Intel and Tips
Pariah™ is a slick new first-person shooter (FPS) with an emphasis on fast action. Whether you take on the game's single-player campaign or take on the world via Xbox Live™, you're in for a wild ride. Between the game's upgradeable weapons, high-performance combat vehicles, and brutally aggressive A.I., you're sure to find as much action as you can handle.
Here are a few tips to get you started.
Sometimes the hurt is only temporary.
Damage Diet
Your health meter inPariah is similar to the one used in The Chronicles of Riddick™: Escape from Butcher Bay. You lose health from the individual squares, but it regenerates if you don't lose the entire square. Tactically speaking, this means you can take the first few shots with impunity, provided you can duck back under cover before the damage becomes permanent.
Use this leeway to investigate blind corners. If you start taking damage, get back under cover and heal up before the fight comes to you. (And it will—once they spot you. The A.I. in Pariah is so tight, they'll almost always send multiple units to flush you out, flank you, and take you down.)
This first-hand information can be critical in making the right weapon choice for what lies ahead.
Know Your Foes
The A.I. can be tough, but you can also use their training against them. The enemy will advance on you in tight formation, one scavenger charging while another lays down cover fire. If there's a third, he'll join the fun and try to flank you.
When you launch a grenade at them, they'll scatter—and you can exploit this to your advantage. Be ready to switch to your Bulldog or Sniper Rifle as soon as you drop the grenade among them. If they stay under cover, they'll get it from the explosion. If they break cover and run, they're easy pickings for a head shot.
Likewise, if the enemy is coming for you, consider retreating around a corner or until your back's against a wall. Since they will definitely come looking for you, all you have to do is pick them off as they come into range. In tight spaces like hallways, one well-placed grenade can turn a five-on-one mismatch into a none-on-one cakewalk for you.
Have you upgraded wisely?
Building a Better Bulldog
You can collect Weapon Energy Cores to upgrade your gear in both single and multiplayer. They're found in fixed locations during the campaign, but in team games, you'll find them among the booty that your defeated foes leave behind.
Never leave one of these pick-ups on the battlefield—the cheapest and most basic upgrade is worth your time and effort. Besides, if you don't grab it, someone on the other team might. Even if you just use it to boost your health, you're giving yourself a one-second speed advantage over anyone without that modification, and seconds can be crucial when the action is this fast.
If you're good enough to collect three Weapon Energy Cores during one match, you'll have enough mojo to make your presence felt no matter what the game type.
In single-player mode, you get to keep the weapons and the upgrades that you've accumulated during the campaign, so by the time you reach the later stages, you should have enough upgrade credits to max out all of your favorite toys.
Drive Time
The vehicle controls in Pariah are a little different for an FPS …which is odd because they're also very much like the on-foot controls. Basically, the left stick controls your body (or, in this case, the vehicle's speed), while the right stick controls your head (steers the vehicle).
If you're used to accelerating and braking with the triggers, you might need to take some extra time to adjust to the controls before driving into combat. But, don't think they forgot to use the triggers. Like the on-foot controls, the right trigger fires the vehicle's primary gun, and the left fires the secondary.
Switch weapons early and often.
Pariah has the realistic action and fast-paced strategy that will keep shooter fans hooked. No matter which weapon you favor or which upgrades you pick, you will find plenty of ways to test your skills in the heat of combat.
By Wendell Scott
