Hybrid - Xbox 360

Jetpacks Can Only Get You So Far

2012-08-13T22:31:00Z

In the crowded shooter market, a new series has a lot of competition. Being low on the totem pole, a new game not only needs to be competent, it also needs a unique hook to pull players away from their favorite shooters. On the surface it seems Hybrid does just that by using jetpacks alongside a highly strategized cover system, but the lack of freeform flying limits the experience. The formula is still fun, but Hybrid’s novelty wears off quickly.

Hybrid’s plot synopsis is cryptic: An alien race has touched down and competes with humans over a sacred resource called dark matter. You can join up with either the Variants or Paladins, factions in direct competition for dark matter pockets scattered across an expansive, Earth-shaped map. Both teams are locked in a power struggle to control areas of the map. No stage is off-limits, but selecting to battle in a hot zone offers additional experience points. The map has a surprising amount of depth as the choices impact doing what’s best for you (extra XP) or what’s best for your faction (capturing a valuable area). This feature is even more intriguing because you’re entrusting your teammates (strangers) to make the right call. In a world where many look out for number one, Hybrid captures a realistic choice with every match you play, which was my favorite part about the game.

Hybrid does a nice job of providing choices around every corner. Matches feature special side missions for extra XP, such as getting a certain kill or headshot count. Matchmaking preferences let you hone in on the playstyle you prefer, but some lobby wait times are excruciatingly long – I waited about five minutes for a match to start, and that was on the Saturday night immediately after Hybrid’s release. Plenty of the modes are borrowed from other series, such as Crazy Kings and King of the Hill from Halo. The familiar modes are varied, but it wouldn’t have hurt 5th Cell to include more unique match types suited to Hybrid’s particular style.

Before you enter a match, Hybrid offers even more choices regarding your weapon, ability, and specialization. The amount of choice to customize your character to your playstyle is notable. From the onset, I felt like I could alter the game to my strengths without waiting for unlocks through leveling. More selections are unlocked over time, but if you want new guns or abilities right away, you can spend Microsoft Points to acquire them. That doesn’t seem to skew the action in the pay-to-win direction; with a little patience, you can earn everything can buy. The wait never felt too long to get a worthwhile unlockable.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Gunning down enemies is plenty fun, but 5th Cell tries to add a new hook with rocket-propelled movement. You battle opponents while launching between cover using a jetpack. The jetpack controls aren’t the smoothest, though, as you’re not entirely free flying. You aim at cover and fly towards it, but after that, you’re on autopilot. You can break the flight by choosing another piece of cover to fly to, using a speed boost, or strafing away from enemies. In the frenzy of battle, this is problematic, as it can cause you to overshoot where you want to land. The lack of complete control, when every other portion of the game provides it, is unfortunate.

In Hybrid, you’re never safe from enemy fire. Opponents attack you from all directions, even while you hang upside down. The cover system allows you to also strafe and vault to secure better positions, adding an extra level of strategy on the battlefield. Additionally, you earn drone rewards based on kill streaks; the higher your streak, the better drones you have to deploy. A weak drone might shoot down enemies from a distance, while a powerful one can unleash sneaky instant kills.

Drones make battles more intense, but their AI is awful about detecting your intent and line of fire. Many times I missed kills because my drone blocked my gunfire. Even items like grenades bounce off a drone if it's in front of you. The result is realistic, but a bonus for success shouldn’t come with such frustration.

The lack of map variety is by far the most disappointing aspect of Hybrid. During my playtime, I thought the game featured only two or three locations, simply because every map looks and plays almost identically. For 5th Cell, who brought us the creatively inspired Scribblenauts, the lack of originality burns, especially in a game that’s entirely multiplayer-centric.

Hybrid proves that you can’t depend on a few flashy additions to rev up the shooting genre; innovation needs to go into every area possible for a game to stand out. The jetpacks and cover system are twists on standard third-person firefights, but lose their allure quickly due to uninteresting maps and the reliance on modes from other popular games. That’s not to say the game isn’t entertaining, but it lacks the staying power to keep you hooked. The goal is noble, but Hybrid doesn’t turn the third-person shooter on its head.

New Video Highlights Hybrid's Persistent World

2012-07-30T18:37:16Z

Scribblenauts' developer 5th Cell is taking a unique approach to third-person shooters in its upcoming Xbox Live Arcade game, Hybrid. Players don't have complete control over their characters, or at least not in the traditional sense. Instead, combatants float from cover point to cover point. Another interesting aspect of the game is its persistent war, the outcome of which is affected by the results of individual matches.

