This week's column will focus on two mods, one for the pistol slingers, and the other for the tactical (something that rhymes with slingers). Now, on to the mods!
Damnation: Hell Breaks Loose
Unreal Tournament 2004
When you were a kid, did you ever pretend to be a cowboy? Yeah, me too. I bet you even pretended to use your hand as a gun. Ah, good times. Well what about pretending to be a cowboy who wears a leather trench coat, a bandana over his mouth, and who wields dual-quad 32 bullet revolvers while lugging a steam-thrower gun on his back? Anyone? No? Well, the guys over at Blue Omega Entertainment sure did.
Running on the Unreal Tournament 2004 platform, Damnation: Hell Breaks Loose could best be described with one word: unique. Awarded second place in the "Make Something Unreal Contest Grand Finals," Damnation is a single-player mod based in a "steampunk fantasy-western" setting. Combining first- and third-person gameplay, this mod touches upon gaming styles like Call of Duty, Painkiller, and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.
Six guns times 32 bullets equals a lot of pistol whippin'.
The first-person aspect of this mod holds true to what we all know and love: awesome weapons and bloody enemies. With Damnation "v2" being the most recent release, we are treated to three unique weapons, each with primary and secondary fires. The weapons include the oh-so-sweet Autorevolvers (packing 32 bullets each), the crossbow-like Arrow Rifle (which also pleases the sniper in all of us), and the flamethrower-like Steam Gun, which allows us to basically melt our enemies instead of burning them (that, or press their shirts).
The third-person portions of this game revolve around the clever and amazing level design that this mod has to offer. Anytime you approach an obstacle, be it climbing a ladder, sliding down a rope, or jumping over a large gap, all of this is done via third-person, which allows for an easier view on what needs to be accomplished. Instead of seeing my face smashed against a wall while I hang from a ledge, I get to actually see what I'm doing as I shimmy along. Simply put, this is just smart gameplay.
Saving the best for last, the most unique aspect to this mod is the Spirit Powers. I'll just touch upon the Spirit Walk power, leaving Spirit Heal and Spirit Respawn to your curiosity. What Spirit Walk allows you to do is take over the body of an enemy and control them (and their weapons) until either the enemy dies or your player's Spirit Energy depletes. Too cool my friends. This is just another great feature added to the game that allows for getting around those tricky obstacles. Can't get that bridge to extend? See the guy across the way? You do the math.
It would be hard not to enjoy any time spent with Damnation. Nothing beats the feeling you get every time you roll out those Autorevolvers and pistol-whip anyone who crosses your path. Convinced yet? Start downloading now!
