Devastation is an upcoming first-person shooter that will be built on the Unreal engine.  So far it sounds like a lot of games, right?  Well, don't write it off as just another shooter because you might miss what looks to be a pretty interesting game.  It was on display at E3 in Los Angeles, and initial indications are that it is anything but your typical shooter.

The setting for the game is a near-future, post-apocalyptic Earth.  There is a battle raging for control of the devastated world, with rebellious gangs, street fighters, mercenaries, and ex-military operatives squaring off against corrupt high-tech corporate police.  The game's graphics do a good job of evoking the feel of this world, producing urban environments that at once look familiar, yet foreboding, gray, and run-down.  The look is even further enhanced by the use of real-world textures which give the game a near photo-realistic look.

“We have made significant enhancements to the already amazing Unreal Engine technology,” said Vic DeLeon, Senior Producer of Digitalo. “The graphics in Devastation are so in-your-face that you’ll think you’re in the latest Hollywood thriller, and the environments and gameplay will suck you right in.”

Not only do the environments look good, they will also be fully interactive.  All objects appearing in the game can be destroyed or manipulated in some way.  You can pick a bottle out of a pile of trash, break the end off of it, and then use it as a slashing weapon.  Everything appearing in the game will also be subject to a real-world physics engine - run through a pile of trash and watch cans and bottles go bouncing off to the sides.  The physics engine will also make for some realistic deaths when you score a kill on an enemy.  The location and magnitude of the hits will affect the direction bodies fall and the force with which they do so. 

To help you with the killing of enemies, the game provides over 30 different weapons.  The most interesting of these is the Rat Drone.  A Rat Drone is a rat with cybernetic implants and a bomb strapped to it.  You'll be able to guide the rat to its target and see what the rat is seeing as it moves along.  It is a great way to spy on enemies and to take them out unawares, since they don't tend to notice yet another rat running through the streets.

Another aspect of Devastation receiving a lot of its programmers' attention is the AI.  Enemies and NPCs exhibit a heightened awareness of events happening around them.  You won't be able to pick enemies off one by one as there buddies stand by oblivious to what is happening.  You'll also have a variety of options when it comes to your computer-controlled teammates.   You'll be able to give them each orders individually, or to set them loose in a free-for-all attack.

Take all of this and add 20 single-player and 12 multiplayer maps, the choice between arcade and realistic settings, and a techno soundtrack by Messy, and you get a game that shooter fans can really look forward to playing.  The pre-beta version looked pretty darn good at E3, and we're eagerly waiting to see how the game evolves during its development.