ORION: Prelude Message Board

I’m in two minds about this multiplayer shooter from the ORION: Prelude team that somehow isn’t ORION: Prelude. Is ORION: Dino Beatdown a brilliant name for a game, or is it a horrible name for anything? One thing I do know, despite the laudable presence of dinosaurs and jetpacks, I’d be a lot happier if the dinosaurs were actually using the jetpacks. As it is, this is a game of cooperative shooting in which teams of men must survive in massive environments populated by hordes of hungry monster-lizards. And despite my quibbling, it looks pretty damn good.

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Orion: Dino Beatdown is, according to developer Spiral Game Studios, is an "open world, class-based cooperative survival sci-fi FPS." However, despite all those words, we think that description leaves out the interesting bits. Let us rephrase:

Orion: Dino Beatdown is a game about guys with jetpacks on shooting at freaking dinosaurs.

Sound familiar? You might have actually helped fund the development. Last year, Spiral Kickstarted the project under the name Orion: Prelude. Everyone who contributed to that will receive a copy of the game when its March release date hits. Everyone else can pay $9.99.

The platforms have changed from the original plan: consoles are out, and OnLive and Steam are in. But what hasn't changed is the idea of five players in open worlds, picking one of three classes (Assault, i.e. jetpack guys, and two other miscellaneous non-jetpack classes) and surviving endless dinosaur assaults.

There are a number of games wise enough to be including dinosaurs of late, but few have had the sense to also put in jetpacks. (Never forgetting Jetpack Brontosaurus of course.) That’s why Orion: Prelude keeps catching our eye. The team say they’re just through a big internal deadline, and to celebrate they’ve put together some footage of their latest accomplishments. Which are mostly dinosaurs and jetpacks in a very pretty world pre-alpha multiplayer. Take a look below.

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Spiral send word that they have a new video out, this time showing a playable dinosaur in action, and some jumping/shooting behaviour. Mr Dino looks fantastic, frankly. The team have also done a big old write up of what they’ve been up to in the past month over here.

Go take a look, below…(more…)

Feast your eyes on some Alpha gameplay of Orion: Prelude's multiplayer!

I really wish Orion: Prelude would hurry up. I feel like we’ve been posting about it for six hundred years. It’s actually only been about eight months, making me massively unfair. But still. The exciting news today? TWICE AS MANY DINOSAURS! Spiral’s FPS multiplayer will now include the T-Rex, raptor, rham-phorynchus (as everyone was expecting), stegosaurus, argentinosaurus, and crowd favourite, triceratops. There’s pictures of them below, and some screenshots (at last), along with an amazing new video.

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Sign up for the PC multiplayer beta and shoot down Tyrannosaurs!

Orion: Prelude seems to be getting a fair bit of press. Why is that? Well, it’s because the game features Tribes-like jetpacks, Halo-like jeeps and, uh, Cretaceous-era-like dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus. (In fact their recent email to us the devs finished the subject line with (DINOSAURS!) just to be clear, or maybe because they still can’t quite believe it. Thpse chaps from Spiral were showing all this stuff at GDC, AND I DIDN’T GET TO SEE IT FOR SOME REASON, but anyway they released a trailer of it all going on, which you can see below. So it’s all fine, I suppose.

They should also release some screenshots. Video below. (more…)

Jetpacks? Check. Dinosaurs? Check. Mechs? Yep, it's got that too.

Never-before-seen artwork and footage featured in this unparalleled look into the ORION universe!

Take another peek into the world of ORION: Prelude in this trailer revealing a new suit and new environments!

Spiral Game Studios is a developer with a simple dream: to make a game with dinosaurs and jetpacks in it. To help it achieve this beautiful goal, the developer has opened a Kickstarter page, seeking funding for the completion of its PC/XBLA/PSN first-person shooter Orion: Prelude.

The funding will help Spiral work on a multiplayer beta, get a build ready for GDC and, most importantly, add more people to the team. For your pledge, you'll get a gift from Spiral Game Studios, such as concept art, a T-shirt, a soundtrack, or, for the few who part with $1,000 or more, an Achievement in your name plus exclusive weapons and armor.

Most importantly, you get to play the completed game.

Forget zombies and Nazis! Who wouldn't rather hunt the king of the prehistoric jungle? Dinosaurs are AWESOME.