Section 8

At first glance, Section 8 won’t make you scream out of enthusiasm, mostly because its graphics are not entirely up to next-gen expectations. But design was not the programmers’ purpose. They rather had in mind to tailor up a brand-new multiplayer gaming experience, filled with loads of new ideas and original solutions. And that is what they have definitely obtained!

A flawed, but ultimately good game. However, here we come to the major malfunction. Barely anybody is playing this thing. Even with 32-player matches available, it's really hard find a game populated by even half that number.

With a few more weapon types and vehicles that actually worked, Section 8 could have been a lot more exciting. As it is, this is a satisfying take on the genre that makes up in fun what it lacks in innovation.

Overall, Section 8 is a competent shooter but there really isn’t anything amazing to speak of. If you are one of those people who are all about the multiplayer be sure to give this game a try.

A deceivingly original multiplayer shooter with plenty of unusual ideas for the committed player.

The lack of a proper single-player experience (it's an extended multiplayer tutorial and nothing else) and the poor graphics will prevent Section 8 from achieving huge success and high review scores, but the core multiplayer gameplay should ensure a healthy and loyal following for a while at least.

Section 8 for me is something of a mixed bag, technically it’s a pretty solid title with some of the best A.I I’ve ever encountered However, it’s heavy focus on multiplayer action means that those looking for an immersive single player campaign will have to look else where and only the most hardcore multiplayer gamers will want to stick with the game for any length of time due to the super tough A.I bots.

Unquestionably, Section 8 is a rock-solid multiplayer game that deserves to find a strong audience. But it certainly has its faults. The underwhelming campaign, über-generic setting, mediocre graphics, and occasional frame rate loss plague this otherwise excellent experience.

Under the topsoil its functions are often ingenious, improving genre weaknesses with more success than its over-familiar form might suggest. [Nov 2009, p.95]

Section 8 mixes many elements from previous games in the genre, and actually does so pretty well, but the control issues, overall weapon imbalance, and even slight learning curve prevent this game from being all that it can be.

It's a decent time-killer, but serious shooter fans are best advised to set their sights on bigger fish down the horizon.

I really would like to recommend Section 8. It has some pretty neat features which make it stand out from Halo, especially if you are tired of it, but the fact it is mainly an online game with not enough people playing it renders it obsolete.

The nice backend clan support is wasted since the game just isn’t much fun to play. The shooting lacks the high-intensity lethality of Counter-Strike, the lightning-paced speed of Tribes, and the great cooperative mechanics of Battlefield. You won’t spit this hamburger out, but you probably won’t tell your friends about it, either.

Section 8 is difficult to recommend to anyone but fans of the space-marine shooter subgenre.

Section 8 lacks a finishing touch; the game doesn't shine graphically and has a weak story. However there are plenty of multi-player modes available and the sound is just fine. So Section 8 is a decent game, but only for a much lower price.

Just a Quake Wars clone, with a design too similar to Halo series to impress players. Creepy graphics and some issues with the control system.

There are some neat aspects of Section 8 and some good ideas that keep the game from getting too straightforward. But it feels like half of a game.

Has a scarce story mode and an interesting multiplayer, but uneven results in global.

Section 8 lies paradoxically somewhere between innovation and mundanity: it has its moments (zipping around the battlefield in overdrive mode is a good laugh and the orbital drops are simply awesome) but for all its good intentions, it simply can't overcome its eventually-boring gunplay.

Looks hyper-generic. Isn't. [Dec 2009, p.105]

Wait for this game to come down in price and then hope there are still some people left playing online.

In a genre filled with dull, uninspired shooters, Section 8 sits atop of the pile of mediocrity.

If you don't play Section 8 online, it's value for money is more than halved. [Issue#50, p.90]

Section 8 isn’t very good. It’s bland, generic, lacking in original ideas, poorly executed in nearly every department and you’ll probably grow bored of it within the few essential hours it takes to complete the awful single player campaign.