Chromehounds has proven to be yet another “could have been great” game that I continuously see month after month. I have never had as many mixed feelings about a game than this Mech… excuse me, Hound shoot em’ up from the makers of Armored Core.
The slightly interesting story has it that twenty years after the third world war, three countries are in a deadlocked battle over the Neroimus Region: Tarakia, Morskoj, and Sal Kar. Sunspots have made it impossible for combat to occur in the upper atmosphere so all battles are fought on the ground in Hounds. Even communications are limited to giant radio-esque towers that you must control in order to win the war.
On the back of the case it does a great job of summing up what you can do in Chromehounds:
“Build a customized Hound. Assemble the ultimate multiplayer team: Sniper, Scout, Soldier, Gunner, Defender, and Commander. Then disassemble the enemy in this massive global conflict where only one country can reign supreme.”
What they fail to mention is Chromehounds’ biggest downfall; its pacing. This is where the quest for realism pays its price. Hounds move at an astounding sloth like rate making the segments between combat slow paced and frustrating. Sadly it only gets worse as your Hound is damaged.
There are only two modes of play: Story Mode and Xbox Live. Story Mode allows for the choice of six “mini-campaigns” that acquaint you with the six role types listed above. Each is designed for the specific class you choose along with a predetermined difficulty level. Missions consist of you, as a mercenary for hire, carrying out orders for your client; and if you don’t make an impact right away the mission ends abruptly forcing you to start over again.
Another hindrance is trying to pick out your allies from your enemies. Several times you find yourself killing one of your clients only having the mission… you guessed it, end again. The objectives are not always stated clearly. For instance I was ordered to destroy an enemy base. Once I lumbered over to the location I saw my clients shooting at its doors. I (thinking the computer knew what it was doing) joined them in metal door shooting matrimony. After realizing that I had been shooting at this thing for 5 minutes and it still hasn’t gave way I had to look for an exploding object (big surprise) that once combusted destroyed the base. This all could have been solved with a subtle hint.
But once you finally get over these obstacles Chromehounds is a very entertaining game. With combat being presented as its core, it sure doesn’t disappoint when you’re locked in an intense fire fight with the opposition. Ammo flying by your head and hitting the dirt in front of you only adds to the experience. Aside from combat you’ll need to capture Comm. Towers to increase the range of communication between teammates and allies. The AI is not really impressive which suits the game well because it’s a straight head on firefight that is won by the hound that can eclipse the 10 mph mark.
You’ll play through the first few missions with a borrowed hound until you have the basic parts needed to piece together your own hulking metal monstrosity. Building your own Hound is half the fun and the building process takes just a short while to catch on. It’s easy and deep allowing for countless hours of customization, all it requires is you choosing your part and then deciding where to put it (anywhere).
The Hounds themselves look outstanding. The sun glimmers off of their mechanical bodies realistically, and tracks and footprints are left behind as your Hound trounces over the environment. Everything else in-game looks so-so. The environments are just ok with little variation between textures. Once something is destroyed; be it Hound, base, or fence it magically disappears, slightly distorting the realism that Chromhounds has strived so hard to ascertain.
