s the FPS genre has evolved through the years, more and more developers have attempted to tap into the whole idea that you’re really taking part in the action on screen, whether it’s through cunning enemy AI or realistic environments. And, while many games out there succeed on those fronts, one feature seems to have gotten a bit of neglect lately; cinematic appeal. While other FPS titles out there have touched on the feature, including such notable games like the Medal Of Honor series and Half-Life. Atari and Zombie (Ecks vs Sever, SPEC OPS series) is about to get into the business with their upcoming game Shadows Ops: Red Mercury. Along with featuring some incredibly intense and hectic FPS action, the game sports a high degree of cinematic flair, some of which rivals some of the more notable blockbuster action movies out in your local Cineplex. Today I got a chance to spend some time with the latest build of the game, courtesy of a house-call to the Game Informer headquarters by Atari.

The story in Shadows Ops: Red Mercury follows the exploits of an elite counter-terrorist operative charged with the task of tracking down a mysterious substance known as “red mercury.” It seems that the substance is able to power bombs to the point of where they deliver the power of a nuclear warhead. To make things worse, the red mercury has been stolen by a rogue group of terrorists with ties to a crooked Russian mob. Now, with the clock ticking, you’ve got to get the red mercury back into safe hands before the entire balance of the world is affected.

Shadow Ops, for the most part, follows the standard console control for an FPS. Movement is mapped to the left analog stick and aiming is mapped to the right stick. But, things do get a bit different when you get into more advanced controls. Pressing the L-trigger on the Xbox controller will cause you to enter into a zoomed in view with your currently equipped weapon. While zoomed in with any weapon, pressing the left analog stick either right or left will cause you to perform a sort of “lean out” maneuver, handy for when you’re pinned down by enemy fire or trying to draw a bead on a baddie that may not have spotted you in a hiding spot. This move is absolutely essential, as pretty much every square inch of every level will be throwing hordes of enemy soldiers your way - soldiers which are both aggressive and good shots. Pressing the B button will cause you to crouch, which is also helpful when teamed up with the lean out move, especially when you find things like boxes or other cover to hide behind while in a firefight. Lastly, the directional pad has two uses: changing weapons and sniper rifle scope activation. Pressing the right or left directions on the pad will cycle through your available weapons, while pressing up or down on it while zoomed in with your sniper rifle will cause you to zoom in on your intended target. The zooming in and out was probably the only complaint I have about the game so far. While responsive, it was a bit awkward using the left trigger to actually activate the zoom, and then having to use the D-pad to actually zoom in and out. But, the game’s is still early, so hopefully the whole transition between the two will be ironed out by the time hits store shelves.

While my time with the game was short, I was able to see a number of the game’s different levels, including places like the jungles of Congo, the backstreets and alleys of Syria, and the snowy locales in Kazakhstan. From what I saw during the demo time I had with the game, each level featured some highly detailed environments, taking into account the unique landscape and areas that you were fighting in. The Congo levels were filled with lush jungle trees and plants, complete with detailed foliage. The levels in Syria, taking place in back alleys and side streets, featured a more claustrophobic feeling. Even levels like Kazakhstan featured a high level of detail, complete with snow covered areas and mountain forests. While the environments were nice to look at, they also served a unique purpose during combat. Using the surroundings is a key aspect of Shadow Ops, so whether you’re in the jungle or a city, you’ll need to quickly be able to take into account your environment and use it to your advantage. Hiding in brush and trees proves useful in Congo while alley walls and other obstacles prove to be invaluable in Syria. It’s a nice change of pace, considering that many FPS games nowadays usually have generic environments that really don’t play that large of a role in the actual gameplay at hand.

The real kicker is that the enemies in the game, thanks to some pretty aggressive AI, will also use the environment to their advantage, meaning that they won’t just be running around aimlessly, waiting for you to take them down at your own leisure. Enemies will station themselves behind things like boxes and other objects, and will even use cover fire to suppress your movement while some of the squad mates may be moving in to flank you from another side. Granted, clever enemy AI is nothing new in the world of video games. But thanks to some extremely cunning AI in the game, you really get a feeling that the enemies out to get our aren’t just “going through the motions.” All levels in the game also featured a heavy emphasis on multi-tiered environments, meaning that enemies on the ground aren’t the only thing that you’ll need to worry about. Windows, balconies, and watch towers are prime real estate and the enemies in the game will use them to their advantage. While it wasn’t too much fun getting picked off by a sniper peeking through a broken window on the second level of a bombed out house, it was still neat to actually know that enemies in the game weren’t constantly “ground bound.”

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the game so far was the truly cinematic approach that Zombie are taking the game towards. The best way I could describe it would be to imagine the first level of most Medal Of Honor games and then apply that intense action and cinematic flair to nearly every square inch of every level in the game. The action is really that intense and realistic. Computer controlled team members are constantly barking out orders or information and enemies act in the same manner. During a firefight you’ll hear enemies yell out commands to their compatriots, complete in accurate and faithful dubbing of their native languages. Good luck hearing them, however, since during particularly heated fights, you’ll be constantly scrambling for cover and trying to dodge the immense amount of firepower being aimed directly at you. While hectic and sometimes confusing, the intensity during the game is a welcome addition for me. It’s nice to see a game really focus on action throughout every single level, rather than just throw some hectic moments at you every now and then. The most impressive level that I saw was the initial campaign in Syria that has you and your squad mates crash landing your helicopter into the main square of an unnamed city in that country. Immediately, you’re thrust into a blazing battle with bullets and rockets flying everywhere. Both violent and intense, the scene is reminiscent of ones from films like Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down and does a great job of really conveying the idea that you’re taking part in the fight and are up against some pretty big odds at getting out alive. The multitude of voice over work also helps to create this atmosphere and the voice clips you do hear over the barrage of gunfire and explosions are both confusing (in a good way) and realistic, since your teammates are just as much surprised by the ambush as you are.

While the game’s Summer release is still a bit down the road, from what I’ve seen so far Atari and Zombie are doing a great job at creating an FPS that will hopefully help break that genre out of its current and ongoing funk of “been there, done that.” With some truly intense combat and impressive cinematic presentation, Shadows Ops: Red Mercury could very well be the FPS to watch out for these next few months.