Game news This 20-year-old SF MMO is reinventing itself with a new FPS. I played the very promising EVE Vanguard
10 years after the Big Bang which saw it born on PC, the largest SF MMO on the video game market clumsily launched itself into the conquest of a new genre – the FPS – with the success that we know him to be. Dust 514 was on the front line for only 3 years before retiring. In 2024, the CCP troops try their luck once again, but not without having learned from their past mistakes. Eve Vanguard is taking first-person shooters by storm. Beware. He could create a surprise.
What is EVE Vanguard?
Eve Vanguard is not a “simple” module grafted somehow to the MMO “Eve Online”. This FPS (for First Person Shooter) aims to attract a whole new type of player while lastingly shaking up a science fiction universe among the largest in the industry, and even all media combined (with the exception of literature). However, the beta phases do not aim to forge a strong link between the two video game entities. On the contrary, CCP initially wishes to refine the gameplay loop of its first-person shooter by increasing the number of skirmishes on the surface of a hostile planet. This second “First Strike” focused mainly on the deployment of troops, loot, gunfights and collaboration in squads of 3 against AI and other “human” clones.
Much more than “EVE Online FPS”
Playing conditions
CCP has opened the doors of its FPS to all EVE Online subscribers called “Omega players” during an event organized online called “First Strike” which takes place from February 22 (12:00 p.m. UTC) to February 26, 2024 (12:00 p.m. UTC). This second “beta phase” gave me the opportunity to explore the “Carrion” map on the Genesis star and to test the gameplay improvements made by the Icelandic studios during a one-hour session on PC. The following article focuses solely on my gaming experience.
My first moments in Eve Vanguard were very similar to those of December 2023: an austere gray interface and a cracked deployment on the surface of a single map called “Carrion”. In fact, little has changed visually and structurally on the planet “Genesis”. Certainly, the environments seem to have gained in finesse and detail, but nothing truly revolutionary. In three months, the opposite would have been surprising. The fact remains that this desert star littered with disembowelled carcasses of spaceships always has a little effect on the transfixed science fiction lover that I am. I take undisguised pleasure in wandering around and (re)discovering this unique place which honors the richness of its illustrious model: Eve Online.
It is essential before donning the clone armor to grasp the essence of this first-person experience which consciously moves away from the traditional shooter. There is no question here of shooting everything that moves and chaining together “frags”. Eve Vanguard is structured around missions to be completed for this or that faction before extracting itself from the planet (or not, for that matter). Death is not an end in itself in this FPS. As a clone, I can “resurrect” provided I have harvested enough biomass to create a new “me” or decide to end my stellar excursion. It all depends on the contracts accepted beforehand and the personal objectives that I had set for myself alone or with my squad.
Eve Vanguard can be enjoyed solo, but takes on its full meaning with others. It is possible and strongly recommended to join two other players to form a contingent of three clones sharing the same goal. It’s all about coordination and collaboration. If the AIs that monitor strategic locations present a relative challenge, it is different for the other “humans” parachuted on site who may have the mission of eliminating us or going about their business. Discretion then becomes a major ally because ammunition and equipment are scarce. There is a crafting system, but it requires resources to be gleaned on site and therefore taking risks.
The gunfights seem to have gained “a little” in intensity since December 2023, even if the feeling of weapons in hand remains fundamentally the same. It is pleasant to shoot down a target with the game’s unique weapon. Indeed, Eve Vanguard’s only arsenal is an assault rifle that can switch between different types of ammunition. Simple limitation on paper, I find this lack of variety somewhat frustrating after several missions. However, the heart of the experience is found (and it is very personal) in the apprehension, then the understanding of one’s environment and in the ability to avoid unnecessary deaths to better concentrate on the objective at hand. In a nutshell, be a clone serving the highest bidder.