I've been tracking NetDevil's
Jumpgate Evolution since it was announced. The idea of a space combat MMO is extremely appealing to me as I was hooked on the Wing Commander and Freespace games during key portions of my younger years. The thought of being part of massive space battles with other like minded people strikes deep chords within my being so I was anxious to finally play the game after doing
interview after
interview for the game.
The controls took a little bit of getting used to but once I got the basics down I was immediately sucked into the universe. What I saw was rock solid and tight. I know I'll be re-mapping a few keys once I finally get the game (tab is forever going to be the boosters for me) but the rest of the new controls work well (like using the scroll wheel to select target and then click on them to lock on target). The game does manage to capture the size and scope it needs to as I spent about three minutes just flying around one part of the docking ring.
Graphically the game and sounds solid so far. The game was running on some fairly high end Alienware boxes but I did see a few other less meaty stations that were handling the game without a lot of problems. I wish I had more time to spend with the game but the little taste I got was enough to solidify the game as the first MMO I'll be willing to shell out monthly cash for (which probably means the end of HBO in the Husemann household). Now it's just a matter of waiting for the public beta to start (don't forget to
sign up if you haven't already)
