PREVIEW : Second Extinction (PC)
Unveiled during the Xbox event in May 2020, Second Extinction resurrects the Jurassic giants and invites teams of three hunters to wipe these warm-blooded creatures off the map once again. The future of humanity is at stake on our gentle blue planet, the velociraptors, dilophosaurs and other ankylosaurs having reclaimed their rights in such a violent manner that men have fled into space. Armed with a devastating arsenal and varied skills, the destructive meteorite, this time it’s us!
Fans of T-Rex and bloodthirsty carnivores from the Mesozoic era, rejoice, Systemic Reaction has decided to serve you like a goat in an enclosure a coop FPS filled with creatures that normally disappeared 65 million years ago. Whether through its musical themes reminiscent of those of a Jurassic Park on amphetamines or through its devastating weapons that would not deny a certain Turok, Second Extinction indeed knows who it is for: the fans of dinosaurs who do not ‘however, have only one desire, to explore them. The originality of Second Extinction is that certain areas can be inaccessible both for an airdrop and for extraction in the event of a dinosaur invasion. The actions of all players in the world have an effect on the threat level of zones: the more hunters fail in a place or simply avoid a region, the more the threat level increases., which means more creatures, more complicated side objectives, and inability to land in or take off from the area. The territories allowing single objectives, easier to achieve solo, are regularly those with the lowest threat level. It should be noted that replaying a mission does not necessarily generate the same events. Sometimes a normally open door is blocked, sometimes a fuse blows when it is usually functioning.
Once on the floor of the cows (or rather Nigersaurus), players have the freedom to move towards the objectives of their choice. They range from T-Rex eggs to collect and data from computer servers to recover, to explosives to carry to a beehive. Yes, these missions are just pretexts to put hundreds of mutant dinosaurs in the way of the squad, each more vicious than the next. So do not expect to find in Second Extinction narration or cutscenes. The classic velociraptors quickly give way to monstrosities with various powers. Some are electric, others have heavy shells. Dilophosaurs spit out their venom while Styracosaurs charge hunters.The many electric dinos are the most annoying to defeat, the fault of too powerful powers removing a little fun from the clashes. Their supercharged attacks cripple the player while their dodges are so quick we’d swear we were teleporting. Fortunately, healing kits are plentiful, and it is possible to request ammo deliveries at will. In solo, the challenge can be complex due to the absence of ally AI, especially since the nests of the creatures are numerous. Additionally, monsters are as tough as they are swift, and recovering life slows the avatar. However, the lack of a stamina bar softens the challenge, allowing the player to flee rather than fight when the going gets tough. In multiplayer, progression is easier.With proper use of dodge, skills, and sprinting, the player will be able to repel the various waves of creatures. Like many other first-person shooters, it’s possible to lean against the edge of walls, throw grenades, perform melee attacks, and glide on the ground. Let us be clear, this last movement is dispensable in the face of starving armies. Important point: hunters are not all in the same boat when it comes to efficiency. Rosy’s minigun and Amir’s grenade launcher prove to be far more destructive than Ortega’s shotgun and Jürgen’s sniper. Fortunately, it is allowed to select a character already taken by another user in multiplayer, such as changing certain primary or secondary weapons. It is good to note that the arsenal can be improved (stability, impact) in exchange for resources acquired during the missions (bag of tetrodotoxin, tetradactyl claw, etc.). For a character like Rosy, ammunition melts like snow in the sun. The regular summoning of ammunition modules is therefore vital, and it is necessary to ensure that the team has this ability within it to avoid big trouble. In the madness of the clashes, a well-placed bullet near the explosive barrels does the housework cheaply, in addition to generating a nice fireworks display. A classic that always works very well.
Even if we would have preferred to have the opportunity to explore the mutant dino with four rather than three, it is clear that the mechanics of Second Extinction work quite well. The missions are intensive, and the world map conceals additional camps to find in addition to additional objectives more or less difficult to complete. The artificial intelligence of the monsters is good overall for the number of animals to manage, and we were impressed by the relentlessness of the dinos who do not hesitate to pursue hunters to each other. end of territory. In solo, overdoing dodge is sometimes more useful than firing, since nothing forces the player to annihilate their opponents to accomplish the main objectives. Spinning around a scanner while it acquires data by somehow evading bites is a strategy that works, albeit it robs the collection of resources. A stamina bar that would empty with each dodge/sprint could prevent rush abuse or even trickery in the future. Faced with so many animated dinosaurs on the screen, it is inevitably difficult to erase the messy aspect that emerges from the encounters, particularly during the extraction sequences where it is necessary to wait for the arrival of a ship during let the creatures arrive by the dozen. Yes, Second Extinction is a nag game and there is nothing bad about it. On the side of youthful errors due to early access, we note a certain lack of content and a technique that could still be largely optimized. But the foundations are solid, which can only augur well for the future of the title.
REVIEW : Wait! Life is beautiful! (PC)
