Barren

"Barren" is a free downloadable game for the PS4. Combining the first person shooter, strategy and creator genres of game, the player is tasked with being rebuilding a city after a meteorite crashes into Earth carrying a virus that turns infected humans into carnivorous creatures in various forms of mutation. The player has to provide food to their citizens, expand their territory and population and engage in close- combat battles with the mutants. The latest version is 4.3, after Team Deathmatch was added on 24th November 2014

Introduction & Gameplay
There are two game modes; Online Campaign and Team Deathmatch.

Upon the first time playing the online campaign, there is a cutscene that lasts a few minutes, where text bubbles explain what is happening in the game; there is an animation that runs alongside the explanation illustrating the events leading up to the game (mainly the meteor strike and the effects through the eyes of the character and news reports). After the cutscene ends, the main character is seen from a third person perspective (the only time this happens in the game) and mutters 'It's all up to me now.' (The only time the main character speaks in the game). The cutscene is only seen upon starting the game for the first time; however, it can be viewed again if the player selects 'view intro' in the options. After a minute, the cutscene can be skipped.

The game then cuts to the main HUD and the tutorial begins. By pressing the start button, the tutorial can be skipped. It can, however, be accessed through options.

The game takes place in an unnamed coastal US state, which, as of V4.1, has 24 building sites. The default building site is a deserted plain which will always be the location of the armory, industrial farm and barracks. As is the case with most city creator games, the game uses a grid system to make building easier. The city must be developed in order to accommodate more survivors. Most buildings are constructed using a mixture of 4 materials: Bricks, steel, wood and glass. All materials can be obtained in various ways; including demolishing existing buildings, harvesting from newly invaded building sites, building a factory that supplies a certain material or by trading with friends. Once a building site cannot be built on any more and the player has 5 or more survivors in their team (they have 10 by default) they can attack new building sites which will always be overrun with mutants, bringing in the first person shooter part of the game. Using the weapons in their armory, the player joins their team in the attacks on the new territory (note that despite the team helping to fend off the mutants, the player must kill a certain amount to rid the area and obtain a new building site). As the game progresses, the mutants become stronger and more aggressive, and new territory is harder to gain. After 5 building sites are filled, mutants will attack already conquered areas, to keep a constant balance of creator and shooter gameplay.

Team Deathmatch
As of November 24th 2014, there is an online team deathmatch feature with 6 game modes, pitting players against each other in game modes that range from teams of 3 v 3 to 8 v 8. 5 default maps were released, with 2 free expansion maps later added and a DLC planned for sometime in January 2015. The game modes are as follows:

Team Deathmatch- up to 8 vs 8 available on all maps. First team to 100 kills wins.

Lockdown- 6 v 6 available on all maps. Defending team must keep the attacking team in a randomly spawning 'cell' area whilst the attacking team has to try and escape. The heavy class is banned on this map. No vehicles.

Capture the flag- Up to 8 v 8 available on all maps. Teams must capture each others' flag and return it to their own base to score. First team to 3 captures win. Trucks are available but not to those carrying the flag.

Most Valuable Player (MVP)- Up to 6 v 6 on all available maps. Similar to team deathmatch, but the player with the most kills is elected MVP at the point in the game where they have the most kills. Teams score for having the MVP on their team. If the MVP is killed then the MVP passes on to the player with the most kills on the other team. This mode is based on score rather than kills- first team to 1000 points wins. Limited vehicles.

Infiltration- Up to 6 v 6 on all availble maps. Teams must destroy each others' transmitters that have a large amount of health. First team to destroy 3 transmitters or have the most destroys when the time limit expires wins. Transmitter cannot be destroyed by vehicles.

Deathcart- Up to 8 v 8. A train truck loaded with explosives must be pushed into the other team's base. Time limit of 15 minutes. First team to destroy the others' base wins.

Maps
There are 7 maps to choose from, each with opposing factions. Most are pockets of surviors from different areas in the USA, but certain maps are set before in the weeks succeeding the disaster with factions such as the New York Police Department are available. The maps are as follows:

Protest- NYPD vs an environmental activist group know as GreenPeace. The map takes place in and around a research laboratory where a cure for the disease is being worked on.

Evacuation- Pitting the 'NY Survivors' against the 'Dark Hunters'. This map takes place on the ruins of the Golden gate Bridge, which has collapsed during an evacuation attempt. Deathcart cannot be played on this map.

Thrill- 'The Preachers' vs 'The Revolutionists'. This map takes place in an abandoned theme park. This is the only map to have been patched, removing a toll booth that was deemed too easy to defend with too large a line of sight across the map. Typically considered the best map.

Law- Pitting the 'Washington Survivors' against 'The Descendants' this map takes place in the ruined remains of the Whitehouse.

Strike- Navy SEALS face off against GreenPeace at this nuclear launch site that is intended to destroy several cities around where the meteor landed.

Impact- The German Army face off against a mysterious terrorist organization known as 'Golden Arrow' at the site of the meteor crash.

Resistance- The largest map, the 'New York survivors' face off an attacking group of survivors known as the 'M.B.C' in their large camp.

Factions
-The NYPD (New York Police Department)

The New York City Police Department (NYPD or NYCPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, was established in 1845, and is the largest municipal police force in the United States. having primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. The NYPD is one of the oldest police departments established in the United States; tracing its roots back to the first Dutch eight man night watch in 1625, when New York City was New Amsterdam.

The NYPD has a broad array of specialized services, including the Emergency Service Unit, canine, harbor patrol, air support, bomb disposal, counter-terrorism, criminal intelligence, anti-gang, anti-organized crime, narcotics, public transportation and public housing; The New York City Transit Police and New York City Housing Authority Police Department were fully integrated into the NYPD in 1995. According to the department, its mission is to "enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear, and provide for a safe environment." (Source- []).

The NYPD wear a standard uniform based off the real life counterpart, and have access to a wide variety of guns. Their unique class is the riot control class, which grants them assault shields and batons.

-Navy SEALS

Upholding a City
Keeping a city in check is important in the game, as if the city is not sufficiently supplied, survivors will start dying out and buildings will collapse into disrepair. The player cannot lose the game, as the armory, industrial farm and barracks cannot be destroyed. If the player runs out of survivors, however, it will reset to a point when at least 10 survivors remained.

To uphold a city, the player must keep individual building sites in line. To keep a site upheld, the player must ensure that:
 * Food is in good supply: This is achieved by having one or more farm or orchard on the building site. As long as the farm or orchard is fully functioning, with at least 2 pairs of breeding livestock and 2 working fields on a farm and at least 5 producing tress on an orchard.
 * There is suitable accommodation for survivors. This is one of the hardest factors to take into account as it requires almost constant supervision. This can be achieved by building any form of residence, or upgrading existing residences to house more people.
 * Morale is high. This is achieved by