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Incline Ion Fury (formerly Ion Maiden) - Build Engine powered FPS by Duke Nukem 3D mappers - now with Aftershock DLC

geno

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Aug 21, 2018
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RPS has reviewed the game
I probably didn’t grow up when you did. I feel the need to get that out of the way early, because this review is largely going to be about how Ion Fury’s old-school sensibilities clash with my own. Not all of them, I should stress. Shooters have trended towards a slower pace, while I’m a nippy boy. It feels good to shoot and hop.

I’m just so unbearably lost.

I’m getting lost as Cpl. Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison, a cop who spends her days shooting at “cracked-out cyborg punks” daring to rebel against “the longstanding order of permanent martial law”. None of this particularly matters, aside from the way it means I frequently hear her bellow crass nonsense like “nothing that laying down another beating can’t solve”.

Ion’s story, as far as it has one, is told through brief monologues from a maniacal scientist who blew up your house, sometimes rebutted by Harrison’s cack-handed quips. Hardly any of it lands, but that’s almost by the by. This is all set-dressing for the running and gunning – until the set empties, and I’m left wondering where on earth I need to go next.



Getting lost in games sucks at my soul. I’ve spent far too long trundling around Ion Fury’s neon-dusted streets and supervillain bunkers, dipping in and out of rooms like a millennial robbed of Google Maps. Or any kind of map, as I first believed. I didn’t think to comb through the keyboard buttons in search of one, and Ion didn’t think to prompt me to. Or else (if you’ll indulge my suspicions) it deliberately decided against it.

Ion Fury revels in letting you figure stuff out for yourself. It doesn’t just let go of your hand: it jumps into a car and swans off to the south of France with a strange woman you’ve only met once. I’m aware that sounds great, refreshing even, to the eyes and ears of anyone who’s sick of following arrows that tell you exactly where you need to go. But instead of that, Ion Fury challenges observation skills I simply don’t have.

It tries to help me, sometimes. Giant, glowing signs will point me towards progress. Then I’ll follow them into a room with a vent I fail to notice, conclude that they must have been guiding towards a bonus area, and waste twenty minutes in a meandering malaise around the rest of the level. It’s not a rewarding barrier to rub up against. There’s no sense of improvement, no notion that the next area will be different. Each time I stumbled across the way forward, I felt more cheated than elated.



I’d feel relief, certainly. “At last”, I’d think, “I get to play the game I quite like again”. To bounce around enemies like a rabbit gone rampant with an uzi, constant motion the best defence against enemies that don’t know how to deal with strafing. There’s a thrill to hopping round a corner, smushing a fella in a cloak, then spinning round to polish of his friend in one smooth motion. Doing that dozens of times in a row against the same handful of enemies has a way of dulling that thrill, though. It’s like jumping on a rollercoaster and delighting at the first time the operator lets you sit tight for another go. By the time you’ve gone round twice, you know all the twists and turns.

I can’t fault the guns, mind. The shotgun feels particularly chunky, tearing through even the toughest regular enemies with one wee trigger squeeze. It’s a knock-out punch, a boomstick with an oomph you rarely see in modern fare. There’s not a bullet sponge in sight, and the enemies possess a pleasing simplicity. The yellow rubes pack low-key assault rifles, the red ones come close to obliterating you in a single shot. It’s a quick n’ dirty visual language, occasionally overwritten by coloured lights that disguise your enemy’s true potency. A neat trick, if a little overused.



There are drones, spiders and metallic centipede bastards milling around too, plus more varied enemies later on, and I like how they all had me swapping my guns around. (I don’t like that one of those guns is called the penetrator, even if I do have a begrudging respect for the joke buried in that being the only weapon you can dual wield.) The combat’s strengths are undermined, though, when Mr. Old School rears his ugly head and reminds me why modern games don’t let you save in the middle of combat.

If navigation issues were the iceberg that set the ship a-sinking, quick-saves are the dickhead who hogged the lifeboat. I didn’t use them at all, at first. Which led to me getting stuck with a scrap of health, bouncing back and forth between an autosave and a room full of enemies I wasn’t equipped to deal with. After I’d inched my way through that debacle, I couldn’t resist banking every ten seconds of progress. I might have managed to stop, if not for the way those punishing red “cracked-up cyborgs” make frequent quickloads a near necessity. I’d be happy to roll with the punches if they didn’t leave me in tiresome situations.

Ion Fury succeeds at nearly everything it tries to do, but it doesn’t attempt much that I’m interested in. I’d rather not agonise over whether I’m plumbing time into exploring a route that turns out to be a secret, or twiddling with switches whose purpose isn’t immediately obvious. I’ve always found secret hunting more hassle than its worth, and I’d rather not be lost.

