Chrome Hounds is one of the stronger titles (in my opinion) that is promised for the Xbox 360, and has been in development for some time now. Hardly an atypical giant robot game, Chrome Hounds takes an approach to gaming focused on custom-configuring an army of mechs, or “Hounds” as they are known, from the ground up to engage in battle. The game is being developed by FROM Software, renowned for their Armored Core line of games, and Chrome Hounds follows in the same vein. Taking advantage of the opportunities bestowed upon me at E3, I promptly zoomed on over to try and scope the game out first-hand, and subject it to the kind of crazed scrutiny only a hardened Mech-sim fanatic such as myself could initiate.

Sega had a playable version of the game up and running on the show floor, but it was pre-configured for a single multiplayer map with pre-assigned Hound configurations. That said however, the gameplay I experienced was more than sufficient to get an initial impression on the game, and some helpful representatives from Sega were also on hand to answer my incessant questioning and aid in getting a better understanding of how the game is supposed to play. Split up into two teams of four, the E3 presentation gave us access to a number of different Hound variations based on the exact station we used – one that ran on tracks and featured a number of machineguns, cannons, and close-range rocket launchers, while another was instead set up on a slower quad-leg configuration, with an array of long-range artillery that could completely decimate a plot of land.

The game’s controls are also quite easy to pick up – the right trigger is used to fire, and players can switch between multiple weapon groups using the top right shoulder button. Aiming and moving is smoothly performed using the analogue sticks, and functions are also available for bringing up a map and damage display. The game is played from a third-person view, but as an interesting design choice, there’s no actual aiming reticule on the screen – at least not directly. At the top right is a smaller window which contains a magnified view point of the player’s aiming direction, along with an accompanying crosshair depending on the selected weapon. Players can do precision aiming using this window, or push a button to switch window modes and get a full-screen zoom mode for better aiming. This added a much more “seat of the pants” feel to aiming and definitely contributed to the intensity of the action.

On the multiplayer map, there were also several bases and communication towers spread throughout. Capturing these communication towers is actually vital as part of the game’s focus on teamwork and strategy; controlling a tower means you will have full communication access to team mates in these zones, while losing them will cut the communications line and make co-ordinating difficult. It certainly adds for a much more interesting focus on tactics and gameplay, but it remains to be seen how it will turn out in all praticality. But speaking of teamwork and co-ordination, I was told (as these features weren’t evident in the E3 demo) that during a multiplayer match, specific players will be chosen as the “Commander” for their team, and will have access to additional options for placing down markers, choosing their headquarters, and other advanced options to help advise and co-ordinate with their team depending on the type of gameplay mode being used, which definitely seems like a very cool approach to this kind of combat environment.

While teamplay is of course still important, players will still have a wide range of configuration and tactical options at their disposal. Communication is of course vital for ultimately out-flanking your enemies, but the type of hardware you are using can also make for quite a difference. For example, slower Hounds focused on heavier weapons should be kept to the rear where they can use their weapons most effectively, as fast-maneuvering Hounds will instead be able to easily out-flank them and pick them apart. In the final game, players will also be able to choose from a wide number of upgrades for their Hounds, which can drastically improve their combat performance.

Graphically the game is also looking fantastic. While not quite blessed with the insane environmental detail seen in past promotional trailers, the game does promote a “mech” feeling quite strongly through some incredibly well done animations and special effects. Individual parts of a Hound can be damaged or destroyed, and the active models will update dynamically to reflect this. It’s also really easy to spot a wounded prey from afar, as their own ride will be seen spitting out flames and sparks and (depending on the exact damage) possibly moving at a drastically slower rate of speed. Combine this with hundreds of interchangeable, unique parts to kit out a Hound with (as well as custom colors and decals that can be applied), and you have one potentially very cool gaming experience. A secondary note on multiplayer is that this is one of the first 360 titles to rely on a third-party server for statistic and gameplay tracking, as it’s obvious the team is working very hard to try and promote a clan-like environment. This kind of setup actually screams shades of Steel Battalion: Line of Contact with me, but this time hopefully without the horribly broken network code and complete lack of community support.

Some final notes I took from the showing: The game is currently set to support a maximum of 12 players in a match (ideally six on each team). There sadly won’t be any replay functionality to review past matches, but there is a promise that the singleplayer campaign will end up supporting up to forty-plus missions. The singleplayer mode will also apparently offer an interestingly dynamic experience, enabling players to assume a variety of tactical roles based on the choices they make, enabling them to unlock new parts and options. A fascinating point I was also told is that players will also need to unlock content in singleplayer before it can be used in multiplayer (specifically this was in reference to the advanced parts players can equip their Hounds with), so I’m questioning how this will work out in terms of balancing while playing online.

After blowing way more time than I should have at the event floor playing up the Chrome Hounds booth (my thanks to Sega for being so accommodating), I was effectively convinced that this may finally be one of the reasons I’ve been looking for to get an Xbox 360. All I need from this point is further information on if the singleplayer campaign will actually be interesting and decent, but provided it is, this may be one of the best Xbox 360 titles due out this year (though I wouldn’t completely discount Mobile Ops: The One Year War either…). Fans can start anticipating the release of Chrome Hounds within the next few months. - Dave VanDyke.