My Usual Spiel: Natural Selection 2, a superb example of the Hybrid-Genre

Release Date: October 31st 2012
Genre: First Person Shooter/Real Time Strategy
Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Publisher: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Platform: Microsoft Windows, Linux
Players:Online Multiplayer
Classification: T (Teen)

I’ve decided it’s time to actually try to review some of the  various games I play at LAN parties, most of which are fairly simple and have no singleplayer mode and so only get played at LANs themselves these games include the likes of Insurgency, Rocket League, Flatout 2, Screencheat, Armagetronad, Gang Beasts and many others. I’ve realised that I haven’t considered reviewing these games as I play them so sparingly and will also have to slot them in between my other reviews of games that I have been playing in an orderly fashion at home. I was at the Bluewire Lan in Diamond Creek a while ago and we went back to an old favourite Natural Selection 2 which we played quite a few sessions of during the course of the LAN so I thought it was sufficient enough to warrant writing a review, so here it is.

The introductory video that appears at the start of the game.

Natural Selection 2 (NS2) is a multiplayer team-based shooter that combines the shooter/fps style with a strategy (RTS) game. The first time I played was a while ago (as the game did come out in 2012) At first I was a bit confused about what was going on but then got the hang of it as the game is a bit different from your usual FPS (first-person-shooter). Before we get into it though I will go through a bit of backstory which I’ve only found out recently. The first Natural Selection (NS) was a mod for Half-Life along with the likes of Team Fortress and Counter-strike and although it didn’t quite reach the levels of fame that those two have it was still very popular in its own right and popular enough to spawn (heh) a sequel. I’ve never played the original but it looked amazing especially for a mod though the sequel is obviously much better as it was built from the ground up as a full game.

The original natural selection mod for Half-Life

I was able to piece together a brief storyline for the game from the Frontiersman and Kharaa race overview pages on the Natural Selection 2 Wiki. Basically the Frontiersman are a cross between Starcraft’s Terrans and the Alien series Marines created by the current Government of Earth to destroy the Kharaa which are quite similar to Starcraft’s Zerg race as they have the similar traits including the use of the green creep-like infestation that spreads as the Kharaa infest more areas and the practice of assimilating other races. Though the storyline pretty much ends there as there is no singleplayer aspect to the game it is basically wholly multiplayer which was it all the mod was and all it needed to be really. At first glance the game is basically Marines vs Aliens in fairly futuristic space installations including abandoned mines, troop outposts, laboratories, biodomes and space stations, featuring fairly condensed spaces of tunnels and corridors with limited large open areas though there is much more to it than this.

Loading screen with map of the "Veil" zone, the bits in organge are shortcuts only the smaller Kharaa races can use.

 It’s interesting how the game forces you to do the tutorial before actually going online and playing, whether this is a good or bad option I’ll let you decide. I had no qualm with it as whenever I went back to playing I always needed a refresher course, and also it at least stops people coming on to play who have absolutely no idea what they are doing though it is a bit annoying when you’re at a LAN party and everyone has already played it before but has to go through the damn thing again. Once I started playing I was actually glad I did the tutorial as the game itself is much more complicated than most FPS games, at the start you have the classic “ready room” where you choose whether to go on the Marine or Kharaa sides or choose one at random often by running through doors or jumping down holes.

The Marine tutorial, very annoying to some, fine by me

The Veil level ready room

Each team starts on (relatively) opposite sides of the map with just the basic structures and resources, the early game usually focuses on securing resources, while the late game focuses on advancement of technology for the marines and higher lifeforms for the aliens. This Marine and Alien Commanders are probably the most pivotal point of a side and having a good or bad commander can make or break the game contest The commanders are the lifeblood of the side and team cannot function properly without one as they are responsible for the building of structures, collecting of resources and researching of upgrades. To explain the way it works I’ll use the marines as an example as they are a bit easier to relate to, to start off with one player has to jump into the Commander station to become the commander, this often involves people either fighting for the position or no-one wanting to do it so someone gets in and does it poorly, I’ll admit I played on an “newbie” NS2 server so that may be why, though I can’t talk really.

"Let's go team! hut hut hut...."

Once the commander is inside it becomes similar to the Battlefield series Commander feature, they can see the whole map in a top-down perspective and are able to place ‘blueprints’ onto the map for stuctures like extractors for gaining resources, Sentry guns for defence and power nodes for powering structures which marines can use their Build Tool to create, thus expanding their territory and gaining more resources to use for upgrades. The upgrades are provided by structures like the Armory and Prototype Lab, all marines start with a basic Assault Rifle, Pistol and Switch-Axe but can upgrade to things like Shotguns and Flamethrowers and the prototype lab gives access to fun and powerful tech like the Jetpack and Exosuit. Marines can request healing and ammo from the commander who can place it on the map, they can also repair structures and exosuits with the Welder. As a marine you generally follow your commanders order of what to do and where to go, you help secure resource nodes throughout the map (for extractors) build and expand and defend against the attacking Kharaa eventually working your way to destroying the hive, if the command station is destroyed then the Marines lose. 

A shortish match I played on the Frontiersman side on the newbie server, we didn't do very well unfortunately.

