Eagle Flight: Taking Flight at GDC 2016

Now that virtual reality is almost upon us, we're finally getting a better look at the games we'll be able to experience within the first year. Ubisoft's Eagle Flight is one such game scheduled for later this year, centered on a competitive multiplayer experience through the beady eyes of an eagle.

I had a chance to check out a multiplayer demo on Monday at the Oculus GDC preview event. Players see the world from the perspective of an eagle and turning in the air is as simple as tilting your head. Players use the right trigger to speed up, the left trigger to slow down, and the A button to screech at other eagles, naturally. Hit rival eagles from the other team with your screech's sound waves and they die. The demo was 3v3, and each of us were using Rifts.

We played a capture the rabbit mode that is very similar to capture the flag mode in many first-person shooters. Players race to the rabbit and take it back to your team's nest, killing each other along the way.

I enjoyed flying around and dive bombing at my opponents. Navigating the level was pretty challenging as the rabbit spawns in different locations on the level and at different elevations. Sometimes it would appear down in a river or other times in a clock tower. Negotiating buildings and watching out for your opponents creates a truly challenging experience from simple gameplay mechanics.

My team proceeded to be crushed by the opposing team. There was this one player, appropriately named "Eagle 1," who may have been an actual eagle if his kill count was any indication. I tried to rally the troops, but we were shut out 5-0 in the first timed round and lost 4-1 in the rematch. After the demo was finished, I noticed that I was actually playing against Oculus cofounder, Palmer Luckey. He was Eagle 1 and clearly had quite a bit of experience playing Eagle Flight. He gave me some pointers on the best way to take out your opponents and urged me to try out some more first party Oculus demos upstairs. He also informed me that Eagle Flight will have a single player mode that is very similar to Pilotwings, as well as a death match mode for folks like myself that just want to get to killing.

Thanks to its inventive multiplayer, Eagle Flight will definitely be a VR title with serious replay value. I look forward to getting killed by other Shackers online when this game launches later this fall.

Asif Khan

CEO/EIC/EIEIO

Asif Khan is the CEO, EIC, and majority shareholder of Shacknews. He began his career in video game journalism as a freelancer in 2001 for Tendobox.com. Asif is a CPA and was formerly an investment adviser representative. After much success in his own personal investments, he retired from his day job in financial services and is currently focused on new private investments. His favorite PC game of all time is Duke Nukem 3D, and he is an unapologetic fan of most things Nintendo. Asif first frequented the Shack when it was sCary's Shugashack to find all things Quake. When he is not immersed in investments or gaming he is a purveyor of fine electronic music. Asif also has an irrational love of Cleveland sports.