E3 2012

When Trackmania developer NADEO announced they’d be turning their attention towards a free-to-play online FPS, there was plenty of reason to be skeptical. Racing games and shooters are about as far from each other on the gaming spectrum as you can get.

Thankfully, Ubisoft has dispelled some of that skepticism at their E3 press conference, presenting a ten minute Shootmania Storm showmatch featuring seasoned eSports veterans. On display was a new game mode called Elite, which pitted a player from one team, armed with a rail gun, against all three members of the opposing team, armed with rocket launchers. Teams switched sides after each round, and the first team to win three rounds was declared the winner.

The gameplay was more reminiscent of old-school shooters like Quake than anything released in the past decade, and that’s certainly promising if Ubisoft wants Shootmania Storm to catch on in the eSports community. Throw in an easy-to-use-map editor—one of Trackmainia‘s biggest strengths—and Storm certainly looks like a game to watch for hardcore FPS fans.