Venture-funded and independent game studio Vogster is getting near the final stretch of the journey that is their "persistent world next-gen shooter" CrimeCraft. After years in development the PC game has now entered closed beta testing.
The release date has also been confirmed for August 25th, 2009 -- beating out the primary competition such as Realtime World's A.P.B, but coming out a bit later than the close competitor Huxley, from Webzen Games Inc.
Here's CrimeCraft in a nutshell: you make yourself a character, choosing from some RPG elements. Players have been promised tons of options for clothing, and customizing their looks. You then take your character through a somewhat dystopian, urban gaming world, getting involved in twitch-based, third-person battles rendered in the Unreal Engine 3. You can join and form gangs, make custom weapons (and repair and sell them), and eventually, you gain dominion over your fellow street punks.
"“Our game promises a refreshing, gritty and fast-paced alternative to the current online gaming realm. Our goal is to launch the best hybrid of twitch shooter action and RPG gaming depth, set in a persistent world environment. This closed beta is a pivotal milestone to ensure that we deliver on the high expectations that we and our fans have for CrimeCraft," said Mark McEnerney, CrimeCraft's Executive Producer.
Will the Crimecraft combat be intense enough to keep people coming back? It'll be interesting to see how this next generation of MMOFPS games work out.