It’s a game where old-school decisions too often trump good ones. A blast from a past I never lived through, where puerile humour and “area complete” screens tease you about not being a “real player”. Ion’s tongue might be in its cheek, but I’ve got little interest in what it’s saying.
 
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And the concessions that were made in game regarding its presentation were aimed at pleasing exactly the sort of fags that reside in RPS - people who won't like the game either way.
 

Melan

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PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! I helped put crap in Monomyth
RPS has reviewed the game
LOOK AT ME! I AM NOT EVEN DOING THE ONE JOB I AM QUALIFIED FOR!
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476332316713811993.png
 

Alpan

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Grab the Codex by the pussy Pathfinder: Wrath
The real shame about the RPS review is that the site was formed by writers that would have appreciated Ion Fury for what it is, like Jim Rossignol. That review pretty much epitomizes institutional decline.
 

Curratum

Guest
Why do you people keep linking and referring to RPS? Why do you keep being surprised and annoyed / confused / angry that they're morons?
 

frajaq

Erudite
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wow i'm actually kinda upset by that article, considering how much I enjoyed the game, that hasn't happened in awhile
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/...stalgia-and-a-decent-first-person-shooter-too

Ion Fury review - a brilliant blast of nostalgia, and a decent first-person shooter too
No fair maiden.

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A thrillingly authentic take on the first-person shooter's 90s heyday, delivered with nerdish enthusiasm.

Ion Fury isn't so much a blast from the past as a gunshot straight through it, carving its way along time's back-alley and punching a hole in history's skull. Coming at you from the business end of 1996, Ion Fury is a brand new 2.5d shooter published by 3D Realms,(the publishers of Duke Nukem 3D) and created in the Build Engine (the engine used to design Duke Nukem 3D).

Let's stop for a moment and take that in. For a fan of classic shooters, this is like finding out John Romero has created a fifth episode to the original Doom. Oh wait, that happened as well. Somebody pinch me, I must be asleep.

In truth, I've been living in FPS dream-world for the best part of a year. The last nine months have seen the birth of two knockout retro shooters - the magnificent Dusk and the scintillating Amid Evil. Ion Fury, however, is the first one to come at me toting not just a shotgun but pedigree as well. Ion Fury is here to remind us what it was like to kick ass and not chew bubblegum, in the days before Duke fell forever into decline.

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You want references? We got references.

Ion Fury's premise is typically slight. Players assume the role of Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison, a bomb-disposal expert on a one-woman quest to rid Neo D.C of the evil Dr Heskel and his cybernetic army. This isn't Shelly's first rodeo as a video game protagonist - Ion Fury is technically a prequel to the mediocre top-down shooter Bombshell. You don't really need to know about it. I'm just getting ahead of the comments.

Anyway, this is all the story Ion Fury needs to knock together 8-10 hours of relentless, bloody, synth-buzzing action. What makes Ion Fury so fascinating, however is its unique blend of technology and aesthetic. Or should that be technology as aesthetic? See, Ion Fury isn't just a shooter created in the Build Engine, it's an ode to that tiny transitional slice of gaming history when shooters were neither 3D nor 2D.

The developer, Voidpoint Interactive, is assembled from veteran Build Engine modders, whose designers and artists have used every trick in the book to produce one of the best and most distinctive-looking games this year. Far from being a dark and dingy assemblage of corridors, Neo D.C. is a smoky, neon-drenched cityscape bursting with colour and detail. Its towering skyscrapers are fronted by glittering animated billboards while needle-like searchlights pierce the cloudy sky beyond. Up close, you can see the painstaking pixel-work in every enemy, weapon, and environment texture. I'm especially fond of Ion Fury's use of colour as lighting, splashing of purple and orange textures across the ground that "illuminate" enemies who step onto them.

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These cowl-wearing goons form Ion Fury's standard cannon fodder.

It's a fantastic use of decades-old tech, taking what was in 1996 a necessity and elevating it into a style. But Ion Fury is far more than an artistic curiosity - it's a formidable FPS in its own right. Across the game's length you'll pick up a total of nine weapons, ranging from your trusty 'Loverboy' revolver to the ferociously powerful chaingun. My personal favourite is the Disperser. Its default mode fires a compacted cluster of shotgun pellets that makes a noise like the devil slamming a door in Hell. Later on, those shotgun shells can be switched out for bouncing grenades that turn any nearby adversary into a scarlet puddle.

Crucially, all weapons remain useful throughout the game's length, and in fact evolve in their usefulness as you encounter new types of enemies. All opponents in Ion Fury are products of Dr. Heskel's brilliant, evil mind, from the standard grunts who conceal their robotic forms beneath a tan shroud, to the horrific scuttling headspiders which leap from the ground to bite at your face. As you progress deeper into the game, you'll do battle with giant, rocket-spitting mechs and skinless superhumans who have a nasty tendency to turn invisible and then reappear right in front of you.

