Last week launched a continuation of an epic and extremely beloved modification for the original Half-Life, Natural Selection 2. This full commercial sequel has been in the works for around six years now and mixes FPS with RTS gameplay in a science fiction universe. Here are the kinds of features you'll enjoy:
2 Unique Sides
Whether you play as one of the elite marine Frontiersmen or the vicious alien Kharaa, you must use unique strategies and your abilities to win. Marines form persistent squads to find and destroy alien hives. Aliens can choose a wall-running Skulk, pudgy Gorge, flying Lerk, murderous Fade or gigantic Onos that can smash through doors.
Real-Time Strategy
Commanders play from overhead to lead their team to victory. Build structures anywhere, collect resources and research upgrades. Marines buy weapons at an Armory or build sentry turrets and siege cannons to assault the enemy. Aliens build upgrade chambers, evolve special abilities and plant traps.
Dynamic Environments
Use a flamethrower to clear the spreading alien infestation. Aliens destroy power nodes knock out the lights and power down marine structures. Random start locations mean you must scout your enemy and before committing to a build. Every game is different.
Unlimited Variations
WYSIWYG graphical tools and powerful scripting allow you to create new weapons, scenarios or entirely new games. You’ll get all our tools (level editor, cinematic tool and more) as well as the full Lua source code to Natural Selection 2. Version 1.0 is just the beginning – ongoing automatic updates keep the game fresh by adding new maps, weapons and abilities. Steam Workshop support and auto-downloading makes playing and distributing mods automatic.
The community supporting the mod since its original incarnation has grown massively. New and old fans alike have rocketed the title to the the Top Seller's list on Steam, holding first place for a while after launch and having only fallen since to 5th place.
The RTS/FPS blend is, simply put, totally nuts. Players individually wander and play the game their own way, taking commands from the team's Commander. Commanding is no easy feat - if you're up to the challenge you'll be in charge of overall map and building upgrades, which can be a savior or a detriment to the rest of your team. A clear understanding of gameplay is a huge asset if you're going to take charge - the skill curve is higher, but gives players something major to aspire to. Both are combined rather seamlessly, not rewarding one role over another and making it seem natural to obey the commander and move on as a team.
Based on the amazing art style you'll see in the screenshot gallery below, a modest price of $24.99 for the basic version, an enthusiastic development team, and extremely thoughtful genre-blending, this is a title you won't want to miss. Head to http://www.naturalselection2.com/ or hop on Steam to grab your copy!
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