Players pick a faction when they start the game for the first time, and then its up to them to help win the larger war. To do so, they'll have to play matches to earn dark matter. Once factions claim enough of the coveted substance, the war is over and the battle resets. Players keep their stats and unlockables, and factions can earn special rewards based on the outcome of each war. Even though it's supposed to be a mark of shame, the paper-bag mask that the losers unlock is actually pretty sweet looking.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Look for the game in early August on Xbox Live Arcade.

5th Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka On Hybrid

2012-04-26T03:11:00Z

We still have a lot of questions about 5th Cell's downloadable online shooter Hybrid. Luckily, 5th Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka was willing to answer them for us. You can read our latest preview of Hybrid in the May issue of Game Informer, but if you're looking for more insight on the creative shooter, here's our unabridged interview.

Can you give us a breakdown of the world of Hybrid?

Well, the world that Hybrid takes place in has also changed quite a bit. In 2032, a Large Hadron Supercollider imploded, completely obliterating Australia. The world was sent into turmoil; pockets of dark matter appeared all across the world. An alternate reality collided with our own, leading to the emergence of a humanoid species known as the Variant. As time became stuck, replaying itself in a constant loop, chaos ensued and war broke out worldwide between the Variants and a group of humans known as the Paladins. Both believing that control of Dark Matter to be the key, they battle to return time to its natural flow.

How many maps will there be?

There will be 10 unique maps all with distinct themes and art.

How do the Paladin and Variant factions differ? Will they have different weapons or abilities?

The Paladins and Variants are only superficially different. We wanted to create a competitive yet fair online environment with a level playing field, regardless of which side you choose. Apart from their appearance and background, we purposefully have made the two factions very similar.

Will players switch between which faction they play as, or stick with one side the entire time?

You won’t be able to change factions on the fly. There are restrictions put in place to help players associate and become loyal to their teams, as well prevent them from abandoning ship when their faction falls behind.

Will you unlock weapons and abilities for just the faction you’re playing as, or both at the same time?

There are faction-specific weapons, but eventually, no matter which side you play on, you can unlock all weapons and abilities from both sides. Regardless of which side you choose, you’ll get to experience the entire game.

You mentioned in our previous interview that players can summon AI squad units. Will there be a lot of AI enemies in battles?

The units are called Drones. They are killstreak rewards based off how many kills you get in a row before you die. You don’t have to use them immediately and are maintained even after death.

There are three different types: Stalker, Warbringer, and Preyon. The Stalker, awarded after just one kill, follows you around the map and replicates your actions. The Warbringer, awarded after three straight kills, is a heavily armored, floating turret that operates completely autonomously. Finally, the Preyon, awarded after five [kills in a row] acts like a heat-seeking missile. She will deal a one-hit kill if she’s not taken out before reaching her target.

Do AI squad units work on a timer, or stick around until they die? Does killing AI units factor into the battle/score, or is it strictly PvP?

All units are continuously on the map until they are killed, meaning there could be up to 18 drones up at once, in addition to the six players. Drone kills will factor into the overall score, but they are recorded separately from player kills.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Hybrid is that there will be a persistent online world war. Is this meant to be one never-ending battle, or will one side win periodically and reset the world? Will there be story tie-ins to how each faction is performing?

There are “epochs” which have time frames completely determined by the player’s actions. There is no set time or period in which the war officially ends, but it is up to the players to be the catalyst that forces time to eventually reconstruct and a new epoch to begin. It could take anywhere from two to four weeks for this to happen, depending on the skill of the players.

Each battle helps push your faction closer toward the collection of Dark Matter – the ultimate goal being to collect more than the opposing team. There are story tie-ins, but we can’t say more than this just yet.

Another surprising aspect of Hybrid is its control scheme, which has players place waypoints that their characters automatically travel between. How does this affect the game flow? Is gameplay more strategy oriented? Or does not having to worry about movement create more action?

What we are doing with Hybrid is marrying a familiar experience, shooters, with something completely unique. If you’ve ever played a shooter, you will immediately notice many familiar facets of the genre – but we’ve combined that with the completely new style of movement for a distinct experience.

Movement is something that’s never been touched before, so we thought it would bring and awesome new dynamic to the game. You focus more on the combat because you’re not worried about where you’re going next or how to stay out of the line of fire. Moves are very deliberate, but you still feel a unique sense of freedom in your ability to place more focus on the actual combat.

Who do you think will perform better in Hybrid, strategy- or action-oriented gamers?

Although in many ways Hybrid is strategy based, action-oriented gamers will definitely perform better. Hybrid is, at its core, a fast-paced shooter.

Hybrid’s multiplayer matches are limited to 3 vs. 3 conflicts. Did you experiment with larger matches? What makes the smaller size the right fit for Hybrid?

