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Dystopia, mod of the gods
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If there were Greek Gods, then this is the mod they'd play. Most modifications for HL2 these days have some good ideas, some original ideas, or some fun gameplay. Usually they can carry two of three. This one has it all.
Dystopia is a futuristic cyberpunk's wet dream. Half "meatspace" (a term meaning physical life) and half cyberspace, the mod takes multiplayer gaming to new levels in a fantastic way. Three classes, a bevy of weapons, and twelve "implants" and abilities mean that you'll never lack for customization. You could be a heavily reinforced warmachine toting a minigun, like our big red friend up top, or a lightly armored hacker capable of turning mostly invisible and cutting foes apart with an energy-powered katana.
The concept of the game is the original idea. Some objectives are solely in meatspace, for example pushing a button to turn off a power generator. Some are in cyberspace, for example hacking a firewall to enable server access. The brilliance of this is that there are no maps which can be solely won based on just one aspect; you will have to be a hacker as well as a fragger in order to complete the mission.
Cyberspace itself is visually stunning. Miriad bright colors, energy fields, pulsing modem-like entities, and enemy hacker trails are present on your screen. This is not a game for an epileptic, let me tell you that. "Deckers", named for the Cyberdeck implant that allows them to hack into cyberspace, battle each other in a virtual world where normal rules don't apply. Gravity is subjective; certain "sticky" surfaces change your orientation. Suddenly you will be battling an enemy hacker whose floor is your ceiling, or your ceiling is his horizontal wall. Acceleration is not a constant; the longer you move, the less inertia means to you as you bounce off surfaces, enemies, and projectiles.
Meatspace itself is a visual pleaser, too. Fanciful futuristic office chairs, power generators, cloning vats, energy fields, nuclear missile silos, laser nets, it has everything a future cyberpunk junkie could want. Dark urban environments lead to underground mining facilities, fortresses can lead to city streets, and an assembly line can lead to a packed server facility. There is as much variety to the visuals as there is to the gameplay, and that's no joke.
When it comes to good ideas, Dystopia has a barrelful. One of the joys of a good multiplayer game is how classes support each other, and Dystopia has that in spades. Certain weapons, like the electricity shooting Tesla rifle, are better for handling groups than single heavily armed enemies. Others, like the auto-tracking Smartlock Dueling Pistols, can shred individual people in seconds. Implants like the Mediplant will heal your team faster than it heals you, and the TAC scanner allows not just you but your whole team to see enemies positions and health through walls.
Good teams have a mix of weapons, implants, and strategies. A light player can take either a coldsuit or a stealthsuit; the latter makes him invisible to anyone using normal vision. However, since every class can take the Thermal Vision upgrade, stealthers aren't completely invisible. If your team has a pile of stealthers, you can wear a coldsuit. That way, whenever an enemy turns on thermals to see your stealthed buddies, suddenly you disappear from their vision entirely.
Other good ideas? A massively amazing development team, working on peanuts handed out by adoring fans, who enjoy the game rather than make it for money. These guys are doing it for the simple fact that they love it, and it shows in every aspect of the mod.
Fun gameplay is clear evidence of this. My heart will pound, knowing that I have mere seconds to hack an enemy barrier and decrypt it's target cyberswitch before my team can no longer hold back the defenders and I get my head chopped off while I'm in cyberspace. Sneaky out a victory through a well-timed stealther slipping past entire groups of heavy players with rockets, ion beams, and miniguns is thrilling and psychotically difficult sometimes. Levels include quirks like entire catwalks that can be pulled out from under the enemy team, killing half their group or more in seconds, or a gigantic laser triggered in cyberspace that fries a hole in the wall. Dystopia had the dynamic spawn actions down far before Team Fortress 2 hit the scene, and I'm pretty sure that VALVe owes the dev team some credit for that one.
You simply can't beat mods like this when it comes to the whole package. Some, like The Hidden or Eternal Silence, have great ideas but get bogged down in learning curves or tricky and buggy gameplay. Dystopia is a cut above, because there's something for everyone. If you're an "awper" from Counter-Strike, grab a laser rifle and snipe away. If you're a crazy, no-holds barred UT3 fragger, grab a grenade launcher and go nuts. If you're a sneaky bastard who likes sticking it to the man with a big sword, you've found the right game.
If you want exciting gameplay, stunning visuals, and some of the greatest ideas in the business, you play Dystopia. You can download it through Steam for free. That's right kids, no denero. Eat your heart out, web-pirates. This stuff is being given to you on a silver platter. Opportunities like this are what revolutionize game industries and start crazes, and this team is well on its way to the top. Watch them, play the game, and get ready to have a good time.
