ONLY ON:
XDUDE 360, PRAYSTATION 3, and PEE-CEE
WHICH VERSION TO BUY:
PC for best framerate and image quality; 360 for next-best framerate and image quality; PS3 for free console online and an awesome installation sequence.
DEVELOPED BY:
SEGA CS1 (Headed by Toshihiro Nagoshi of Daytona USA, SCUD Race/Sega Super GT, SpikeOut, Super Monkey Ball, F-Zero GX, and Yakuza fame)
GENRE:
Third-Person Cover Shooter (controls like Gears of War)
YOU WILL PURCHASE IT ON:
JAPAN -- February 16, 2012 (GO BUY IT NOW)
AUSTRALIA -- February 23, 2012 (GO BUY IT NOW at a store near you)
EUROPE -- February 24, 2012 (GO BUY IT NOW)
NORTH AMERICA -- February 28, 2012 (GO BUY IT NOW)
And while you're at it (even if you've already bought the game), try the demo -- available NOW on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
NOW AVAILABLE on Steam -- $39.99
20% off (STEAMWORKS) at Green Man Gaming!
Gray skies build over a 2080 Tokyo as the lines between man and machine start to blur.
The Amada Corporation has broken international law by creating robots that are nearly indistinguishable from actual humans, and that actually believe themselves to be human.
These "hollow children" have infiltrated their way into every facet of society.
The Rust Crew is commissioned to get to the bottom of this, and find out exactly what Amada is planning...
Become DAN, and lead an multinational squad of trigger-happy tigers into an all-out war against the spark-powdered menace.
But as their fight progresses, one question reverberbates throughout the field of battle:
ARE THE ROBOTS BECOMING MORE HUMAN, OR ARE THE HUMANS BECOMING MORE LIKE MACHINE?
In all seriousness, the game is aiming deep with its narrative. The all-encompassing theme is life, and what, exactly, life is.
Expect plenty of heart-wrenching drama, balls-out action, and the Sega flair no man or robot can resist.
I think this sequence nails every aspect, and sells the story very well:
Yakuza Hollow Child.
WATCH THIS. YES, EVEN YOU TYPES WHO JUST SKIM OVER THE OP.
THE WORLD'S BEST AI:
That's the mark the development team had in mind when creating the robotic enemies you'll soon face (because the game is already ordered and paid for, yes?).
Disassemble them with each shot -- gun off the external plating, tear them limb from limb, even pop a head off, and they'll adjust to each dismemberment in style. The larger and more intricate the enemy, the more pieces you'll be able to deconstruct. No legs, no problem.
Look Ma,
Forgive me.
YOUR SPOKEN WORD:
Fortunately you've got a band who are as skilled as they are diverse. And the game's voice recognition hooks you directly into their veins and ears and shit for maximum efficiency. Tell the team to cover you, fall back, charge, etc., or even swear to let off steam and your mates will be all ears. There are multiple phrases for every strategy. Imagine all the buttons you'd need to pull this off otherwise!
But for the voice-conscious, noise-conscious, or those who just don't like (or don't want to be seen) speaking to a game -- you can use buttons to answer to any conversational scenario, and to use Baby's First Squad Commands (consists of four basic ones).
TRUSTY BELL:
Your hand-picked squad will react to your every command, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll follow through and massage your feet unless they totally trust you.
You do want them to trust you, right? Especially Big Bo; he gives the best foot massages.
The level of trust you have with different characters will affect the story: who lives, who dies, and perhaps a bit of romance (come at me, Bo), ensuring replay value out the ass.
But where it counts, kid, is in the midst of the action -- where rapport with a comrade can mean the difference between mauling the scrap to self-destruction and bleeding to death while your squadmates run right over you.
To build trust, help your team out. Get them up when they need it. Compliment them on their accuracy, or good looks (Bo-exclusive feature). Occasionally you'll have to respond to them in conversation. Don't panic. Just be yourself.
To keep trust, refrain from calling your pals idiots. Avoid friendly fire. Don't suck. While conversing, sometimes you won't be able to please one person without offending another.
Damn they make this shit life-like.
JAPAN HAS A VENDING MACHINE FOR EVERYTHING:
Bolster your arsenal, modify your weaponry, and make use of nanomachines to keep you and your teammates in top shape. You can find these out in the field or by accessing the vending machines (okay, shop terminals). You earn credits to spend by taking out enemies, and even more for finishing them off with finesse. It also seems that every time you finish your shopping, you have a chance at winning the store jackpot! The more you buy, the higher your chances! What could the prizes be?
Judging from the demo, the weapons seem to be the usual fare: assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, standard-issue unlimited ammo pistol...but who knows what else is lurking in the depths of Tokyo's vending machines...and in the hands of the enemy.
MARK YOUR DOMAIN IN MULTIPLAYER:
The standard "we need these in our shooter" modes -- Free for All, Team Deathmatch, Team Survival, Capture the Data, King of the Domain. Some bring their own twists on the formulas (Data Capture has your team placing the data around your base before you set out), but all will have the idiosyncrasies only BINARY DOMAIN can offer you. Oh, and there's Operation, where you use bombs to wreck the other team's shit. Hell yeah.
There are five classes to choose from, each determining your appearance and main weapon: the Soldier (assault rifle), the Scout (SMG), the Sniper (echo), the Heavy Gunner (a light machine gun), and the Striker (shotgun).
All of those modes support 2 to 10 players, but there's also a cooperative Invasion mode for 1-4 players that has you fending off the scrapheads for 50 rounds of robot-ripping carnage.
Nagoshi Himself (Lord, praise the Lord) claims you will feel connections with your fellow players.
He means teamwork, motherfucker. Put the voice training from single-player to use in the real life-and-death, build trust, strategize, and execute together to eliminate all adversaries. Or lone wolf it up, cuss everyone out and friendly-fire them all to hell. The binary choice is yours.
VIDEOS:
BIGGER than you THINK Trailer
Consequence System Trailer
Assassination Attempt Trailer
Yakuza Hollow Child Trailer (WATCH IT AGAIN)
Demo Gameplay with Commentary from NA Producer
REVIEWS:
Eurogamer Review
OXM UK Review
IGN Review
Gamespot Review
Game Informer Review
The Next Level Review
INTERVIEWS:
Nagoshi talks to Gamespot
Nagoshi talks to CVG
Nagoshi talks to SEGAbits
THANKS:
To Noisepurge for the section headers,
Quinntendopower for his inspiration (including OT title) and sacrifice,
and Nagoshi and his team for gracing us with a new IP we are clearly not worthy of.
BINARY
DOMAIN.
