The mech genre of games has been dominated by a couple of brands that most robot loving gamers are familiar with. If you like the slower paced, strategy laced version of the game, you probably gravitate more toward the PS2’s offering of the Armored Core series. If you’re into the faster, frag fest version than Microsoft probably had you at “hello, I’m a giant robot” with the Mechassault series on the Xbox. Others tried to take the genre in some new directions, with Kojima’s Zone of the Enders series being a notable case. And then there’s the top dog in terms of trying to make a mech game as realistic as possible with Steel Battalion that featured a gigantic mech controller and a hefty price tag that all but guaranteed slim sales. And there lies the rub. In America, no mech game has managed to make a huge splash here in the States. Chromehounds, from the good folks at Sega, partnering with From Software, are anxious to take a crack at it with their game for the Xbox 360. Sitting more in line with From Software’s’ other mech offerings, the Armored Core series, the game will be a good time for the right players. With a bit of luck and the right set of gamers, Chromehounds may actually make a splash.

Let’s talk next gen graphics, shall we? Right off the bat, you’ll notice the explosions. They look intense and realistic. You’ll notice the tracer fire off your guns and the fire trail off your missiles. They look really good and add to the flavor of the game. Then, you’ll notice your mechs. While looking good, there is nothing truly next generation in scope as you watch them move over the battlefield. You’re not dealing with photorealism here. In fact, without a few of the textures and glints of bullets hitting you, it could almost have been done on the Xbox. But what really starts to get to you is how the environments don’t look like anything at all. Drab, dull and looking like they were never fully finished, they do nothing other than set the scene for the good looking explosions that will soon fill them. So, we’re not talking award-winning graphics in this game. This is, no doubt going to piss some folks off. And we should be a little upset as we just paid $60.00 for this piece of next gen software.



How about the game types? We’ve got two modes and I’ll tackle the single player first, as it’s the least important of the two. The single player is, in essence, a glorified training mode. Great for getting you up to speed on how you need to play the game, good at getting you more items for mech customization, good for a few Achievements, but that’s about it. Divided into the various types of mechs you’ll learn about in the game, the stories are a token gesture for those without Xbox Live. You’ll find that the single player missions are interesting for a while, but they feel like the heart and soul has been sucked out of them. And they have. Because the heart and soul of Chromehounds is in its multiplayer/Xbox Live action.

The multiplayer mode of Chromehounds is everything you want in a mech game. It’s got a persistent world map that constantly shows you the state of the Neroimus War. This war is the major portion of the game and is a large-scale campaign between three factions. The Democratic Republic of Tarakia, the Republic of Morskoj and the Kingdom of Sal Kar each hold land on the game map. Each of these lands bears a striking resemblance to the major powers in the world today. With Tarakia being the American counterpart, Morskoj lining up with the old school U.S.S.R model and Sal Kar representing the Middle East. Each of these countries has their own brand of weapons and mech types. Morskoj, for instance, has parts and mechs that are heavy and powerful in line with their snowy, rugged countryside. If you like heavy weapons and big guns are your thing, that may be the country for you. And choose you will, as you must align yourself with a country before the multiplayer games can begin.

For participation in the Neroimus War, you must have a squad. A squad is, essentially, a clan of 20 of your friends who band and fight together. You form your squad and go out on missions of 6 players with the victor aiding the gaining of ground for their country of alignment. What’s cool about this is that each battle you fight, each mission you complete with your squad actually means something to the greater conflict. One night you may find your country holding 50% of the map and the next day you may return to find your country lost ground and is now in possession of only 25%. If your squad manages to be a decisive part of an important battle you get rewarded with extra money, parts and renown. What’s exciting about this mode of play is that the world is constantly in flux and the various players online really do rally to the cause. It’s great to see the message boards light up with a call for troops to get online and defend the capitol. You can already imagine the kind of community that has already built up with this game. In addition to the greater war, the game also included your regular deathmatch, capture the flag games that we have all grown to love. It’s another way of getting some experience on your mech of choice or a way to gain some money for mech customization.



