It was hard to resist the pull of Uber Entertainment's "Monday Night Combat" booth at PAX East in Boston. If it wasn't the masses' excited whispers about the first public build of the game, it was the cries of the on-the-floor announcer by its booth. As I met the team and had my first hands-on session, I understood the why everyone was just so...thrilled that the game was there. It was good. And it still is.
The Basics
"MNC" is a class-based shooter with six classes. Each class touches on or fulfills the usual gamut of strategic niches. Big characters can spearhead attacks or support with a blaze of bullets. Smaller ones can snipe, cloak, or heal. It's tired-and-true, design, but "MNC" has an interesting wrinkle: tower-defense elements. In Crossfire, the game's tug-of-war competitive mode, you can erect turrets and spawn bots. Support of these AI constructs is a must, as their plotted paths are crucial to crashing down the opposing team's shielded "flag." Blitz, the other mode, pits you against these very bots in a refined "Gears of War"-style Horde experience.
The Highs
The Right Kind of Attitude and Look
"MNC" features a bold, polished, and colorful cartoon-inspired look that acts as a fantastic compliment to its purposefully absurd "Running Man"-style apparatus wherein you'll see sponsorships from companies like "DR TRIGGER," activate ejectors that blast people across stadiums, hear over-the-top commentary, and even interact with a pudgy, money-spilling, and big-headed mascot.
Unique Character Progression and Skills
You earn money with each kill, be it a bot or a person. Money can then be used to erect turrets or pour into your own character -- a vital element, as each class has three upgradeable skills in addition to a latent one that you'll want to use regularly. Differentiated tactical options is always a plus, but you'll notice that switching up attack methods kills dull before it washes over you.
A Refined Horde Mode With Turrets
Along with Crossfire, you'll get access to local and online versions of Blitz, a Horde mode that asks you to protect a "flag" -- really, a ball filled with money -- against an onslaught of bots across a specified number of rounds. Turrets, and the variety of which you can purchase, play a huge role in the survival of a team, keeping the focus tight on tactics. And as invaders swarm, you'll notice that it's not about your sick shooter skills, as much as it is about working with your team and understanding how each character compliments the other.
The Lows
Whoa, F-F-F-Frame Rate
When things get nasty, and the screen starts filling with bots, turrets, and explosions, the frame rate can take decent dives. There might be some slight network niggles you'll have to contend with, too.
This Is Too Many Bots
When you're laughing about how much you're dying, you know it's getting rather ridiculous. The higher levels of Blitz play introduce AI that is supposedly more viscous or "crazy." But really, it feels like the game just adds a +20 to armor and strength to an increased number of bots, which can make for some aggravating and rather pointless play.
Low Content
"MNC" launches with just one Blitz map and a smattering of Crossfire maps. I'd like to see that number enhanced, and presumably I will, but it'll come in the form of DLC following an announcement at PAX West.
The Verdict
"MNC" is a solid shooter with a unique crop of classes to choose from. But while its fundamentals are sharp, I get the itch to play again and again because of its equally sharp and unusual mix of tower-defense elements. Strategic, frantic, unique, smart, and most of all entertaining, "MNC" can be your go-to multiplayer shooter. Give it a spin.