Ajinryu
CAG Veteran
Title: Killer7
Developer: Capcom (Suda 51)
Genre: Misc
Platforms: PS2, Gamecube
The mind of a Killer
If there is any game that has divided opinions over the course of the past few months, it has to be Killer7. After a long set of delays the game has finally hit all shores worldwide. Killer7 basically tells the story of a terrorist organization called "Heavens Smile" (Later reformed as Smiling Faces) and one mans struggle to stop them from ruining peace in the new UN ruled world which bases itself on anti-terrorism and total peace.
The look of love/hate is in your eyes
One of the crucial elements here is the art and visual style. It's a love/hate thing. It's a mix of cel shading, comical art, minimilism, and media inspired scenes and architecture. Of couse originality wise this is a brilliant achievement, but the style can often divide opinion and sales. This is a shame as the game has to be experienced for the true style of the game to shine. The only problem with the visual style is that the larger your TV the more jaggies that become apparent. But even with the obvious flaws it still manages to look good. Anime also plays a heavy part in this game as a lot of the later cutscenes are presented in the Japanime style, this fits in well with the design and look of the characters and enviroments as they're easily converted into the art style due to the minimalistic look in game. I have not once experienced slowdown in the game so far and it may be because of the visual style, it makes loading times fast and fluid, so performance wise the graphics really help how fast the game progresses. If your willing to look at the graphical style for it's own merits then you should enjoy the style. You've just got to keep an open mind.
Schizophrenia Gameplay Disorder
Killer7 is an odd game. A very odd game, wait scratch that and add another "very" at the end. Suda 51 seemed to have combined elements from various other games made by Capcom and various other developers. Judging from the camera placement and the style in which gameplay flows it appears to have a Resident Evil feeling about it, with camera angles changing at every turn to provide you with the best possible view with whats ahead. The only problem is that the game sometimes hides enemies out of your view. The fact that they're invisible at times doesn't help either, but for the most part it behaves itself.
The gameplay feels very reminiscent of on rail shooters such as House of the dead and various other arcade games of the same type. The first person action is implemented very well with a fluid transaction from 3rd to 1st person when it is needed. (Something that previous Resident Evil games should have used Eh Capcom?) The game doesn't just show you your targets straight away though, they're invisible at first so you have to scan for enemies in order to make them visible and be able to shoot them. This isn't exactly ideal, to be honest it could've been taken out of the game completely as it feels rather tedious scanning before shooting.
Movement is not free form, it takes you along a linear path providing you with junctions to stop and select before moving on, movement is controlled by using 2 buttons to go back and forth. Some may find this a bit of a turn off but it really helps move the game along and it also eliminates a lot of confusion when it comes to navigating the sizeable stages that are presented to the player. It also helps iron out any bugs what so ever, they're virtually non existant, due to the fact that the game doesn't have to process much information at a time. It's different, but it works really well.
You take control of 7 characters each with their own unique weapon, moves, and attributes. These characters are each vital to solving certain puzzles and it really helps give the game variety when it comes to the amount of different puzzles the game shows off. I won't go into too much detail, but each characters skills can be upgraded by using "Blood" pts you get from defeating an enemy. Balancing out your squad is vital to success so you have to use your blood wisely.
The boss battles in themselves feel a lot more like a puzzle than a full on battle. Each encounter requires a different approach, whether it be observing your enviroment to take advantage of your opponent or influencing them in a certain way. They're certaintly memorable and make a great change from the "Balls out" boss battles of past games.
Silent as a Pistol, Loud as a berreta
Suda 51 have certaintely managed to create a unique soundtrack for the game, each stage has it's own distinct use of audio, it varies from loud and brash, to ambient and quiet. A lot of the sound samples in the game have a very "home made" feel to them, which isn't a bad thing at all (Especially the screwed up guitar notes when encountering a puzzle) Voice acting is top notch too with each voice fitting the character very well. Be it the Texan preacher Andrea Ulmeyda, or Hitman thug Dan Smith each voice suits each character to a tee, with a very varied voice cast.
The SFX are incredibely varied, the ghostly incoherent whispering chants from the departed souls who you meet throughout the game are particularly effective, as is the enemy "Laugh" calls, and weapon and BG effects. It's done in such a strange and charming manner that sets itself apart from other games. It's a great change from the often brash and loud audio style that a lot of games use and for that it deserves praise.
Killer App? Or Killed off?
If your willing to try a game that plays a bit differently from other games then I wholeheartedly reccomend Killer7, for the rest of you folks who have doubts at least rent it. The game deserves at least that much attention on it's merits. Rent or Buy it's a great title that really shouldn't go amiss from anyones collection/gaming experience.
