When it comes to multiplayer shooters, most games "innovate" through level design, fun weapons, and game variations that go beyond the simple deathmatch or objective game modes. Double Action: Boogaloo is not one of those games.
The spiritual successor to The Specialists, a popular Half-Life mod originally released in 2002, Double Action is a third-person multiplayer shooter that has more in common with bullet-ballet action movies like The Matrix and stylish action-shooters like Max Payne than its traditional deathmatch brethren. Think slow-motion sideways dives around corners, firing two golden pistols as a flock of doves takes flight behind you.
Double Action: Boogaloo was created by Double Action Factory, a collection of modders including a few who originally built The Specialists. It's been in development since 2011. Despite a failed $18,000 Kickstarter in mid-2013, the team forged ahead, and the free-to-play standalone multiplayer game launched on Steam last week.
Like Max Payne, the game features "bullet time," which lets players slow time to nail precise shots. Players are awarded style points for landing shots while diving, flipping, sliding, and generally looking awesome, earning both precious seconds of slow-mo and points. (Matches are won by the most stylish player, not the one with the most kills.)
I jumped into a few matches to get the feel of the double-barrel stylish action. The graphics are nothing spectacular, but the core gameplay is fun. Five character perks grant various bonuses to suit your style—I favored the athletic perk that let my character dive and slide slightly faster and further than others. Like other shooters, gun options vary from simple pistols to fully-automatic assault rifles, but weapon power is balanced by weaker weapons offering double or even triple style points. It might be harder to take someone down with a pistol than a shotgun, but pull it off and you'll be rewarded in style—literally.
Double Action might not be the next Titanfall or Battlefield, but it's a unique take on the often-stale multiplayer shooter genre, and total bread-and-butter for those wanting to play out the subway shootout between Neo and Agent Smith. (The game even has an abandoned train station map.)
