Chromehounds

“I’m a soldier of fortune, I’m a dog of war / And I don’t much care who the killing is for.” (Dire Straits – Ride Across the River)

Chromehounds is the latest in a long line of ‘mech’ games, but it’s the first that I’ve really gotten into at all. And it does require “getting into”: while the controls are basic – a little too basic, even, from a strategic standpoint – you will need to gain more than a passing familiarity with them in order to start enjoying yourself, and, well… stop sucking.

The game’s first training level did me no favours. There was precious little in the way of explaining the controls – which wouldn’t have been a problem, given that they are pretty standard for a third-person shooter, except that while I was figuring them out on my own I missed my instructions. And, unfortunately, the only thing the mech pilot trainer is willing to repeat is the fact that he won’t be telling you anything twice. I ended up having to quit and start all over again twice before I remembered to pay attention at the crucial time.

It was at this point that I realised Chromehounds is not a casual game. As it turns out, the single-player campaign is actually just an extended set of training levels in each of the different RTs (Role Types – Soldier, Sniper, Defender, Scout, Heavy Weapons, and Commander), all to prepare you for the multiplayer experience, which is really where the game shines. On Xbox Live, you participate in a persistent conflict, and can join squads (like guilds or clans in other online games) and assist one of the game’s three rival nations: Tarakia, Morskoj and Sal Kar (all located in the ‘Neroimus’ region, south-east of the Black Sea).

It’s evident that a lot of work has been put into this aspect of the game. So, if you’re looking for a new online game, this could well be what you’re looking for. Unfortunately, the system seems well shy of perfect in terms of server connections. Frequently, I failed to connect at all, or was unable to access information from the servers. Also, the game starts to lose its edge after a while when everything breaks down into the same basic strategy – aim and fire while performing very slow strafing manoeuvres. Perhaps a more complicated control system, while it would have put off some more casual gamers, could have given the gameplay the depth it lacks here. But, even with these issues, Chromehounds should provide a lot of enjoyment here. And hey – no monthly fees!

Whatever the joys of online play, though, don’t expect the same levels of fun in single-player. The storylines here are predictable excuses for action – not a problem if the action itself holds up, but here the excitement of blowing stuff up quickly dissipates as the same kinds of challenges repeat, and continually present you with lacklustre AI (which almost always just marches forward, firing). What can be said for Chromehounds, though, is that it knows the plot is unimportant and skips you quickly through the back-story – in a (more) fragmented and war-torn version of the present day, war has become the business of mercenaries – and on to the shooting.

One of the even bigger disappointments, actually, is in the visual department. It isn’t that the graphics are bad. In fact, the mechs look great; as do the explosions. But many of the environments are just hellishly dull – don’t expect any pretty scenery until the end of the Soldier RT Campaign, at least. And, while on the surface there is high quality, many shortcuts have been taken with the destruction of buildings, obstacles and even vehicles (which have pretty explosions pasted over them, and then simply fade away). The Xbox 360 has raised the bar for videogame graphics, and Chromehounds is failing to jump that bar.

Sound-wise, it’s all pretty standard for a videogame: good sound effects, uninspired voice acting, and good-but-forgettable music (with the exception of the repetitive menu music which sounds like typical battle build-up fare, accompanied by wordless and off-putting vocals – at least I think they’re vocals… – that sound like they were supplied by a dog-tired and brutally hung-over Enya).

In the end, if you want a ticket to an online war fought with mechs, then you want this game. If you don’t have Xbox Live, it really isn’t worth the purchase price – even if you’re a mech fan.