Raphael Van Lierop, 3D Realms’ new creative director, said last week two big 3D Realms announcements were coming this year and one of them has been revealed today: Earth No More. The new game is a PC, Xbox 360 & PS3 shooter set for release in 2009 from ex-Max Payne developer Recoil Gamers.
American games magazine Game Informer had the scoop and CVG transcribes Earth No More as looking like 28 Days Later crossed with War of the Worlds, but without any of the aliens.
The storyline describes a small New England town quarantined due to a mysterious outbreak. Poison red Vines spread quickly, terraforming the environment and surrounding wildlife. Trying to avoid genre clichés, the source of the spore isn’t from space, but man’s own abuse and tampering of mother earth. The main focus of the game will be on human interaction, with a conversation mechanic said to rival that of the Xbox 360 exclusive Mass Effect.
You play as a young man in the epicentre of the outbreak, along with a team of four friends each with their own back stories, motivations and secrets. You’ll get to see “real character growth” in the game. Similar to Half-Life 2, Earth No More is completely without cut-scenes and features a team mechanic similar to that of Valve’s shooter.
Recoil Gamers promises online co-op for the entire campaign, allowing players to jump in and control single-player enemies much like upcoming PC shooter The Crossing. With a 2009 release date for Earth No More, CVG jokes it’s a bit early to get excited, but would be willing to take bets it’ll be out before Duke Nukem Forever. 😛