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Section 8

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7.4 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 30 critic reviews
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Based on 40 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: SouthPeak Interactive

Developer: TimeGate Studios

Genre(s): First-Person Shooter

Players: 32

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: September 1, 2009

Summary

On the war-torn planets of tomorrow, mankind's greatest battle is about to begin. With its frontier colonies devastated by a growing insurrection, Earth dispatches the elite 8th Armored Infantry (nicknamed "Section 8") to repel the coming onslaught. The nickname refers to an old United States military regulation where a soldier would be dismissed from service through being mentally unfit for duty. The near-suicidal missions that this division volunteers for brands them as insane by other military units. Section 8 deploys by 'burning in' from their orbital drop ships tens of thousands of feet above the battlefield, utilizing the most advanced arsenal of military hardware known to man. Their mission: to scout and secure difficult objectives and smash enemy defenses in lightning-quick assaults. An intense first-person shooter, Section 8 allows players to dynamically alter the flow of combat as they see fit. Employing tactical assets and on-demand vehicle deliveries, players are given unprecedented strategic control over epic sci-fi battlefields. [SouthPeak Interactive]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

PC Gamer UK

Satisfying combat and interesting mission structure saves this from the yawns of a thousand identikit space marines. [Nov 2009, p.102]

Gaming Age

All the little things that game incorporates into combat, like the drop ship spawning, the customizable load outs, the base control with automated defenses, and the various modules, keep Section 8 from being a bland multiplayer shooter, and help it stand out against the pack of Halo's and Call of Duty's that currently populate the system.

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GameFocus

Unfortunately, I suspect that the initial impressions of Section 8 will not be positive for many due to the slightly odd setup system, fairly complex character customization system and bland single player campaign. This is fair to a certain extent as all of these are valid issues but once you become accustomed to the game it really does offer an awful lot of value.

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AceGamez

And so the problem, it's an online game without much of an online community. Section 8 might be a rather unimaginative game, it may very well borrow many of it's ideas from more established franchises but it's not without it's own merits.

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Eurogamer Italy

Quotation forthcoming.

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Play Magazine

Slick sci-fi palettes, strong sound design and stable performance pull you into Section 8. Sub-orbital drops, zippy character movement and effortless mission tracking make navigation dynamic and fun. A scarcely adequate campaign means life for S8 proceeds online, where teamplay is rewarding, the loadout system is fairly nuanced, and both 360 and PC enjoy detailed multiplayer portals.

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Eurogamer

Section 8 is capable of scintillating multiplayer drama, and it is impeccably solid throughout. I've had some maginficent tooth-and-nail matches, which is all I can really ask for. For all the offbeat design decisions and mechanistic foibles, I've been enjoying the hell out of it.

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IGN

If you're willing to put in some time to learn the game's systems and are eager to work as part of a team, then it's easy to have a good time with this one.

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Computer Games Online RO

In the end though, barring the tactical possibilities offered by the suit modules and the burn-in spawn, Section 8 isn’t all that different from other similar titles. It’s true that the DCMs make every match an interesting one, but the fact that you depend on your teammates more than usual will be the reason you’ll either fall in love with it, or ignore it completely. It all comes down to what you like most.

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Game Over Online

All in all this is a great game with solid gameplay, beautiful worlds, tons of customization, and an excellent multiplayer component.

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3DJuegos

Pretty innovative and very interesting in its multiplayer side. Just for hardcore fans of first person shooters.

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GameStar

It may be called like a hard disk defrag program, but it's a fast multi-player shooter The single player campaign can't keep up with the fast multi-player battles, but it's just there to prepare you for the real battles with real people.

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GameShark

The only aspect of Section 8 that truly stands out is how you spawn into the map, leaving the rest of the gameplay to reside in more of the tried-and-true territory established by previous games in the genre.

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Strategy Informer

Whilst Section 8 may not be revolutionary, it’s a refreshing take on the genre.

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Cheat Code Central

This game is almost strictly a multiplayer experience. As such, you're not getting a whole lot of value for your money. That said, the competitive online play will be worth the price of admission for many.

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SpazioGames

Section 8 is a fun game and immediate. Do not expect anything more. If we want to chase enemies and shoot carelessly is an excellent title for a few hours. Then the boredom and repetitiveness will force us to abandon this title.

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PC PowerPlay

This is what Battlefield 2142 should have been. [Dec 2009, p.52]

GameZone

It is good game, not a great game; fortunately the sum of its parts don't equal the end product. If you can get by the remedial graphics and sound, you could have some hardcore gaming in store.

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Total PC Gaming

A fun objective-focused shooter with a good premise and ideas, but less satisfying core combat. [Issue#25, p.46]

VideoGamer

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.

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GameSpot

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.

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Meristation

Section 8 delivers a good multiplayer online action game, but it's just an average game. The lack of a good single player campaign, the unbalanced weapon system, and the bad use of the jetpack are its main flaws. Overall, at least, it's interesting and fun to play.

