Dust In Your Eye . . . Or, A Few Thoughts On Dust 514

Dust 514 is the Playstation  3 side of Eve Online's massive cross-platform push.  Eve Online is the wonderfully addictive space opera that you play from your PC.  As someone who has never played Eve, though, I can't say much about it other than it looks fantastic.  Giant space battles, an in-game economy that makes money in the real world, and a rabid fan-base that makes player interaction not just encouraged but necessary. 

Dust 514 is the planet side version of Eve, and allows players to engage in massive land battles for control of planets.  Built around the Unreal game engine, it boasts neither impressive graphics or novel game play.  But it's free.  It's cross-platform feature means that players on Eve can interact with players on the ground, offering support and in-game currency.  And by capturing planets, (someday) players can benefit their Even compatriots. 

I've grown fond of this game as time wears on.  Like Eve, Dust has a ridiculously steep learning curve and the near necessity of alliances with other players means that just jumping in a running around blasting isn't a viable strategy.  But the ability to customize your character is truly astounding.  Between the four races, there are at least eight variation on dropsuits (each of which has its own pros and cons) and every weapon has three variations.  Between suits, weapons, shield and armor enhancements, and role specialization the customization seems infinite.

Which is what give Dust it's true playability in my opinion.  Anyone can make a free-to-play game that let's players get their jollies off.  The customization in Dust is astounding, and allows you to approach the game differently every time.  And it doesn't hurt that Dust is a part of the massive and deeply immersive Eve universe.  You can go as deep as you want, and the rabbit hole never seems to end. 

At the moment, however, Dust is a Playstation 3 exclusive and I'm unaware if it will be available for the PS4 (though I can't imagine it won't be).  Only recently taken out of beta, CCP is still tinkering.  Renowned for their attention to detail, and their willingness to listen to player input, means that the game will only improve with time. 

If you like first-person shooters, or MMOs, or both, I think you'll enjoy this game.  Give it a shot.