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  2. Iron Brigade

Tim Schafer's new game is extremely manly, aims to make mech combat not totally suck

News
By David Houghton published 4 March 2011

Seriously, manly, he says so himself

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I like the fact that Tim Schafer’s Double Fine Productions have made the switch to the downloadable market. For starters, the likes of XBLA and PSN have always been a better fit for their quirkier, more experimental creative brain-splurges. Secondly, the shorter development time means that we now get a new Double Fine game announced roughly every 3.1 seconds, 24 hours a day. They’re pumping them out like The X-Factor pumps briefly-hopeful flash-in-the-pan failures towards the unemployment line. I like it.

The latest pumpee? Trenched, Double Fine’s mech combat game. The fact that it's Double Fine has me interested, but how will it get around rule 347.b of video game law, which states that the majority of mech games must be a bit guff? Let’s watch the trailer and find out, shall we?

Done? Right then. What we appear to have in Trenched is big old blasty mech combat game, probably with a big online multiplayer focus (lines like "march will allies from around the world" always mean big multiplayer, fact). Mucho mech customisation too, if that high-speed montage with the little twitchy man - seriously, look at him go! - is anything to go by. But I think it's going to be more interesting than that.

Article continues below
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You see these aren't your standard issue mobile suits. They're mobile trenches. They can service all your walky-walky-smashy-smashy needs, but they can also morph into a standard, staticfortification. This my friends, is what I believe we can call the hook.

How Double Fine will use it remains to be seen, but I'm guessing some manner of large scale, real-time tactical play with various team members simultaneously defending and becoming*their team's frontline through on-the-fly transformation of their mechs. Possibly with the ability to control their little men on foot when in trench mode. With the kind of scale on show here, that could be one hell ofan epic, organic and intelligentsystem for a war game.

Also, the tone of the trailer is pure Starship Troopers. And Starship Troopers is awesome. There's a whole chapter in the bible proving it.

*Christ, I'm abusing the italics in this one.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

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Cheers,CVG

Mar 3, 2011

The latest pumpee? Trenched, Double Fine’s mech combat game. The fact that it's Double Fine has me interested, but how will it get around rule 347.b of video game law, which states that the majority of mech games must be a bit guff? Let’s watch the trailer and find out, shall we?

You may like
  • A crop of the key art for Australia Did It, showing a group of mercenaries preparing to battle on top of a moving train - one has electric gauntlets, one has a massive bazooka and wears a skull mask, one has two revolvers, and another has a hazmat suit, gas mask, and a green energy weapon "Stop trying to get us to make the next Fortnite or Destiny," says the dev of this odd reverse bullet hell tactics game
  • Shadow of the Road screenshot showing a humanoid bird-like figure hovering over a molten battlefield with wings outstretched A "small team with a lot of big ideas" is making a Final Fantasy Tactics-inspired RPG set in steampunk Japan
  • Menace pre-launch screenshots After losing 92 soldiers in Menace, I'll never call XCOM brutal again

Done? Right then. What we appear to have in Trenched is big old blasty mech combat game, probably with a big online multiplayer focus (lines like "march will allies from around the world" always mean big multiplayer, fact). Mucho mech customisation too, if that high-speed montage with the little twitchy man - seriously, look at him go! - is anything to go by. But I think it's going to be more interesting than that.

You see these aren't your standard issue mobile suits. They're mobile trenches. They can service all your walky-walky-smashy-smashy needs, but they can also morph into a standard, staticfortification. This my friends, is what I believe we can call the hook.

How Double Fine will use it remains to be seen, but I'm guessing some manner of large scale, real-time tactical play with various team members simultaneously defending and becoming*their team's frontline through on-the-fly transformation of their mechs. Possibly with the ability to control their little men on foot when in trench mode. With the kind of scale on show here, that could be one hell ofan epic, organic and intelligentsystem for a war game.

Also, the tone of the trailer is pure Starship Troopers. And Starship Troopers is awesome. There's a whole chapter in the bible proving it.

*Christ, I'm abusing the italics in this one.

Cheers,CVG

Mar 3, 2011

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David Houghton
David Houghton
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Former GamesRadar+ Features Writer

Former (and long-time) GamesRadar+ writer, Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.

Read more
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