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Game Informer

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. [Oct 2009, p.92]

PC Zone UK

Lots of tactical freedom. [Christmas 2009, p.89]

Multiplayer.it

Section 8 is a fairly traditional FPS, featuring a couple of interesting points (the launch phase and device management). The story mode is too short, only eight missions, while the online multiplayer mode seems to be fun, with forty players and eighteen maps. Definitely not the best FPS around.

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Giant Bomb

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.

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Vandal Online

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

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Absolute Games

If TimeGate Studios had a desire (time, money, talent), here’s what it could have done to turn Section 8 into a proper game: expand its story, make a single-player campaign a la Tribes: Vengeance instead of a humdrum tutorial, improve visuals, introduce additional gameplay modes, add vehicles and destructible objects. Unfortunately, the final game is just an empty shell.

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Eurogamer Spain

We just hope that Timegate manages to get more time and liberty for their next multiplayer project, as the campaign present on Section 8 is just terrible.

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PC Format

Ultra-generic. [Dec 2009, p.99]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 40 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Rob Z gave it a1:
The burn-in spawning and the turbo running mode are pretty cool, and even the gameplay isn't too bad, so the game gets 1 point for novel (but not groundbreaking) features. Unfortunately, none of this can make up for the horrible multiplayer, the draconian DRM requirements (the game is forever tied to a single Windows Live for Games, or WLG, account), and the horrible technical support. The multiplayer server for the PC version of Section 8 requires an unique WLG Gamertag, so you cannot set up a dedicated server without buying an extra copy of the game. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until after I had purchased this game that the community of active players is incredibly small due to all these problems. I tried signing up for the tech support forums 5 times, and although my account was created, I could not post on the forums or submit technical support requests. Section 8 could have been a great game--it had some pretty good concepts--but the implementation was all wrong. Game server companies couldn't even get Section 8 servers running until several months after the game was released, due to all the complications and horrible technical support from TimeGate Studios. Don't waste your money on Section 8--the reason there's no demo version available for PC is because nobody would have bought the full version if they had known how crippled the game was from the start.

MartialDoctor gave it a9:
Very well done game. As others have stated, it is a similar style game as the Battlefield series. A good amount of teamwork is needed in order to truly do well although good individual players also make a difference. The added elements of not only capturing locations but also having interesting objectives to complete adds to the gameplay. Also, some interesting twists, like the ability to make and break locks, call in deployables, and other nice touches add to the action. TG is putting a good effort at keeping things running smoothly. I'm looking forward to future patches and am already getting my friends to get the game to join online.

Granite Rock gave it an8:
This game is great fun and offers lots to do. The battlefield is busy with your main mission of capture the flags while offering a range of side missions simultaneously. The challenge to the player and squads is how to prioritize and strategize main vs. side missions. Battlefield players will feel at home and appreciate the freshness of being able to parachute in anywhere while choosing where to place your defenses.

Wesley U gave it a9:
I cant believe this game got 72 MC Score. However everyones point of view is valid. Apart from needing some serious grunt to play this game at full blown graphics its sensational. The sounds, the atmosphere and the fast paced action make it worth its while. I dont know why but shortly aftrer you are deployed into battle and hit the brakes the Sub Woofer makes a nice big hummm and I get a kick out of it, sounds awesome. Sure, its a basic game when it comes down to it. But recently I played this at a LAN Party and it was the most fun we had all night.

Tex gave it a10:
No, it's not Tribes or Tribes 2. It's not even Tribes Vengeance *thank god*. What it is however, is the first good FPS+Z produced by an industry plagued with mediocrity. Section 8 offers several innovative ideas, coupled with some old familiar mechanics that make this industry spin. The only negative thing I can say about this game is that so few seem to play online. Since this game's primary function is fulfilled online, that's a bit of a problem. However, I have never been unable to play, there's always a few populated servers up. If you were a fan of the Tribes franchise then I would recommend this. For the people that want a quick kill game, I suggest looking elsewhere, Section 8 will be attractive to the hardcores only.

Jon B gave it a9:
As others have said: This is a multiplayer game. The single player is a useless tutorial. Those that say it takes forever to kill someone, they don't know what they're doing. Each gun has a specific strength and weakness. If it takes them a whole clip to kill, then they aren't using their weapons wisely. The game gives way to many different styles and strategies. One load out may do really well one round, but the enemy can adapt and overcome with a new load out they create in the middle of the battle, on the field. DCM's (Dynamic Combat Missions) change the flow of the game and can usually only be accomplished by good team work. The dev's have struggled some, but they seem to be fairly responsive. Overall it's a very different FPS. It won't turn into the same point and shoot after a few days like the Halo's and COD's. It's different each time.

Ehem A gave it a10:
This game is absolutely great. I've played many teamwork-based games, but many were winnable without that much teamwork needed. This however is pretty hard to do all by yourself so that's why you have to rely on teammates. Yeah, the space marine idea is way overdone, but this game is highly unique.

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Section 8

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