GC 2006: Coded Arms Contagion Hands-on
Blast through another virtual world.
by Juan Castro
August 23, 2006 - Konami had the sequel to Coded Arms at its annual summer event, which took place today in San Francisco. Set a year after its predecessor, Coded Arms Contagion drops you in the middle of hostile virtual environments. This may sound familiar to fans, of course, because the first game had the same setup. But for those who need a refresher course, just know you play a hacker charged with cleansing the world of techno terrorism.
The demo only offered a few stages, and the build had about 70% left to go in terms of development time. That aside, it gave a good indication as to where the game should be at the end of its development cycle. To start, Contagion plays a lot like the first Coded Arms game. You still maneuver virtual rooms and corridors blasting everything from insects to robot soldiers. So in that respect, fans of the first outing will most likely find a lot to like.
However, the development did change a few things that didn't work too well in the first game. It also added certain things and refined others, all in hopes of topping its first effort. One of the most noticeable differences deals with the environments. You can now see the sky, for instance. Instead of trolling through cramped corridors the entire time, you can now venture outside and see clouds and other natural phenomenon. Along the same lines, the environments just look far bigger than they used to be.
They no longer appear cramped, as least not as much as in the first game, so that's a refreshing change. Also, the levels don't generate randomly anymore. Each level is comprised of static sections connected by hallways and doors, much like in your standard first-person shooter. While this may sound like a negative, it actually allows level designers make the game feel varied. Before, levels became somewhat repetitive, even if they generated randomly. That's not an issue now and players can expect to rip through enemies and look at pretty environments.
The team says it also improved enemy variety and artificial intelligence. Again, while enemy intelligence put up a decent fight last time, Contagion should still offer improved enemy behavior. Sadly, the demo only showed a few enemy types, including robot soldiers and overgrown insects, but developers promise a ton more.
In terms of multiplayer, Contagion ups the four-player online mode to allow eight players. Which, as PSP owners know, is moving in the right direction. Where many developers see fit to avoid online connectivity altogether, Contagion outdoes itself with support multiple modes (last man standing, deathmatch) and eight player functionality.
The game should have about six missions, each of which has various subsections. The groovy auto-aim system from the first game isn't finalized yet, neither is the save system, so there's not much to report there. Still, you can expect slight improvements from the last game. As far as weapons go, the demo only showed the basics, including a shotgun, pistol, assault rifle, rocket launcher and pistol. You can upgrade each of these with a new monetary system, though. But again, this aspect didn't make it in time for Konami's event.
Stay tuned for more.
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