Rush'N Attack: Ex-Patriot Preview

Gotta go back in tiiiiiiime...

In a world not too far different from our own, in a future not too hard to imagine, you find yourself in a dark, dank prison cell being held hostage by a faceless, nameless enemy. Your government? No help from them. But from somewhere, you've found your knife. With no other options, it looks like it's time to cut yourself a way out... and a way home.

Rush & Attack: Ex-Patriot is a renewal of a franchise not seen in 25 years. In classic side-scrolling and NES action, you play a (so far) nameless soldier, held captive and alone, in a military compound. Just like the original NES game, you start out with just your trusty knife, but along the way as you kill baddies, you can pick up new weapons. The only one actually on display was a rocket launcher, but there will be more when the game starts inching closer to conclusion.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to actually play the game (the guy showing it off wasn't allowed to drop the controller, no matter how much the press – meaning me – tried to bribe him), so I can't say for sure just how it handles. But it seemed to also be true to the classic platformer with a few new techniques thrown in (like throwing an enemy off a ledge they're precariously close to, or hiding in an open doorway for some extra stealth). There is a story here, and though there aren't any details yet on it, from a teaser at the end of the demo it looks like another giant mech will be standing in your way...

There is one thing for certain, though: This won't be the standard left-to-right sprint to the finish. The world is made up of three massive, multi-tiered environments that are meant to be explored and dissected in that loving “Metroid-vania” kind of way. Only one was on display, so it's unknown just how much actual exploration will be available, but it's designed to be as open as a 2D world can get, with a lot of little nooks and crannies to slip into and out of.

Sadly, other details are very slim at the moment (much like their new Silent Hill title), but it's still early in the cycle. Keep an eye out, though, it'll be droppin' like a bomb on the XBLA and Playstation Networks in the fall. Grab your bandana and get ready for a fight!