No. We always knew that 3 vs. 3 would be the right combo for Hybrid.

XBLA games typically have a smaller audience than retail titles do. Since this is a multiplayer-only title, we wanted to make sure that the matchmaking system would have no problems. Additionally, we really wanted to give it an arcade-style feeling of “get in, have fun, get out,” without having to invest hours in a single session. With 3 vs. 3 matches we could make the maps smaller, and the game faster paced. And with the addition of up to 18 Drones on the field, it can actually make for a much bigger game than you would anticipate.

Expect more information on Hybrid as we approach its Summer release. In the meantime, you can sign up for the beta now at www.whatishybrid.com.

Get To Know The Game Through A Guided Tour

2012-04-20T15:34:03Z

Hybrid is packed with unusual ideas for a third-person shooter – such as how players don't freely move their characters – so it's probably best to see the game in action. Fortunately, a new video is here to help. Check out the clip to get a tour of the game's major highlights from 5th Cell CEO and creative director Jeremiah Slaczka.

As Bryan pointed out in his earlier preview for the game, it may take a little while to get used to Hybrid's movement system. Instead of freely traversing the game's environments, players point their target where they'd like to go, and the game takes care of the rest. Slaczka explains that the only ground movement in the game takes place when characters are behind cover. Slaczka doesn't think that cuts down on strategy though. See how it works and more in the video below.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

You Can Sign Up For Hybrid's Beta Right Now

2012-03-20T15:05:00Z

We were told there would be beta details for the Xbox Live Arcade game Hybrid soon, and now you can sign up.

You can click here to sign up for the beta, which will be starting in April. In the meantime, you can check out the new trailer below and fresh batch of screens.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Hybrid Gets Summer Release Date And A New Trailer

2012-01-31T15:09:00Z

The last time we heard about Hybrid, was when it got delayed in May last year. Developer 5th Cell is ready to talk about the game again, and have released a new trailer.

Hybrid looks much different from 5th Cell’s last game, Super Scribblenauts. It’s apparently a combination of action and real time strategy, hence the title Hybrid.

The delay announced in May allowed the developer time to redesign the characters and environments, lock down the framerate, and allow on-the-fly customization. The delay also allowed for a “reveal of the world map and persistent online world war.”

Hybrid is an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive and should be releasing this summer, pending any additional delays.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Scribblenauts Creators Pull Back The Curtain On Hybrid

2011-03-04T18:15:00Z

Developer 5th Cell is finally finished teasing its upcoming downloadable third-person multiplayer shooter. We went hands-on with Hybrid to try out its unique take on the genre.

Hybrid was cryptically announced last year, and 5th Cell dispersed the first story details last month. If you haven't followed the news, the game takes place in the future when an asteroid hits Earth and kills a significant slice of the population. Two factions, the Paladins and Variants, fight for control of the world in a persistent online battle. 5th Cell isn't clarifying how this aspect will work exactly, but we did see a huge map of Europe split into several territories.

Our demo focused primarily on combat and the new mechanics. Players battle it out on relatively contained maps in 3v3 battles. The developer wants fast and exciting fights that last no more than 10 minutes before you move on to the next one.

So where's the wild hook of innovation that normally defines of 5th Cell game? It's in the movement. Character movement is not controlled directly. You can only target and move between cover points by hitting the face buttons. The dev explains that when they researched real firefights, they found that, surprise surprise, people don't circle strafe and bunny hop their way to victory. The team wanted to capture that tense cover to cover feeling in a shooter and came up with this system. Cover points are scattered all throughout maps – even on walls and ceilings you can access with jump jets and stick to the surfaces. The mechanic feels strange at first, but once you get used to it, it adds a tactical twist to the proceedings.

A wide variety of shotguns, assault rifles, and sniper rifles are available before a match and at respawn. A single special ability can also be equipped, including talents like a poison shot, grenade, extra shielding, or infinite ammo. All of these are only activated for a specific window of time, and players must wait through a cooldown period until they can use them again.

Another key tool for survival is the ability to summon reinforcements. Every time you get a kill, you earn a point to spend on bringing in an AI character to help out. One point gets you a standard soldier that sticks close to you and shoots what you shoot. Two points gets a tank character who's almost like a walking turret. Three points unlocks the assassin, who will run off and sneak up on enemies on their own.

In addition to these reinforcement points, players receive experience points when they take down an enemy. Though 5th Cell wouldn't confirm if this is tied into a character progression system or if it has something to do with the persistent world war, we're definitely looking forward to finding out more.

Hybrid has only been announced for Xbox Live Arcade at this point, but 5th Cell is not ruling out other platforms.