With the alien Kharaa race things are slightly different, the Kharaa main structure is the Hive and they differ in the fact that while the marines are basically the same apart from the gear that they have the Kharaa units are drastically different from each other. For example the Skulk is a basic lifeform and can run along walls and ceilings and through certain parts of the map where only the smaller Kharaa can crawl through such as air vents and large pipes which gives the weaker Kharaa units a chance to ambush. The Gorge on the other hand is a support unit and can heal other Kharaa and create barricades and summon smaller Babbler aliens to assist it in battle, the most powerful Kharaa unit the tank-like Onos which can demolish structures and take on marines in Exosuits with ease. Instead of upgrading their hardware like the marines the Kharaa units can Evolve with things like improved armor (carapace) and regeneration, they also have stealth abilities for ambush and surprise attacks and can use parasites and the Aura ability to detect nearby marines and exosuits on the map. The Kharaa main base and expanded areas are covered in Infestation which is a green/brown ooze in which the Kharaa commander spreads to different areas using Cysts in order to reach resource nodes and create Harvesters. The Skulk and Gorge units also have a unique trait, as they both attack by biting or spitting with their jaws so the first person camera is actually inside their mouth making biting and spitting much easier and also being so close to the ground gave you a more stealthy feel.

Playing as the Kharaa, didn't do to well that time either XD

Playing as the two races requires different thinking, the Marines have the firepower advantage especially early in the game and are best at frontal assault while the Kharaa excel at stealth and ambushes as they have abilities that make them less visible and silent and can use shortcuts in the level where the marines cannot. The Kharaa have more units and structures but ultimately each side does not have an advantage over the other, after playing the game for a while you realise both sides have their own version of an ability or feature for example some are the same thing for each side such as the Phase Gate and the Gorge Tunnel though some are slightly different as the Observatory detects enemies for the Marines and the Sentry gun is for defence. But with the Kharaa the Hydra is a detector and also acts as a turrent shooting spines at enemies and additionally they have the Whip for more close-range defence. 

A gang of Skulks near a resource harvester

This mirrors most modern RTS games with each army being the same but slightly different somehow balancing out so no side has an unfair advantage. I’ll say it now teamwork and communication with a bit of leadership is the key to victory, though this is true with almost any type of team competition it is especially true with Natural Selection as one player cannot carry the team (such as in DOTA 2) and the team cannot rely on points and kills for the win (Battlefield series). Venturing out alone is a sure fire way to be quickly killed, I found myself following at least one other person in order to have strength in numbers and enjoyed following the orders of the commander and responding to teammate alerts as when the match was over, win or lose I could tell myself that I had done the right thing.

Always travel with a friend

The controls in the game are basically the same as your standard FPS, usual controls to move, interact shoot and use abilities and a button for the map. The only difference for the Marines is when you are in an exosuit but for the Kharaa, choosing a different lifeform makes drastic changes in movement, for example Skulks are very agile and run and jump much faster than the Marines, the Lerk is a flying unit that can zoom at great speeds and excels at hit-and run and damage over time and the Fade is a stealthy ground unit that can kill very quickly then stealthily escape, though both of these lifeforms are low on health and must avoid attacking directly. It’s difficult at first to work out which button is for upgrading and evolving etc but gets easier over time.

A great piece of artwork with a marine in an exosuit taking on an Onos

Having come out in 2012, Natural selection 2 does not have the best graphics to offer but looks good enough for what it is, the locations looks pretty damn good and I like the fact that they are non-mirrored and all of the spawn points are not so obvious. The detail on the locations is pretty good, I love the way the infestation (I had to resist saying ‘creep’ there) spreads through the level, the design has a very Aliens mixed with Dead Space feel although not quite as tense obviously as the action is quite fast paced, on looking at the map list for the first time I had no idea there were so many of them but I like the theme to each level. The detail on the aliens and marines is pretty good the marines are all starship troopers style and the aliens are both ugly and fearsome looking and are multitude of colours. The sound and music in the game is on par with the scene with tense music playing over gun blasts, explosions, screeches, munches and roars, one of the most memorable sounds was the screeching of the Hive when it is being attacked, made my damn skin crawl.

The alien hive with the signature Skulk mouth-cam

Although it works perfectly well online, my favourite place to play Natural Selection 2 is at a LAN party if you have enough people to can be heaps of fun, yes everyone hears your communication but that’s the way it goes, I’m proud to say it’s one of my favourite games to play at LANs, the first-person shooter mixed with real-time strategy works really well, the only drawback is the learning curve with the Commander mode which I admit the forced tutorial gave you a general idea of what to do I was still a bit overwhelmed when in the seat myself, it just cements the fact that to be effective you need a commander who at least has an idea of what he/she is doing.

Me as the Kharaa Commander, this was shortly before we were overrun XD

Whether it’s good or bad I enjoy playing Natural Selection 2 and hope I play it far into the future as it is a unique game and I salute Unknown Worlds Entertainment for their effort and willingness to create something different, I enjoy the fact that I can finally be a pawn in a bigger army and still make a difference as if I was in an RTS though the army in NS2 not quite the scope of Starcraft II for example but the principle is the same. I just hope that FPS in the future follow this sort of innovation and this isn’t the last we have seen FPS and RTS hybrid.

JD

8/10

Things I liked:

Great mix of FPS and RTS elements.

Heaps of fun to play at LAN parties.

Greatly rewards teamwork.

Good balance of similarities and differences between races/sides.

Things I didn’t like:

Steep Learning curve for Commander mode.

Need at least 8 a side to make things interesting.

Requires good teamwork.

If you don’t have a good commander you’re gonna have a bad time.

 

Natural Selection 2 Launch Trailer

Hey kid we heard you like RTS, so we put some RTS in your FPS