Gamers, it's been a long time since we've heard from 3D Realms.
You know the story: After umpteen years working on Duke Nukem Forever, 3D Realms finally gave up allowed Gearbox Software to buy the rights to all things Duke. (Gearbox subsequently did what it could to finish Duke Nukem Forever, but it was still a flop.)
The game was the very definition of "vaporware" and was the undoing of a successful studio. The last time 3D Realms published a game, it was 2006's Prey. Last year, Interceptor Entertainment — creator of Rise of the Triad — bought the 3D Realms brand whole hog.
Okay, history lesson over.
Today, 3D Realms has unveiled its first new title since Interceptor took over last year. It's called Bombshell, and it was first announced in 2014, but traces its conception all the way back to 1998. Today is the first time the developer is talking about it, revealing details and imagery, and setting a release date.
Bombshell is an action/RPG game played from an isometric perspective. You'll play as new protagonist Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison, a former bomb technician who years ago wasn't able to disarm a bomb made by an evil alien race called the "Kyrr." That blast is remembered now as an event called "The Washington Incident." Shelly lost her arm in the explosion and was discharged from the military, and the President went missing.
Just prior to the game, a private contractor approaches Shelly with an offer of a new arm (made from alien tech recovered from the bomb blast) and a chance at redemption. Outfitted with a mechanical arm, Shelly embarks on a journey across alien worlds, searching for the missing President and trying to save Earth from the evil Kyrr and the mad scientist who leads them, one "Jadus Heskel." He's probably this handsome devil right here:
While the gameplay looks fast and fierce, Shelly has her own skill tree, allowing you to upgrade her abilities and weapons as the game progresses. Front and center in those upgrades is her machine arm, which 3D Realms says is capable of "countless configurations." (Think of it kind of like having an arm made of leftover Transformers tech.)
Longtime 3D Realms fans may be scratching their heads at the thought of this developer doing an isometric game, when the brand was known for introducing the world to first-person shooters. Bombshell sets itself apart from other isometrics by allowing players to use the familiar controls of a first-person shooter. And in case you couldn't tell from the trailer, the shooting is extremely fast-paced.
Bombshell is coming later this year for PC and consoles, though 3D Realms' press release stopped short of saying which ones. It's a safe bet that Xbox One and PS4 will be included, though.
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