Because I saw a lot of smaller game company’s titles at this year’s E3 I was able to notice a trend; random map generation. Perhaps that’s too simple, basically developers figured out how to add to their game’s replay value without killing themselves creating levels. That’s the case with Hollowpoint that has a ton of maps and basically can switch out segments depending on what mission you’re on. You can essentially see the same part of a map from a different angle and rarely will you run into the same load out as something you played before.
The game itself is a 2D action shooter. Think Contra or better yet Shadow Complex, but with far more 3D interaction. I know you’re thinking, “3D on a 2D shooter…” well it works because the controls are fluid and allow for easy aiming and I say that as someone who played on a PC and as someone who doesn’t play PC games all that often.
The big thing with Hollowpoint is customization and unlocks. There’s real money, fake money and different credits for different things. You can customize your “Hollowpoint”, what they call the characters in the game. You can customize their gun, their coloring and equipment and power ups. Half of my demo time was actually spent covering what you could customize and how to go about those customizations and what they would add to the gameplay. Let's just say you can spend a lot of time on this and not be bored.
Because you’re taking missions and not playing a story you will run into a variety of mission types, but the game actually changes during play which is sure to make the game play very different each time you load up.
You can also play with up to four players which is crazy sounding! I played with just two people and it was already pretty nuts on the screen, but I can imagine four people is one hell of an experience.
The game is coming out sometime this year (I believe they said it was basically done at the time) and will be on the PS4 and Steam. Yet another PS4 title that I saw and really enjoyed. If you’re a fan of 2D shooters, then you’ll want to check this one out. Just don’t get stuck customizing the content more than playing the game.