FULL REVIEW ~ Generation Zero

[#DEXTER]

Generation: Zero is a first-person shooter in an open world, set in 1980s Sweden. There is an opening scroll that sets up the plot and also talks about Hitler, but honestly, at this point, I've forgotten what it was all about. I remember that basically everyone had been trained in combat since they were little, and then the alarm went off, calling them to arms. I suppose that's the setup to explain why everyone has disappeared.

One of science fiction’s greatest tropes has got to be the machines rising up to overthrow their human creators slash oppressors. Terminator 2 was James Cameron’s cry of #notallmachines while Black Mirror’s ‘Metalhead’ episode painted a far bleaker picture of savagery where no questions are asked, there’s only bloodshed. In Generation Zero’s case, the world gifted to us by Avalanche Studios is more of the latter, which heightens the stakes in this dystopia, creating a world that’s tense, engrossing and horrific all at once. The game isn’t without numerous other failings but in an industry where service games are constantly being tweaked and revisited, hope is alive for Generation Zero as it draws you in through its robot-infested rolling hills.

After a brief wall of scrolling exposition, the game drops you onto the coastal edge of Sweden armed with only the knowledge that something on-land shot and sank your boat and that there’s something acutely concerning about that fact. The game takes place on November 14, 1989, as you return from an island retreat to discover the country inundated unexplainably by an unrelenting army of machines that shoot on sight. Ignoring the fact that Sweden is typically freezing cold in the eleventh month, Generation Zero’s world is like an anachronistic siren’s song.

I was happy to see that Generation Zero is unapologetically Swedish from the get go. All the signage and voice acting is in Swedish, and even the art for mission items like handwritten notes. Decent English translations are available through subtitles, in the menu and on the contextual HUD, the latter being an example of nice user interface design. You point your crosshairs at a newspaper headline, say, and a translation appears as a subtitle. Sadly that’s the only good thing I have to say about the UI, because otherwise it’s a buggy managerial headache that devours fun. It petulantly drags your attention away from the action and back to the menial task of inventory management, like a toddler that constantly wants you to help them itemise their toy box instead of play with anything.

The game’s fairly rudimental mission log keeps you pushing inland, though it’s fair to say even crude and half-baked set of objectives is more than most games of this ilk offer. So often we’re just thrown into a playground with no goal at all, so I commend Avalanche for giving us something that respects our time by forcing us in the right direction. That said, it’s far from an ideal system as the game’s HUD offers very little information on your objective and what your active quest even is, something that, I suspect, will be fixed in time.

Robots of various sizes now roam the land, and the core of the game is the player exploring the world, finding clues, and surviving against the killer robots. There are no "survival" elements like hunger, sleep, or fatigue. Just health, ammo, and stamina. Killing robots, exploring, and various other things earn experience towards level ups, which then reward a skill point to allocate to one of the skill trees. The game can be played solo or via online multiplayer, which works more or less fine.

There's a lot here, on paper, to like. Plus, the game can look absolutely beautiful at times. And then you actually play it and it is clear that this game is far from finished. Models and textures are clearly unfinished, enemy AI hardly functions, collision bugs are everywhere, and the whole world feels slapped together. Generation: Zero looks, feels, and plays like an Early Access title, but it is not.

 

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About Avalanche Studios

Fatalist Development AB, doing business as Avalanche Studios, is a Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm. Founded by Linus Blomberg and Christofer Sundberg in March 2003, Avalanche Studios focuses on developing open world projects and bases them on their proprietary Apex game engine (formerly known as Avalanche Engine). The company is best known for developing the Just Cause game series.

Formed after the collapse of Rock Solid Games, the studio gained early success with the first Just Cause title. The team then began Just Cause 2's development, but the company suffered from financial problems due to the cancellations of two contracted projects. Despite missing the release window twice, Just Cause 2 was both a critical and financial success for Avalanche Studios. The company then opened a New York City studio to work on Just Cause 3, while the Stockholm team began working on Mad Max in collaboration with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The company announced three titles in 2017, Rage 2 with id Software, Just Cause 4, and a self-published title named Generation Zero. Nordisk Film also acquired the company in the same year.

In addition to the Swedish headquarters and the New York City office, Avalanche opened a new office in Malmö, Sweden, in May 2018. A casual gaming subsidiary, Expansive Worlds, was established in March 2010 to work on theHunter. The company aims to begin self-publishing new original intellectual properties in the future.

