In the aftermath of a catastrophe that has turned the once-verdant Earth into a bleak, desolate world where survival can never be taken for granted, three racial factions are locked in a bitter struggle for dominance. The Humans have placed their faith in genetic engineering as the means to achieving supremacy and thereby restoring the traditional order. The Mutants believe they are the results of superior evolution, and that their pre-ordained destiny is to rule the planet, while the Biomeks champion the ascendancy of technology over nature. The conflict among these three is a central element in Auto Assault, the persistent state project now well along in development at the offices of Colorado-based NetDevil. As we've known for some time, it has a vehicular combat theme, a differentiating factor that immediately caught our interest and has held it ever since.

Players will do battle using a broad selection of cars, motorcycles, semis and even tanks, all of which are expected to be highly customizable, both aesthetically and functionally. The action promises to be fast-paced and exciting, with the Havok physics engine furnishing the ability to make exhilarating jumps, send objects flying and even blast parts of the terrain such as bridges, buildings et al with rockets. Visually, the art we've seen has been imaginative, and the screenshots impressive, making us keen to know and see more. With beta looking likely to begin within the coming months, the studio and publisher NCsoft have been working to increase the flow of information about the game and its core elements. This worked out very well since it gave us the opportunity to examine the so-called RPG system with the Project Lead, Scott Brown.