Immersive sim sequel Consortium: The Tower hits Early Access after crowdfunding success

A massive sci-fi tower, a terrorist incident and a dramatic rooftop insertion all while the clock ticks down. It's like a sci-fi Die Hard, but very few games give equal weight to action hero dramatics or the option of sauntering up to one of your targets, striking up a conversation, stripping off your armor and surrendering with the intent of negotiating your way out later. Consortium: The Tower offers that rare freedom, and its first few hours of branching adventure are available on Steam Early Access now after a successful crowdfunding drive on Tim Schafer’s funding network, Fig.

Has the promise of high-tech espionage got you interested in Consortium? Here's some other sneaky classics while you wait.

The current Early Access version - the result of over a year of development - is mechanically near-complete, with all the core gameplay systems and engine features locked down. In terms of content, what you get if you put your money down now is access to the first third or so of the story, across a variety of permutations, which developers Interdimensional Games Inc estimate will take you around 6-7 hours to chew through. The final release is expected to be another 8-15 months off.