Avalanche Studios was founded by Linus Blomberg and Christofer Sundberg in 2003. Prior to the establishment of the studio, Sundberg had worked in video game publishing as well as FIFA Soccer for Electronic Arts. Both of them joined Paradox Interactive, a video game publisher that had published games such as Europa Universalis. Eventually, Sundberg and Blomberg left and founded their own company called Rock Solid Studios during the second quarter of 2001. The company partnered with Conspiracy Entertainment to develop a video game adaptation of Tremors, a movie series from Universal Pictures. Titled Tremors: The Game, it was set to be released for personal computers, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube in 2003. During that period, another Stockholm-based video game development studio, Starbreeze Studios, announced that they would acquire Rock Solid. The agreement between the two companies was ultimately broken by Starbreeze, and the acquisition was stopped. In addition, Universal decided to cancel Tremors: The Game, which led Rock Solid to declare bankruptcy. With the failure and collapse of Rock Solid, Sundberg and Blomberg became unemployed and in debt. They eventually decided to start over in 2003, establishing Avalanche Studios with six other employees. Reflecting on the founding in 2015, Sundberg stated that the studio was born in "pure chaos", and attributed their failure with Rock Solid to trusting "the wrong people".

 

About Generation Zero

Explore a vast open world, rendered with the award-winning Apex engine, featuring a full day/night cycle with unpredictable weather, complex AI behavior, simulated ballistics, highly realistic acoustics, and a dynamic 1980’s soundtrack.

Experience an explosive game of cat and mouse set in a huge open world. In this reimagining of 1980’s Sweden, hostile machines have invaded the serene countryside, and you need to fight back while unravelling the mystery of what is really going on. By utilizing battle tested guerilla tactics, you’ll be able to lure, cripple, or destroy enemies in intense, creative sandbox skirmishes.

Go it alone, or team-up with up to three of your friends in seamless co-op multiplayer. Collaborate and combine your unique skills to take down enemies, support downed friends by reviving them, and share the loot after an enemy is defeated.

All enemies are persistently simulated in the world, and roam the landscape with intent and purpose. When you manage to destroy a specific enemy component, be it armor, weapons or sensory equipment, the damage is permanent. Enemies will bear those scars until you face them again, whether that is minutes, hours, or weeks later.

THE MACHINES

 

TICK

Small in size but surprisingly agile, the Tick will launch itself at you if they get too close. Often found in groups, these small machines will use their wicked-sharp talons and self-destruct mode to severely hurt you if you aren’t too careful.

SEEKER
Seemingly harmless at first glance, the Seeker acts as a scout, signalling your location to nearby allies who will come to its aid. Make sure to stay out of the sensor range or take it down quickly to avoid being overwhelmed by reinforcements.

RUNNER

Quick on its feet and often moving in packs, the Runner will work together with its allies to wear you down with automated weaponry. Don’t let them get too close or they will knock you off your feet with a powerful charge, making it easier for the others to kill you.

HUNTER

Intelligent, swift and silent, the Hunter attacks with lethal precision, showcasing a diverse range of tactics to take you down. Get too close and it you risk getting a knife in the gut, while at a distance you must constantly seek cover or end up riddled with bullets.

HARVESTER

A tempting target for an ambush, but not to be underestimated, the Harvester focuses its time and energy on gathering resources and fuel from its surroundings. Oftentimes escorted by fellow machines, it will not shy away from defending itself if threatened, doing all it can to ensure that it walks away unharmed and unscavanged.

 

TANK

The most heavily armoured and armed of the machines, the Tank towers over houses and players alike, shaking the very ground with each step. Do not engage it without a strategy, plan your encounter in advance, and always be ready to run when the rockets start flying.

GamePlay

Look, above is a video of a firefight with my friend and me against some robots (it didn't record my mic, sorry). Some things to point out: there's a weird texture over the storage containers that clips through all of them. This was present in the entire area. Some robots just take bullets without reacting. You may notice I have to jump into the little shack each time because none of them on the entire map touch the ground. I shoot a gun off a robot -- that's cool! A robot hardcore clips through the storage containers, even in death. Healing and death are trivial. Pieces fall off robots depending on where I shoot them, exposing weak points -- also cool!

This sums up Generation: Zero pretty well. There are some genuinely cool moments buried among the slop. If this were an Early Access title, I'd be very content saying to keep an eye on it as it nears release. Considering that this game is being released like this, I will instead warn not to waste any money on this unfinished title. I look forward to a potential 2.0 release, because I really want the game that was intended to come to fruition. 

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Requirements

Minimum:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: 64bit OS - Windows 7 with Service Pack 1
Processor: Intel i5 Quad Core
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GTX 660 / ATI HD7870 - 2GB VRAM / Intel® Iris™ Pro Graphics 580
Storage: 35 GB available space

Recommended: 

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: 64bit OS - Windows 10
Processor: Intel i7 Quad Core
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GTX 960 / R9 280 - 4GB VRAM
Storage: 35 GB available space

 

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