Point Blank is coming to the Philippines

Introduction #

While gamers all over the Philippines get their FPS fix from the latest Call of Duty and Halo titles, one developer in particular has its sights set on honoring what was arguably the most influential PC game when the local LAN café business was still in its infancy. Though now going on 12 years, Counter-Strike and its prettier cousin Counter-Strike: Source are still the two most-played games on Steam, with daily concurrent users averaging the 50,000 mark. To give you an idea of how huge that is, the #3 spot lags behind at around 30,000 users, a rank held by the much more technically-advanced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Korean developer Zepetto recognizes this accomplishment, and implements some of the secrets for its success – extremely simple mechanics, customization options, well-balanced maps and various game modes to name a few – in its own free-to-play MMOFPS title, Point Blank. It seems to be working, as the game is already available in 42 different countries around Europe and Asia, including Thailand and Russia where it is distinguished as the #1 FPS, and Indonesia where it holds the current position of #1 online game with an amazing 100,000 concurrent users. The game has also recently been adopted into North American territory, where it’s known as Project Blackout.

Zepetto was wise to not create an exact replica of the hit mod, however, and made sure to give their game some original content of its own. While there is a noticeable lack of the familiar rescue (cs_) and less popular VIP (as_) maps, Point Blank offers more than enough other game modes to compensate, which seems to be its main selling point. Every map has some level of interactivity, with explosive cars and barrels, breakable glass ceilings, and in some cases destructible walls and pillars. There are more customization options available, for example, in terms of both weaponry and appearance. Headgear doubly serves the roles of protection – with various degrees of effectiveness – as well as personalization. The arsenal includes an adequate selection of pistols, sub-machine guns, light machine guns, shotguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, melee weapons, explosives, flashbangs, and white phosphorus smoke grenades (yes, grenades that will both conceal you and your fire locations as well as kill any enemy stupid enough to breathe it in deep). Further adding to the personalization options is the ability to purchase skills which slightly increase various statistics in-game, such as running or reload speed. This introduces a slightly RPG-like feel to the experience.

Game Modes #

The heart and soul of Point Blank lies in its array of game modes. Indeed, when Counter-Strike: Source was released in 2004, all pimped out with the then-new Source engine and pretty graphics, one of the major points of criticism was the lack of any additional ways to play the game. There’s none of that nonsense here, and even with the number of game modes already twice that of its idol, Point Blank promises more in the future with patches and updates. Dinosaur mode, anyone?

• Deathmatch – Hold your horses there, cowboy. Point Blank is a team-based FPS, so Deathmatch will always be a gang war rather than Rambo’s playground. It’s simple; the team with the most kills at the end of the round, or which reaches a predetermined number of kills first, wins. In this mode, Operators will respawn after being killed.
• Eliminate – Essentially the same as Deathmatch, however with no respawns; one life, one chance. You can expect more tense gameplay and tighter tactics here. The game goes on only until there are no players left alive on one team.
• Demolition – Here we have the classic target-bombing map (de_). One team must work together to plant a bomb, and the other must stop them or defuse the bomb once it’s planted. Of course, if either team eliminates the other, they win. This, compounded by the fact that respawning isn’t enabled in this mode, warrants coordinated teamplay.
• Defend – Similar to Demolition, however both teams have targets to destroy and protect. The first to destroy the opposing team’s target, or the team who deals the most damage to the target by the end of the round, wins. Split up into attack/defend forces? Bum-rush the target? The right choice made at the right time is key to victory. Because of the kamikaze nature of this mode, respawning is allowed.
• Destroy – Each team has an attack helicopter hovering around the map. The objective is to destroy the other team’s helicopter by any means necessary, whether by peppering it with small arms fire as you get to da choppa, picking up and using RPG launchers so conveniently scattered around the map, or spraying hot lead straight from your own helicopter’s side-mounted chaingun into the equally-equipped enemy whirlybird. Because fleshbags are much easier to put down than the gravity-defying chunks of metal (which is the only way to win this mode), respawning is enabled here.
• AI Challenge – Dumb bots, right? Wrong. Meant for training and warm-up, the AI-controlled team at high difficulty proves to be a tricky opponent even for pro players. For the truly godlike or madly insane, there is also the option to go solo versus a team of 8 mindless killer bots.

