The action takes place in a distant future, where humans have already conquered space and somehow managed to overcome all the difficulties to colonize other planets. The united Earth government is now trying to deal with a rebellious group called Arm of Orion, causing havoc at the outskirts of the empire.  You play as sergeant Corde, a soldier recruited by the infamous Section 8, who's been sent to pacify the insurgents by crippling their operations and eliminating their leader, commander Soren.

Corde is not a super human and all his powerful abilities are granted by the state of the art outfit which greatly enhances his fighting capabilities. The armored costume allows Section 8 troops to be launched without a parachute and withstand the impact after just slightly reducing velocity, jump over huge gaps or sprint amazingly fast. The recovery system is a hybrid between the more popular health regeneration and the self healing method, with the addition of a self restoring energy shield.  

When fired upon, the energy shield will absorb a great deal of damage, but unless you take cover first or annihilate the threat it will eventually wear out, exposing the body. Each soldier has limited hit points and unless protected by the shield is extremely vulnerable, so the wise thing to do it to be on constant lookout for cover. The energy gradually regenerates when out of combat but damage inflicted on the body can only be healed  by certain classes, so most of the time this wounds will be permanent.

Sometimes it's impossible to plunge in very close to the objective due to heavily reinforced enemy positions, especially AA sites that would cause an untimely death. As a result you are forced to choose a safer, but more remote drop zone and then travel by foot to reach the target. During moments like these, the sprinting ability comes in handy and Section 8 features an innovative running system that will allow you to avoid tedious walking bits.

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Basically you build up speed by pressing one button until you reach a certain level, then for a determined period of time you'll start running with blazing speed until the the energy is consumed. It may take a few seconds before sprinting faster, so trying to get away from an imminent danger in this fashion may not be the most appropriate way. It is particularly effective as you can cover a rather lengthy distance, as long as you don't hit an obstacle that will bring the race to a screeching halt.

Another worthy addition that makes each fight more exciting is the ability to jump over apparently impassable obstacle, and fire a rain of bullets upon unsuspecting enemies. It works more like a jetpack, but it is equally reliable in escalating buildings and outmaneuvering opponents, the only setback being the cooldown. Since extensive use of this ability, fun as it is, would become overpowered especially in multiplayer, you can only use it when you accumulate enough energy.

The arsenal is diverse and cool enough to make you eager to try every class and provides a good incentive despite the short campaign, to tackle each challenge in a different way. Machine guns are extremely effective in close combat, although the aiming system is not very easy to master, while heavy weapons such as the rocket launchers should only be used against defensive structures. You can lock on a specific target after zooming in and that means the next few rounds will hit it, no matter the evasive moves it deploys. On the bad side, the target will only be locked on for a few seconds, never enough to actually kill it, so the decisive blow requires a decent amount of skill and precision.

Trying to hit a fast moving enemy with grenades is virtually impossible, but the damage they inflict upon a turret or an AA gun is considerable. Some scenarios will pit you against waves of incoming enemies and your otherwise potent weapons may not be enough to fend off the invader and protect the key structures. Since command consoles can be easily hacked or defused, carefully preparing a defensive perimeter is paramount if you are to successfully protect the objective.

Fortunately, Section 8 provides you not only with more troops as reinforcements but also with defensive structures, such as specialized turrets to deal with tanks and infantry alike. Supply depots and even high tech tanks can be dropped in the combat zone, as long as you get a clear area where the ship can release the cargo and the credits to purchase them. While their role during the campaign is limited to a few large scaled battles and the final boss fight, their addition in the multiplayer greatly enhances the gaming experience.

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Conclusion:

Section 8  doesn't have a particularly compelling storyline, with characters failing to grow on you and with a narrative that doesn't make too much sense or explain a great deal of facts. Timegate Studios somehow managed to extract an astonishing amount from this scrap, and although the undersized campaign is nothing more than a prelude for multiplayer, it is still an enthralling experience.

Gameplay: 83

The fast pace action and the frantic fire fights make each assignment exciting and thanks to the diverse objectives there is no risk of getting entangled in a string of repetitive scenarios. There are so many ways to tackle a problem and accomplish an objective, that despite the fairly linear missions, the game still has huge replayability. Game mechanics are subtle yet effective and the special abilities brilliantly concur in delivering the much needed adrenaline rush.

Graphics: 79

Section 8 is not a gem in terms of visual effects but it still looks very nice and the effort paid to details is obvious, especially during the cut scenes. These short videos make a huge contribution in creating the appropriate atmosphere and put each mission in context, in steep contrast with the somehow lacking narrative. During the most intense firefights it is a delight to witness gorgeous looking explosions, or breathtaking animations of turrets and tanks being dropped on the battlefield from low orbit.

Sounds: 80

Soldiers recruited by Section 8 are rather introverted characters that seldom speak, so the only voice we're actually hearing more often is Corde's during his monologues, but it fits nicely in the appealing cut scenes. Otherwise the roaring combat noises are not overwhelming, but make a strong impact on the player, mainly when the tension is mounting before a major assault.

Multiplayer: 88

This game would have gone unnoticed and could even be regarded as a rip-off, in the absence of a multiplayer mode, where the exciting gameplay truly shines. With objectives that are shifting fast during an online game, extremely dynamic fights and a great degree of mobility for players, Section 8 should become the next big thing in the genre's industry.