SCORE: 9.2
Developer: Capcom (Suda 51)
Genre: Misc
Platforms: PS2, Gamecube
The mind of a Killer
If there is any game that has divided opinions over the course of the past few months, it has to be Killer7. After a long set of delays the game has finally hit all shores worldwide. Killer7 basically tells the story of a terrorist organization called "Heavens Smile" (Later reformed as Smiling Faces) and one mans struggle to stop them from ruining peace in the new UN ruled world which bases itself on anti-terrorism and total peace.
The look of love/hate is in your eyes
One of the crucial elements here is the art and visual style. It's a love/hate thing. It's a mix of cel shading, comical art, minimilism, and media inspired scenes and architecture. Of couse originality wise this is a brilliant achievement, but the style can often divide opinion and sales. This is a shame as the game has to be experienced for the true style of the game to shine. The only problem with the visual style is that the larger your TV the more jaggies that become apparent. But even with the obvious flaws it still manages to look good. Anime also plays a heavy part in this game as a lot of the later cutscenes are presented in the Japanime style, this fits in well with the design and look of the characters and enviroments as they're easily converted into the art style due to the minimalistic look in game. I have not once experienced slowdown in the game so far and it may be because of the visual style, it makes loading times fast and fluid, so performance wise the graphics really help how fast the game progresses. If your willing to look at the graphical style for it's own merits then you should enjoy the style. You've just got to keep an open mind.
Schizophrenia Gameplay Disorder
Killer7 is an odd game. A very odd game, wait scratch that and add another "very" at the end. Suda 51 seemed to have combined elements from various other games made by Capcom and various other developers. Judging from the camera placement and the style in which gameplay flows it appears to have a Resident Evil feeling about it, with camera angles changing at every turn to provide you with the best possible view with whats ahead. The only problem is that the game sometimes hides enemies out of your view. The fact that they're invisible at times doesn't help either, but for the most part it behaves itself.
The gameplay feels very reminiscent of on rail shooters such as House of the dead and various other arcade games of the same type. The first person action is implemented very well with a fluid transaction from 3rd to 1st person when it is needed. (Something that previous Resident Evil games should have used Eh Capcom?) The game doesn't just show you your targets straight away though, they're invisible at first so you have to scan for enemies in order to make them visible and be able to shoot them. This isn't exactly ideal, to be honest it could've been taken out of the game completely as it feels rather tedious scanning before shooting.
Movement is not free form, it takes you along a linear path providing you with junctions to stop and select before moving on, movement is controlled by using 2 buttons to go back and forth. Some may find this a bit of a turn off but it really helps move the game along and it also eliminates a lot of confusion when it comes to navigating the sizeable stages that are presented to the player. It also helps iron out any bugs what so ever, they're virtually non existant, due to the fact that the game doesn't have to process much information at a time. It's different, but it works really well.
You take control of 7 characters each with their own unique weapon, moves, and attributes. These characters are each vital to solving certain puzzles and it really helps give the game variety when it comes to the amount of different puzzles the game shows off. I won't go into too much detail, but each characters skills can be upgraded by using "Blood" pts you get from defeating an enemy. Balancing out your squad is vital to success so you have to use your blood wisely.
The boss battles in themselves feel a lot more like a puzzle than a full on battle. Each encounter requires a different approach, whether it be observing your enviroment to take advantage of your opponent or influencing them in a certain way. They're certaintly memorable and make a great change from the "Balls out" boss battles of past games.
Silent as a Pistol, Loud as a berreta
Suda 51 have certaintely managed to create a unique soundtrack for the game, each stage has it's own distinct use of audio, it varies from loud and brash, to ambient and quiet. A lot of the sound samples in the game have a very "home made" feel to them, which isn't a bad thing at all (Especially the screwed up guitar notes when encountering a puzzle) Voice acting is top notch too with each voice fitting the character very well. Be it the Texan preacher Andrea Ulmeyda, or Hitman thug Dan Smith each voice suits each character to a tee, with a very varied voice cast.
The SFX are incredibely varied, the ghostly incoherent whispering chants from the departed souls who you meet throughout the game are particularly effective, as is the enemy "Laugh" calls, and weapon and BG effects. It's done in such a strange and charming manner that sets itself apart from other games. It's a great change from the often brash and loud audio style that a lot of games use and for that it deserves praise.
Killer App? Or Killed off?
If your willing to try a game that plays a bit differently from other games then I wholeheartedly reccomend Killer7, for the rest of you folks who have doubts at least rent it. The game deserves at least that much attention on it's merits. Rent or Buy it's a great title that really shouldn't go amiss from anyones collection/gaming experience.
SCORE: 9.2