Every mode’s gameplay options are fully customizable, including the ability to change team size, time or score limit, enable or disable team balance, allow or prevent mid-game joiners, and even restrict certain weapon classes. It’s perfectly fine to have a snipers-only, or even a melee-only game.

Customization #

The other big half of Point Blank’s promise of variety lies in the amount of weapon, appearance, and skill choices available. Perhaps just as important as the difference in firing speed, recoil, and damage of a gun is the secondary attachment on it, and each weapon has a unique one. Both teams each have four characters to choose from, and certain secondary stats such as running speed or defense vary slightly among them all. While not necessarily at Brink-levels of wardrobe or facelift options, there are a lot of helmets and masks to choose from which not only showcase your personality but function as protection or further stat boosts as well. Finally, the skill system, referred to as the A.C.T. System, satisfies whatever small RPG craving that might occur.

• Weapons – From the smallest pistol to the biggest machine gun, your style of shooting is covered. Attachments such as red laser dots, iron sights, dot sights, scopes, silencers and quick-swap magazines are weapon-specific. Some weapons can be used in different stances, such as in the case of wielding dual sub-machine guns. Weapons can be changed in-game, but only between similar types; you can’t switch from an assault rifle to a sniper rifle, but you can swap out a dot-sight-equipped assault rifle for a scoped one.
• Characters – Each team has four character choices with unique appearances. It’s not purely an aesthetic decision, however; characters can also have slightly modified base stats. Increased running speed, defense, and EXP or Credit gain are some traits which can be expected to vary. The choice between male and female characters also determines the voiceset, so if you’re annoyed by the sound of gruff men or distracted by a woman’s voice, you might want to consider choosing appropriately.
• A.C.T. System – Short for “Advanced Combat Training,” the A.C.T. System provides a way to improve your character’s skills or weapon proficiency. By earning EXP through battle and missions, players will progress in Rank. Higher Ranks enable different A.C.T. Titles to be purchased. Titles can be purchased with medals obtained by completing missions, which finally allows your character to equip the title and gain its benefits. Titles have different effects, including increasing speed, rate of fire, or accuracy. Depending on your style of play, you can equip up to three titles to augment your abilities.

Gravy #

References to EXP, missions, and credits were made throughout the walkthrough which may seem out of context. The fact is, there’s a lot more to Point Blank than varied game modes and customization options. Zepetto knows that for an online game to be successful, there must be incentive for players to keep on coming back.

• EXP – Just like any other MMOG these days, Point Blank rewards continued gameplay with an experience system. EXP allows you to increase in Rank, which is displayed to all other players as an icon beside your name, and so functions as a method of determining skill level at a glance. Increasing Rank also unlocks higher-level A.C.T. Titles, which in turn unlocks better weapons for purchasing. It also feels really good to be called a Brigadier General rather than a Recruit.
• Mission Cards – EXP can be earned through normal gameplay, but completing missions gets you EXP faster than just completing map objectives alone. Missions are like in-game achievements or trophies, where you have to do a certain task to obtain mission completion. A typical task would be “Match: 3 Kills,” which means you have to kill 3 people in a single match. Completing one mission card, which is a set of 4 missions, gets you bonus EXP and medals, which are used to buy A.C.T. Traits. Completing a full set of cards, which is 10 cards or 40 missions, yields even bigger rewards such as weapons, Master Badges, and huge EXP boosts.
• Credits – The game is free-to-play with microtransactions, and so every customization must be purchased before use. This includes weapons, headgear, characters, and Mission Cards which allow A.C.T. Title progression. For those unwilling to shell out the cash to buy EP points from E-Games, Point Blank’s local publisher, credits can be earned through normal gameplay.

All in all, Point Blank is a fully featured game that brings back memories of the good old days of mindlessly simple yet madly entertaining FPS shootouts. With updated mechanics, graphics, lots of customization options and a payment model which allows it to be enjoyed spending as little as 0 pesos, it does so without impairing our vision with the infamous nostalgia-goggles syndrome. Beta-testing for Point Blank will begin soon, so those of you interested in having fun should keep an eye out for announcements by E-Games.