We played a lot of stuff at PAX East this weekend, but Firefall was one of our surprise favorites. The slick, stylized role-based shooter pits teams against each other armed with jetpacks and tons o' guns; picture Boba Fett clones at war, and that pretty much sums it up. Although team deathmatch was the only mode available at the show, it still provided a glimpse into the potential of Red 5 Studios' first game. We got to try out three different classes during our demo: an assault class, a medic, and a Recon (sniper). After (inevitably) being mowed down by the enemy, you can change your class upon respawn, giving your team tactically crucial adaptability. Firefall doesn’t ooze with innovation, drawing obvious inspiration from Tribes, Planetside, and Starship Troopers, but it was polished—and, most importantly, fun. Firefall is due out for PC late in 2011 and will be completely free to play.
