*9mm Preacher is the owner/operator/podcast host for the Hardcore Christian Gamer’s Network.

The second hands-on session I was able to get at the EIEIO conference was withTimegate Studios Creative Lead-Philip Morales and Producer Robert Siwiak’s new game: Section 8, which can be described as a “large-scale Sci-fi shooter” in the vein of Battlefield 2, or Frontlines. They acted like proud parents when they touted the game for “next-gen” consoles. Siwiak made very clear to me that next-gen meant “not-on the Wii for instance.” Their intentions are for the single player experience to be almost identical with the multiplayer experience, aside from a promising storyline in the single player mode.

Check out my thoughts on the game, after the jump.

You may recognize Timegate Studios from the work they did on the F.E.A.R. expansions packs and a popular RTS series title Kohan. Siwiak assured me that because of their focus and attention to detail in a game like F.E.A.R., where you have to “make sure every muzzle flash looks good and every discharged shell coming out of the gun looks good” will be put to good use in Section 8. Though the game is still very early in development, they had a multiplayer mode on display and I did get to see a few minutes of in-game gameplay.

You won’t find any outlandish weaponry in Section 8 and you aren’t fighting against some alien race. The “war” in Section 8 is over world resources and you fight against an enemy faction that is trying to take control of those resources. Though they talk as if this concept is unique, it is very reminiscent of Frontlines: Fuel of War, in theory.

Section 8 will attempt to refine the shooter genre by changing how teams spawn on a map. The game will let you spawn into any location on your side of the map. That isn’t the “cool” part though. The part that will change up gameplay is the fact that you won’t “spawn” you’ll be crashing down onto the map from 15,000 feet and you’ll witness the entire process. Not only do you witness it, but if you are spawning and realize that you are about to spawn next to an enemy, you’ll be able to “drive” your character while in mid-flight to a different area to avoid instant death.

Timegate is also planning on useing vehicles in their maps. I watched them drive a futuristic tank around the map, which seemed to handle very similar to any of the open area games with tanks. Another feature you’ll access is a jetpack, ala Tribes, that will allow you to transport your soldier to different areas of the map.

For those who are tired of games with static “choke points” or areas where you know to avoid because of enemies awaiting your arrival, Section 8 will offer the ability to build, or “buy” different assets to place on the map, such as turrets or shields. It was too early in development for them to explain all of the details, but when asked if this ability was class based, the answer so far was “no” and that anyone would be able to call in a turret.

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