Fuse

Overstrike 9 strikes back...

There's nothing quite like being told that you can't have something.

Some people just submit when they've been told they can't have something they want.  Some (like a few very young kids I've seen at the mall) throw themselves on the ground and scream like a howler monkey on steroids.

And then there are people - like those in the Raven corporation - who say "Well, yeah, boo, sucks to be you," steal most of your high-tech alien weaponry, and attempt to blow you up multiple times.

That's the basic premise of Fuse, a new shooter from Electronic Arts and Insomniac Games: leading four elite agents of contact team Overstrike 9 in reclaiming the high-tech weaponry stolen by the Raven corporation before they obliterate everything.

According to IGN, Fuse is a "story-driven, cooperative action [in which] players must thwart a rogue paramilitary organization called Raven from stealing the deadly alien energy source known as Fuse.  Your team -- Dalton Brooks, Izzy Sinclair, Jacob Kimble and Naya Deveraux -- will pursue Raven around the world, from the fortified desert facility to underwater bases, island strongholds, icy mountain peaks, palatial hideouts and beyond."

Even though the game is mainly centered on co-op play, there is also a solo player option.  When playing solo, players use "the game's LEAP feature to switch between the four characters at will during combat," so much like a similar ability employed in the LEGO video games.  Each agent has his own set of skills and specializations that are unique from all the others in the group, and you're also given access to some pretty sweet experimental Fuse weapons that make gameplay even more interesting.

Besides solo and co-op options, Fuse can also be played online or offline and characters can "level up along unique character paths, allowing players to unlock more powerful Fuse-driven abilities as the game progresses.  In addition, the game's progression system is unified between different play modes, allowing players to continue improving their agents regardless of how they play," (IGN).

All in all, it really seems like EA and Insomniac are doing their very best to give their players the most options they possibly can, which is always good in my book.  What's really interesting is that the game is being described as "Bringing the best bits of Ratchet and Resistance together," and that sounds pretty fun.


Fuse will be releasing in the U.S. on May 28th (May 31st in the UK, May 30th in AU, and at a yet to be determined date in Japan) for the XBox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

DISCLAIMER!: Fuse has not yet been rated the ESRB, though the target rating is T for Teen and above.


Get out the magnum, ladies and gents.  You've got a corporation to stop.




 - Edessa, signing off