All of this comes together to form a ferociously capable first-person shooters. The pace is breakneck, the level design complex, and the soundtrack an electrifying neo-noir pulse. But if you can bring yourself to stand still for a moment, you'll notice that Ion Fury is also a surprisingly literate shooter, crammed with references to action films and other first-person shooters. Its fizzing neon world is influenced by films ranging from The Terminator to Judge Dredd. Game-wise, there's a strong emphasis on interactive environments, a big focus of Duke 3D. There's even a pleasing nod to Quake in the form of flesh-throwing zombies that like to ambush you from waist-deep water.

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The use of colour as lighting creates a wonderfully moody atmosphere.

Unfortunately, while Ion Fury is clearly knowledgeable about FPS history, it doesn't deploy this knowledge in any meaningful fashion. This is most evident in the character of Shelly herself. Like Duke, she's mainly a grab-bag of quotes from action films like the Matrix and Die-Hard, alongside the occasional witless insult. Not only do these quips become tiresome way before the finish line, I also feel like it's a missed opportunity. With the exception of No One Lives Forever's Cate Archer, good female shooter protagonists are few and far between. There was a chance here to do more than simply read history back to us, but also to reflect on it, and perhaps even write-in what was missed the first time around. Sadly, Voidpoint settle for "Duke but female", which is fine, but not that interesting.

This issue is also present at the game's broader scale. Ion Fury is a superb embodiment of first-person shooter convention, but unlike Dusk and Amid Evil, it rarely attempts to challenge or evolve upon those conventions. If anything, Ion Fury becomes less ambitious as it goes along, starting out in that remarkably designed cityscape before descending into a more typical tour of first-person shooter locations. There's your train level, your sewer level, your secret lab level. They're all well designed - I particularly enjoyed the creepy mansion level that pays its dues to Monolith's Blood - but they nonetheless feel like places I have explored before.

Ion Fury may not elevate the first-person shooter to new heights, but in its defence that was never the goal. It just so happens to have launched at a time when other nostalgic first-person shooters have also pushed the genre forward in ways we couldn't have anticipated. Regardless, Voidpoint's own work remains a thoroughly entertaining first-person shooter, and the way it pulls the Build Engine up by its bootstraps makes it worth the price of entry alone.
 

Infinitron

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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
9/10 https://www.pcgamesn.com/ion-fury/review

Ion Fury review – probably the best Build engine game ever
The FPS previously known as Ion Maiden embraces the retro renaissance and shoots like it’s 1996

ion-fury-900x506.jpg


It’s hard to tell exactly when today’s retro FPS renaissance started, but we’re glad it’s here. Dusk and Amid Evil are two of the best games released in the past 12 months, and the Quake 1 engine-powered Wrath: Aeon of Ruin looks excellent, but Ion Fury is possibly the most intriguing of the lot.

The game previously known as Ion Maiden – before a surprisingly litigious metal band’s lawyers stepped in – is powered by Duke Nukem 3D’s Build engine, so it should feel antiquated. And yet Ion Fury not only reminds us why FPSs from the ‘90s were so much fun – it also gives more recent shooters a run for their money.

Ion Fury is actually a prequel to 2016 isometric shooter Bombshell, but no one cares about that. The story involves mad scientist Dr Heskel leading his cybernetic army onto the streets of Blade Runner-esque future Washington DC, and that’s pretty much all you need to know. The good doctor will taunt you from time to time, but otherwise the plot takes a back seat to the shooting.

And what glorious shooting it is. Developer Voidpoint is clearly aware of the rules when it comes to making a great FPS, and smashes them all – starting with the weapons. An FPS like this needs guns that are satisfyingly meaty, slightly ridiculous, and make pleasing ‘boom’ sounds. Ion Fury ticks these boxes with an armoury that includes a chaingun, a bow, homing grenades, proximity mines, and a shotgun/grenade launcher hybrid. Boom!Most importantly, all the guns are useful in different ways, with handy alternate-fire modes too – even the basic revolver remains a key part of your arsenal throughout the game.

This is thanks in part to the excellent enemy design. Your foes are never bullet sponges – a few decent headshots with the pistol will bring down all but the hardiest. They’re all satisfying to fight, and demand different tactics both to engage and evade (you’ll be doing a lot of the latter, as enemies can ambush you by attacking from above or below). A shotgun to the face will do for regular soldiers or those creepy skull-spiders, but it’s pretty useless against the acid-spitting metal centipedes. Yes, they’re as barmy as they sound, and this serves not only to add flavour but information: the designs are good enough that you can recognise every enemy from a mile away.

