It is the year 2600. Advances in deep-space travel allowed mankind to venture beyond our solar system to explore other far-flung worlds, solar systems, and galaxies. Many of the Earth's population have long since left to form new colonies on the inhabitable worlds in the neighbouring Besalius binary star system. With only rudimentary defence systems manned by a skeleton compliment of military personnel, the Colonies lay exposed and vulnerable in the middle of uncharted space; rich pickings for anyone with a grudge against the human race. Shortly after the final shuttle of colonists arrived in 2602, the colonies were caught off-guard by an aggressive attack from a highly belligerent alien race which the Colonists nicknamed The Breed. Features: ORIGINAL AND ABSORBING SCENARIO The storyline not only provides a foundation for the game's setting, it also forms the basis for much of the game's action (not to mention its appeal to the target demographic: young males with a taste for science fiction). SEAMLESS TERRAIN / ORBIT TRANSITION Thanks in no small part to the amazing technical capabilities of the Mercury game engine, Players can pilot their crafts from outer space, head through the Earth's atmosphere, then continue their journey down to the planet's surface. CO-EXISTING REAL-TIME BATTLES Breed's unique 'gameplay kernel' allows various aspects of a mission to be played out simultaneously in space or on the planet itself. In this respect, players can choose to tackle many of the missions in radically different ways, further enhancing Breed's replay value. SHARED VEHICLE CONTROL Something an underused feature in multi-player games, players can now work co-operatively to operate vehicles (e.g. one player drives a tank, the other fires the turret). LAN & ONLINE PLAY Up to sixteen players can participate in a multi-player game after connecting via LAN or the Internet, further heightening the experience. Additionally, players can work in isolation or co-operatively in order to tackle the game's missions. IMMERSIVE SOUND SYSTEM A custom-built 3D sound engine allows multiple voice 'radio chatter' from friendly forces (all friendly units also have mission-specific informative speech to assist the player). This cleverly crafted technology also allows for more realistic environments through the use of layered background FX. AMAZING ARRAY OF VEHICLES The game boasts a wide diversity of vehicles, ranging from Fighters (launched from the USC Darwin mothership), Jeeps, Tanks, APCs, and Dropships. Players also have the ability to steal Breed vehicles to use in their battles for supremacy. 30+ HOURS OF CONTINUOUS ACTION Thanks to the wide variety of missions and Playing Modes, coupled with the fact that the player can choose to tackle many of the game's missions in radically different ways, Breed offers an estimated 30+ hours of continuous arcade action. MULTIPLE PLAYER VIEWPOINTS Thanks to the flexibility of the Mercury engine, Breed allows the player to choose between 1st or 3rd person viewpoints for any vehicle, thus providing greater scope for the gameplay and expanding the target audience. 25+ MISSIONS AND CAMPAIGNS Breed boasts a huge array of Single and Multi-Player missions based on Earth and in orbit, many with multiple objectives (which allows missions to be tackled in a variety of different ways). WIDE VARIETY OF PLAYING MODES Players can choose to participate in a full Single Player Campaign, tackle a single mission, join a Multi-Player frag-fest, or fight co-operatively with up to 15 other players. STREAMLINED USER INTERFACE Breed does away with complicated menus and cursors; by using simple icons, keeping buttons to a bare minimum, and keeping controls consistent between vehicle types, the player can focus on the game in hand rather than mastering the controls. CINEMATIC QUALITY 3D GRAPHICS Not only does Breed's engine permit the use of real-time cinematic cut scenes, it also allows a greater level of detail for the game's environments, vehicles, weapons, and special effects. VAST ARRAY OF WEAPONRY Thanks to the fact that Grunts are capable of collecting and using both Earth and Breed technology, players have a huge array of innovative weapons at their disposal. Additionally, players can also utilise, within reason, lighter armaments mounted to certain vehicles.