Hi all,

We have just published a preview of *Shattered Horizon *from Futuremark
Games Studio. If you could post a link on your site that would be very
much appreciated.

*Link:*
http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2008/09/03/shattered-horizon-preview/1


*Picture:*
http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2008/09/shattered-horizon-preview/fp_img.jpg


*Quote:
*/Dying and watching others die in the game is quite fun too because of
the nature of the zero-gravity environment, as you get pushed backwards
from what looks to be the suit's thrusters malfunctioning. When you're
the player dying, your screen will turn red as well, meaning you'll see
some nice red-tinted views of planet Earth as you float off into oblivion.

Unfortunately, this might get old over time, as there appears to only be
one animation when an opposing player dies -- the thrusters turn on and
a lifeless carcass floats away. We'd like to see some more randomised
movements to replicate what might happen when a high-tech suit like the
one you're wearing malfunctions -- I'm sure that's something Futuremark
can work on in between now and the game's release though.

On the whole then, //Shattered Horizon has a lot of promise but I do
have my concerns. One of the biggest is the potential barrier for entry
created by the advanced and unique zero-gravity environments. There are
some clever gameplay elements in //Shattered Horizon, but my worry is
that games like //Enemy Territory: Quake Wars had some great ideas too
-- and we know what happened there.

I don't think //Shattered Horizon will fall at those same hurdles though
and I hope that over the next twelve to eighteen months, Futuremark will
play test the game to death -- both internally and, more importantly,
with third parties. As long as that happens, there is good potential for
Futuremark Games Studio to bring something different to a market filled
with run-of-the-mill shooters./
*

*Cheers guys!

Tim Smalley
www.bit-tech.net