And when I say ‘a mile’, I’m exaggerating, but not by much – some levels in Ion Fury are gigantic and, what’s more, appear to be even bigger. The opening zone, for example, is set at the top of a series of towering skyscrapers, with a cloud layer far below. It reminds me of Jedi Knight’s vertigo-inducing Nar Shaddaa level, except less linear. That’s not to say Ion Fury’s levels are open-world or anything, but you often have so many paths forward that it can be overwhelming – and never less than thrilling.



The detail in these levels is also fantastic, with some great environmental storytelling like a soldier pinned to a wall with a rocket, or, a urinal that flushes, er, brown water. You’ll want to explore every nook and cranny, which is just as well, because the levels are filled with some of the most devious secret areas in any FPS. We were combing every inch for hidden switches, covered entrances, or suspicious cracks, and we still only found less than half of the game’s secret areas. There may be no multiplayer, but you’ll need to spend hours to find everything – it took us around 12-14 hours to finish, and we’re pretty sure we missed at least one secret level.

If there’s one issue we have with Ion Fury, it’s location variety. While there are occasional standouts – like levels set on a moving train, a forest, or the aforementioned skyscrapers – you’ll spend the majority of your time in grey, crumbling cityscapes, which can start to feel a little repetitive after a while. You begin to long for the same imagination demonstrated in the enemy design and gameplay.



Nevertheless, what goes on in those spaces is never boring, and Voidpoint finds impressive variety within its urban setting of Neo DC, such as twisted research facilities, train stations, or spacious offices. And despite being based on a decades-old engine, Ion Fury somehow looks good. Whether it’s a neat enemy animation, the vast open areas, or the ridiculous attention to detail in every location, there are plenty of moments where you won’t see the use of the Build engine as just a retro throwback, but rather a stylistic choice.

We were regularly taken aback when presented with what this engine, which powered so many clunky shooters from our childhoods, could somehow achieve on modern tech and with modern design sensibilities. Such moments of contrast actively added to our enjoyment of Ion Fury. It’s lovely, and we wouldn’t change it for all the Unreal engines in the world.

Ion Fury review
A nostalgic '90s throwback that's challenging, funny, cleverly designed, and shockingly attractive both despite and because of its ancient engine, which enables gigantic levels packed with detail.
 

TheHeroOfTime

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...Unfortunately, while Ion Fury is clearly knowledgeable about FPS history, it doesn't deploy this knowledge in any meaningful fashion. This is most evident in the character of Shelly herself. Like Duke, she's mainly a grab-bag of quotes from action films like the Matrix and Die-Hard, alongside the occasional witless insult...
[/QUOTE]

This is supossed to be a bad thing?
 

Durandal

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May 13, 2015
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New Eden
My team has the sexiest and deadliest waifus you can recruit.
While this RPS reviewer is most certainly a plebeian and a scrub, this review may show some signs that Ion Fury is falling for a minor meme which I fear seems to be taking hold lately, namely that good FPS level design is being automatically equated to giant interconnected Souls-ian behemoths of a level filled with tons of exploration-bait, secrets, and what have you. It's something that seemed to have started with some of the giga-levels in Quake: Arcane Dimensions like The Forgotten Sepulcher which everyone agreed was good without really being able to put it in words other than "because it made my peepee hard". Now you have Ion Fury with "zones" instead of levels and Wrath promising to do the same thing.

This is by no means a condemnation of AD or Ion Fury or giga-levels in general, but I fear that if we mindlessly assign pseudo-Metroidvania worlds as the golden standard of FPS level design for what they set out to do rather than the qualities that make their scope work, that we'll have morons complaining about short 'n sweet Scythe-like levels for being too small, and developers trying to follow this fad but only end up overstretching themselves by creating overly huge levels with too many secrets and pointless side-areas with tons of unnecessary backtracking.
 

Eyestabber

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So Iron Maiden DID take issue with this game? Fucking lol @ the reason behind the name change. Bunch of old faggots.

Anyway, full release isn't out yet, but is it worth it? No more 10% discount it seems.
 

Curratum

Guest
Calling it "probably the best Build engine game ever" is overshooting a bit, no, PCGamesN?

Unless they added new amazing weapons and / or the level designs are dramatically better in terms of layouts and atmosphere, compared to the Early Access preview campaign, this thing has a long way to go until it catches up with Blood 1.
 

Curratum

Guest
I'm afraid ALL of shillmanlives's criticisms are very valid, given what I've seen in the early access and what I see in the gameplay and his examples.

Disclaimer: I've bought the game and I am rooting for it to be a success, I just can't deny obvious flaws when I see them.
 
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
7,304
Such a shame they couldn't just make a new Duke Nukem game. One liners from this chick seem cringe inducing.
 

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