Gun Metal

Gun Metal is a 3-D shooting game, released in 2002, for the Xbox and PC by the now defunct Rage Software Limited. The lead artist Nick Tipping and lead programmer Mark Featherstone on Gun Metal went on to form Moonpod.

Gun Metal allows players to pilot a futuristic mech which can transform into a plane. The game is based around a war (sometime in the future) on a planet called Helios, where humans have settled. Enemy spacecraft have followed them from Earth and are attempting to exterminate the colony. Project Gunmetal is a massive operation which oversaw the creation of a supremely powerful war machine. In its primary form, a walking "humanoid" mech many dozens of feet high, it possesses a range of 12 weapons and an electronic shield. At the push of a button, it transforms into an advanced fighter jet reminiscent of a modern fighter jet. It also possesses 12 weapons, ranging from napalm, pulse cannons, harpoons and rockets.

History
It was to be the most profound scientific milestone in the history of mankind; the ability to stabilize wormholes in space brought about the long awaited age of faster-than-light travel. The handful of Earthtype planets, which had been encountered through decades of deep space exploration, would now be linked to Earth and colonized in only a matter of years. After much deliberation, it was announced that the planet Helios was to host the maiden jump-gate destination. Construction would begin at once. International tensions increased as the promise of a new world beckoned. A cold war exploded into full-scale conflict as the factions that were to remain on Earth reacted with force. The war was quick and brutal and eventually our ancestors had no option other than to begin their exodus to Helios. As the jump-gate was threatened, a heroic last stand held off the attackers and resulted in the gate’s destruction. … The new civilization on Helios flourished. A global senate eradicated territorial disputes while law and order was enforced through a body known as the Internal Security Corps. The ancient jump-gate was to hang high above our world for all time, a memorial to the past. … They attacked without warning! The gate burst into life and from it spilled a seemingly endless armada of ships. Mercifully, the enormous strain on the archaic technology soon became too great and, with its destruction, the flow of enemy craft was stemmed. For years the battles raged as we fought a continual retreat… … Now, with the war all but lost, the senate has at long last approved a project codenamed Gun Metal. Almost all remaining resources have been focused on the construction of a weapon that will finally turn the tide of war: a powerful and highly versatile battle unit – the Havoc Suit. Standing 10 meters tall, equipped with an arsenal of devastating weaponry and capable of transforming into a highly maneuverable jet fighter, only this formidable battle machine has the potential to halt the invading foe. The Havoc Suit is to be piloted by the most gifted and resourceful of all our officers, sadly there are few who believe you might succeed where so many others have failed…

Weapons
There are 3 "stages" of weapons: Current, In Development, Future. Current weapons for Havoc Suit (robot form) consist of:

Machine Pistols
Double firepower, unlimited ammo and assisted targeting make it hard to miss the mark with the Machine Pistols. Perfect mainstay weaponry when you want to focus on mastery of The Havoc.

Flak Gun
Explosive charges blast clusters of high velocity shrapnel from the Flak Gun barrel. The indiscriminate spread nature makes for effective crowd control yet 'up close and personal' its effects can be devastating.

Torpedoes
Heavyweight and highly accurate, Torpedoes are extremely effective against armored targets. Their ability to 'hug the ground' gives rise to tactical deployment that effectively evades enemy line of sight.

Disk Launcher
These titanium projectiles spin at a speed so ferocious that they attract and sustain a concentrated plasma cloud. The razor sharp disks will burn and rip through most targets but can also ricochet dangerously.

For the Havoc Jet (plane):

Vulcan Cannons
Unlimited ammunition and pinpoint accuracy. Belts of armor-piercing rounds will strip through these wing-mounted chain guns as you chase down every last enemy fighter.

Phoenix
Five overdriven Argon isotope lasers provide an even distribution of photon arcs with only a brief charge cycle between shots. The Phoenix is particularly useful when the skies become congested.

Tomahawks
A large payload of vertically launched land-attack cruise missiles. Although accuracy is low, exceptional terrain contour matching radically reduces premature expiry due to landscape obstruction.

GP Bombs
General purpose unguided explosives with a deadly combination of blast and fragmentation effects. Propelled forwards with low accuracy this weapon is ideal for carpet-bombing multiple ground targets or large installations.

Current weapons are the first ones you get. Later on, you can access better weapons (like Rockets, Mavericks (big anti-plane rockets), Assault Cannons, and even the almost-"one shot-one kill" Gauss Gun). You can still use older weapons.

Infantry
The infantry are the weakest and smallest enemies, but come in great numbers. They come out of small barracks. There are four types of enemy infantry. The first one is armed with a small pulse rifle. The second is a robotic-like walker armed with a continuous laser cannon. The third is another small walker with grenade launcher. The fourth is rarely seen, but act as suicide bombers capable of detonating massive explosives when destroyed.

Ground Tanks
More armored than infantry, ground tanks carry more powerful weapons and can survive more attacks. There are two types of tanks. The first is the common missile tank that fires missiles, which hover from the ground. The second is the stronger heavy tank that fires two powerful lasers.

Hover Tanks
Hover tanks are flying vehicles that are weaker than ground tanks, but more armored than infantry. They attack in at least a squad of three. There are two types of hover tanks, one is mostly effective for scouting and the other is more suitable for combat.