Killer7, MetalGearAcid: japan overkill


A first glimpse of Killer7 reveals a mesmerizing new way of transporting a complex game in a simple and enjoyable way. Also good for studying japanese: Metal Gear on the PSP

Killer7 by Capcom more than just fancy artwork. The game dismissed unnecessary control paradigms and focuses on the core elements of survival & suspense: exploration and tactical shootouts. Every 'scene' is represented with pre-defined camera angles, a single walkable path and menu-style intersections. It's not half as boring as it sounds. This way, you immediatly get to enjoy the spooky story and characters, no time is wasted on learning controls that the game doesn't require. I can't wait for the english version, as the japanese import comes with pseudo-english voice acting, something that strongly adds to the mood but doesn't do any good in giving information.
The following quote from the official website sums it up pretty well:

Killer7 is a stylized, post-modern hard-boiled action-adventure game featuring visual artistry and dark imagery with striking cel-shaded graphics [...] Killer7 propels players into the consciousness of one man, Harman Smith and his seven different personalities.



Apart from that, I have been brushing my Katakana skills again with Metal Gear Acid on the PSP. The game is fascinating, probably because I only understand half of what is said. However, one thing that works for my (as opposed to a majority of the people out there ) is the turn based card game play: It's all about making a profound game play a little more random to add a certain flavour, but retaining the core personality of the franchise. Edge didn't take wise-ass road when they wrote:

The rigidity of its rules, and the discrete, regimented way your actions are divided up around them (wait, move, shoot, listen, watch) means that you could strip away all the realistic window-dressing and still have a game that made sense.

Posted: Sun - June 12, 2005 at 12:59 PM         |

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