The Mess Hall

Bullets have obscene velocity. Some things, like packed earth or concrete, are dense enough to stop one, but most things are pretty squishy. In Bodycount, Codemasters' upcoming love letter to the power of guns, you're given weapons and near infinite ammo, set loose on the world, and given the chance to chisel the world away in a blaze of beautiful destruction.



If you're not familiar with Bodycount, maybe you'll be familiar with its spiritual predecessor?, Black. Stuart Black, the mind behind the PS2/Xbox shooter Black (and, until recently, Creative Director at Codemasters), envisioned Bodycount to be a game that channeled the same "fun with a gun" principle as his famous shooter. Thus Bodycount is all about the ridiculous: super destructible environments, beefy-looking enemies, and damn powerful weapons.

Of course there's also a story, and the team behind Bodycount hopes to wrap you up into the exciting life of an agent working for the Network. The Network operates all around the world, fighting another secret organization known only as Target. Target uses advanced weaponry that's based on future tech, like railguns and the like, and players will have to battle them as well as various militia and army soldiers while attempting to assassinate specific targets.

The story isn't all that unique, but the guns are. The weapons in Bodycount sound heavy and intense, with weapon design being handled by the same person who did Battlefield: Bad Company. Firing a weapon in Bodycount feels exaggerated to the point where it doesn't feel real, but it certainly doesn't feel weak -- hearing it over a decent sound system leaves little doubt that you're wielding a mighty death machine.

Dynamic audio effects make a big difference, but what really helps the weapons in Bodycount feel powerful are the destructible environments. Unless it's made of dirt, steel or cement, the world in Bodycount is vulnerable to the hail of lead being thrown around by you and your foes. One second you're using stealth to get through a mission, the next Bodycount is a cacophony of noise and particle effects as the world is turned to dust around you.

Destructible worlds obviously present a unique challenge for cover mechanics, and Bodycount handles this in an equally unique way. Holding the left trigger down all the way makes you stick to the position, allowing you to use the left stick to adjust their character's height and lean. This means that as cover gets chipped away, your character can lower down into a crouch, or pull to the side dynamically. It takes some getting used to (and don't worry, you can hold the left trigger down partially to aim and walk like a regular shooter), but it does work if you have the patience to learn it. General run and gunning works in Bodycount as well, but you have to be careful because the amount of bullets flying around can kill you in a hurry.

Bodycount's engine and design are made to show off the power of your weapons, but don't expect the battles to be easy or one-sided. The enemy AI also takes cover, and often works together to put you at a disadvantage. A large amount of the enemies you face will just be typical cannon fodder, but you'll also have to watch out for Medics (who can revive fallen enemies), Scavengers (who can collect up the Intel you need to collect for support), and Psychos (your typical I-take-way-too-much-damage-and-have-a-gigantic-gun guys). I'm told that if you're not wise enough to take stock of the larger battlefield it's easy to become overwhelmed by the way that different unit types work off one another, so you have to make sure to take the time to kill special enemies.

Killing enemies isn't just a fun excuse to wield your weapons, it also yields Intel. No, fallen enemies don't spew documents or video tapes, but instead drop small blue orbs that you can collect in order to gain access to special powers like tactical airstrikes. It's a limited resource, but a smart player will be able to turn the tide with these abilities (and also see the spectacle as the world is blown to pieces around them).



With its absurdly powerful weapons, destructible environments, and over the top combat it's obvious that Bodycount doesn't take itself too seriously. Bodycount won't be in our hands until sometime in 2011, but it's already looking like a welcome change to a genre that's filled with shooters trying to make a point, strive for realism or strike a chord with our emotions. Bodycount doesn't want to touch your heart or mind, it wants to give you the tools you need to blast these vital organs out of anyone who dares to stand in your way – cover be damned.