Shattered Horizon (PC)
Shattered Horizon, from Futuremark Studios, is a realistic space combat experience that combines strategic first person shooting with 360 degrees of movement. Following a cataclysmic explosion on the moon involving human refineries; the survivors must fight amongst a broken for what little supplies and aid are left.
Loved
360* of Freedom: Shattered Horizon manages to take fighting from any angle and make it work. Spin, strafe, barrel roll and attach to surfaces with the use of one mouse button and one key; it takes an hour or two to get used to, but it works perfectly.
Environments: Although the levels are limited in number – five with DLC on the way – they are quite large and you can tackle them from any direction, giving you limitless combat scenarios. Each and every environment is richly detailed with amazing backdrops; Ruptured space stations, an arc of shattered moon, and a massive satellite almost split in two are only a few of the unique and amazing locations you will visit
Combat: When Shattered Horizon gets going, fire-fights are frenetic and tense. Being constantly aware of your surroundings, looking at scenarios from different angles for the best cover and thinking strategically about your attacks all work in your favour, with ice, EMP and explosive grenades adding a nice bit of havoc to the game.
Hated
One gun: Your standard gun triples as your machine gun, sniper rifle and grenade launcher, but even with that, the range of weaponry in the game is still limited. It fits the realistic vibe they were going for, but a little more variety would not have gone astray; how about a shotgun mode, surveillance equipment, or proximity/remote mines?
In space, no one can hear you talk: Simply put, the game has no native voice chat support of any kind, killing a lot of the potential fun to be had with strategic battles.
Shattered Horizon is a title that dares to be different. It succeeds in being the realistic space combat experience they were aiming for, and does a great job of it, but for the same reasons might dissuade many who attempt to play it. For $20 on Steam, Shattered Horizon is well worth your money if you are looking for a shooter that requires a bit of patience, but offers an experience like no other on the market.
Reviewed by: Brendan Bennett
You can have your Reader Review published on Kotaku. Send your review to us at the usual address. Make sure it’s written in the same format as above and in under 300 words – yes, we’ve upped the word limit. We’ll publish the best ones we get and the best of the month will win a Madman DVD prize pack.
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