The gameplay is set up to favor strategy rather than run and gun. If you’re looking for Mechassault style combat in this game, you’ll be very disappointed. I’ve seen many players try to go it alone, Rambo style, and get taken down by a squad of players that know how to play Chromehounds the way it was intended. And that way is about balance of forces and communication. There are 6 different types of mech in the game and their Role Type defines them. The six RT’s are Soldier, Scout, Defender, Heavy Weapons, Commander and Sniper. Whichever RT you chose depends on what style of game you want to play. A Soldier RT is your all around fighting mech. Faster than the others with solid weapons but not as well protected as a Defender. If you prefer to sit back and pick off your enemies from a hill far away, the Sniper RT may be more to your liking. The Commander RT has little weapons but is there to communicate enemy troop locations to the squad and can provide a priceless asset to a battle. With every strength in a particular RT, there is a weakness that can be countered by a different RT. Heavy Weapons hit hard, but if they come under direct attack they can die quickly due to their slow speed. Smart squads always pair up a Defender mech to make sure the enemy doesn’t get too close. If you have a Commander on the field, it is in your best interest to make sure it is safe. Every player has a role to play on the battlefield. If you do your job, you have a great chance of winning the battle. If you go off on your own, both you and your squad will lose. It makes for a great game of strategy and working together and it’s perfect for establishing a great online community.

A complaint that is out there regarding this game is the speed at which your mech travels. Rest assured that this is a SLOW game. Even the fastest mech feels like a crawl when you’re traveling across a map. Again, if you’re looking for Mechassault, I can see how you would be upset over this. However I found it to be an asset as it plays very well into the style of game that Chromehounds delivers. It’s a game about strategy and planning, not about run and gun. Moving slow forces your squad to play a certain way and rather than detract from the game, helps focus the game to what matters.



And what matters are the battles. A typical battle will be about destroying your opponent’s mechs or HOUNDS, destroying their base or capturing the most COMBAS if there is a tie. COMBAS are radio towers scattered throughout the board and play a very crucial part of the came. When you start out a battle, you can’t talk to anyone in your squad until you have secured a COMBAS. Once you have a COMBAS secured, you can then communicate to your squad. Each COMBAS you secure adds its communication radius to the ones you’ve already secured that are in close proximity to it. That way, you can extend your communication links across the battlefield. In the end, there are many games that come down to securing these COMBAS in order to win the game and some tough battles are waged over them.

For those without friends who like playing these types of games, however, Chromehounds proves a problem. You must have a group of smart friends who are willing to play the game the way it was designed. Many players will be frustrated in the regular Free Battle ranked matches as you will inevitably be paired with someone not in tune with how Chromehounds is to be played. The best moments in the game are when you are on the battlefield with your squad mates and everyone is playing their assigned roles. At that moment, the gameplay of Chromehounds really shines. If you do not have this type of group around you, Chromehounds can be frustrating and not fun. I guess that makes this a niche title that only a few will truly love to play, but if the online community is in any way telling, there are lots of folks who are interested in this type of game.

Another strong element that bears mentioning is the customization of your mech. It is vast, robust and you could spend hours building your mech to suit your type of play. As you win battles and your country of alignment gains ground, your store begins to fill up with more parts that have been “salvaged” from the battlefield. This gives you a lot of parts to choose from and you can really make your mech distinctive. You can create color schemes, camo patterns, design decals for your mech and get as creative as you like. Many folks out on the Chromehounds severs have built impressive mechs that look and fight great. For those who like the idea of character creation, Chromehounds delivers in spades.

So, to wrap it all up., if you’re a big fan of mech games and enjoy games in the vein of Armored Core, Chromehounds is for you. If you enjoy playing a smart game online with and you have a group of friends who are willing to play it with you, than Chromehounds is for you. If you’re looking for a fast paced deathmatch game with robots, well, Mechassault may be more your cup of tea. But for my money, Chromehounds is one of the smartest and well-developed mech games out there. I’ll see you online.

Here more about Chromehounds in our July 16, 2006 Edition of Team Fremont Live: Videogame Podcast!





Article By: Hilden