Dust 514 is just yet another example of all that glitters is not gold. Just because a game looks superb on the paper, doesn’t mean that the gameplay will also feel the same and Dust 514 points in that direction.
It’s easily understood that the development team at CCP Shanghai wanted to come out with a title that would take the next big step in the evolution of MMOs in the industry and would even be better than most FPS or RPG titles in the market. However, when you aim for such high standards, there are bound to be mistakes and Dust has fallen prey to those mistakes.
Perhaps the biggest complaint about Dust 514 is the fact that the game has a totally messed up gameplay when it comes to shooting. Basically, something surely doesn’t feel right when you hold a gun. As far as shooters go in the industry, the main thing is to feel right when you take up a piece of gear and aim at the nearest enemy player. With Dust 514, however, you struggle to aim at an enemy, let alone fire the gun.
The developers could have done so much more with the in-game controls because it feels like the controls are a bit sluggish and doesn’t want to comply with the orders of the players, and we have not even started discussing about the vehicular combat that the game has to provide.
As far as in-game vehicles are concerned, the word is sloppy. Getting into a vehicle feels sloppy, driving the thing around the universe feels sloppy, and mostly anything related to vehicles in Dust 514 feels sloppy. Apart from being sloppy, even if you do manage to find the enthusiasm to ride the vehicle around the landscapes, you will know that the controls are mapped to the same analog stick by default, and it’s difficult to guide them perfectly through the different terrains. And what’s with all the bumps and jerks on the road?
However, it’s not all bad with Dust 514. The fact that the game does not offer graphics that are a treat for the eyes, to an extent, makes up with some well laid maps that support combat that makes the game a bit bearable. But that too is a bit dated and limited that fails to give you that experience where you want to feel like you are travelling from one planet to other trying to impose your authority.
Talking about the in-game graphics, it’s extremely woeful and doesn’t offer anything that we haven’t already seen with other MMOs in the market. The colors are not generated properly and look drab with the usual texture related issues that will see you stuck in a terrain not knowing how to proceed and eventually getting shot by the enemy player.
For those who are yet to play Dust 514, the game has a lot of in-game transactions that lets you buy gear that you need during the gameplay, either be it in-game currency or real life currency. But the real problem with that arises if you die. You lose all that you have gained or bought once you die, and although it seems like an interesting thing to do just to increase the level of competitiveness, but what happens to all those who are still getting used to the game?
Dust 514, as it seems, wanted to achieve a lot via just one title, and with the end result being not something any developing company would be proud of. Almost everything within the game is messed up one way or the other, and later on it just becomes a serious test of patience as to how long you can keep playing it.
