There's something about drawing on a map that plugs directly into the fantasy of games. It's a bit silly and, at the same time, incredibly serious—a small stretch of role-playing before you get to the execution. Due Process is a tactical multiplayer shooter that seems to understand the joy of planning. Its trailer shows friends methodically guessing and second-guessing; but the actual action appears to be over pretty quickly. It's all about the act of marking that map.
The developers explain it like this :
"Players have 2 minutes at the start of a round to draw up a plan John Madden-style, involving tools like flash bang grenades, night vision goggles, and wall breaching charges to coordinate the perfect assault, while defenders scheme to foil their plans. These strategies collide in a bloody gunfight that ends in the blink of an eye."
The "news" part of this news is that the game has been picked up by the Indie Fund , who will hopefully help its developers make the game a little less "alpha as fuck". Due Process will also be available to try at PAX Prime, from 29 August in Seattle.
For more map-based action, take a look at this longer "LAN Party" video.
