Nate Lawrence has been splashed all over Dirty Bomb for the better part of the last year, taking in conversations with the devs and getting his hands dirty in preview and beta builds of the game, which is why we handed him review duties now that the developer is confident the product is ready to stand on its open release feet.

From our review:

In a recent game, I watched a single competent player use Rhino to create a one-man chokepoint, which he held for the majority of the round. When I tested out Rhino, it was a similar affair, as my enemies seemed oblivious to the fact that my additional hitpoints and brutal mini-gun rendered most head-on assaults against me ineffective. On an individual level, this type of success provides a fantastic feeling of achievement, but it also shows that a team filled with bought Mercs (with in-game or real currency) has a greater range of diversity for predefined roles that are better suited to specific modes.

Click here for our full Dirty Bomb review.

Dirty Bomb will finally enter its open beta phase next week on June 2nd, which is an open invite for everyone to jump in and start playing dirty with all the bombs the game gives you. Oh, and Aussie servers will be up and running at launch, too.

“Dirty Bomb takes us back to our roots as a company dedicated to making competitive multiplayer shooters for hardcore gamers,” said Paul Wedgwood, CEO of Splash Damage. “Twenty years ago I played obsessively in a clan, competed in tournaments, made a mod for Quake 3, and as a result, founded Splash Damage with clan mates and friends. We’re grateful to have Dirty Bomb shaped by our players from an early alpha stage - With their dedication and feedback, along with the support from Nexon America, we think we’ve created something special.”

Dirty Bomb is a return to the classic FPS PC feel with frenetic run ‘n gun action built for players with an appetite for heated competition, and the first in a new generation of games published by Nexon America. Free-to-play, and more importantly, free-to-win, Dirty Bomb is a unique asymmetrical team-based game in which players will select from a diverse group of Mercenaries, each with their own shining personalities, assorted talents and super-cool weapons, to create specialized squads to take into the fray on a quest for riches and bragging rights. From launch Dirty Bomb will support dedicated Australian servers, ensuring that Aussies players with quick trigger fingers will not beholden to high pings, just their own abilities.

There's a recently new behind-the-scenes video showcasing all you need to know about the game in case you've avoided it up until now, which you can watch below.

Dirty Bomb is shaping up to be the game Splash Damage has always wanted to make. The famous studio behind Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and the not-so-well-received Brink reveals much about how the project began, in a candid conversation, while a new player class also gets a chance to shine in today's new Dirty Bomb videos.

We've already covered quite a bit of Dirty Bomb in a handful of features, and as the game edges ever-closer to releasing more and more about the team-based shooter is coming to light.

The first video embedded below features a handful of the devs speaking about the evolution of the modern shooter and how it's become more about the individual rather than the team, and how they hope Dirty Bomb can scratch that itch team-based players are yearning for in the space. All over a pint, too.



The second video showcases the engineer class character, Fletcher. Watch it embedded below.

Enemy Territory and Brink fans rejoice, Dirty Bomb continues to hit milestones and elevate Splash Damage's reputation as a team-based multiplayer specialist, writes Nathan "NachosJustice" Lawrence.

From Nachos' most recent hands-on with the latest build of the game:

Dirty Bomb will kick your arse before it lets you kick others. The learning curve is about as shallow as a casual hike up Mount Everest and, refreshingly, no-one is apologising about this. Not the representative from publisher Nexon who rushed through his presentation so we, and he, could play the game. Certainly not developer Splash Damage, which unapologetically reinforced that this is a game best enjoyed by fans of fast-paced competitive shooters, and if you’re a fan of older titles such as Enemy Territory, that’s a bonus.

Click here for our Dirty Bomb all-new hands-on preview. And stay tuned for more coverage from the event.

Splash Damage's Dirty Bomb -- the upcoming free-to-play mutliplayer shooter with Enemy Territory roots -- will soon be heading to Steam, according to a recent post on the game's forums.

"We’ve been busily working away on Dirty Bomb; iterating and improving on it while seeking out the right partners as we move toward launch," writes 'MissMurder' on the forums. "So we are very pleased to announce that Dirty Bomb will soon be available to play on Steam!"

The game is currently down for maintenance until January 2015, with release plans for the beta to be shared at a later date. Splash Damage are also looking at possibly migrating off the Nexon account requirement when they go live on Steam, but for now have suggested in keeping your account just incase.

Dirty Bomb is due on PC in 2015.

Following on from our hands-on session with Splash Damage's Dirty Bomb -- the upcoming free-to-play mutliplayer shooter with Enemy Territory roots -- our visit to the developer's UK studio was obviously also an opportunity to chat with the developers about the game.

Speaking with studio co founder, CMO and Dirty Bomb designer Richard Jolly, Topics of discussion include the possibilities for community modding support in a service-wrapped free-to-play game, the studio's move to Unreal Engine after its long history with id tech, and eSports potential of Dirty Bomb. Read on to find out everything we did.

It's been years since Enemy Territory fans have had a solid team-focused, objective-based multiplayer first person shooter to sink their teeth into -- even longer if you didn't warm to Brink -- but the crew at UK-based Splash Damage has been working on its latest evolution of the genre, and this time it's going free-to-play.

AusGamers was recently invited out to Splash Damage's new digs in Bromley, UK, and although we had some reservations going in, much fun was had.Read our in-depth hands-on preview for all the details.

Dirty Bomb is due on PC in 2015.