Sega Unleashes Chromehounds for Xbox 360
At A Glance
- Talking 'Mechs with the producer of Chromehound.
Sega is the first publisher to enter the walk onto the Xbox 360™ battlefield in Mechanized armor. We got the game's producer, Justin Lambros, to park his Mech long enough to talk about what to expect from his futuristic new combat game, Chromehounds.
With Xbox 360, even the explosions are pretty.
"Chromehounds takes place in an alternate reality, in the near future, where the Cold War never ended," said Lambros. "Instead, the world is devastated by a war which still rages on. The player takes on the role of a mercenary who has traveled to the center of the conflict, a fictional Eastern European region known as Neriomus, working for the highest bidder to earn a fortune in combat."
" Chromehounds will have immense replay value because
of the extensive online gameplay."
Lambros said the breathtaking, next-gen visuals definitely bring a strong feeling of immersion for the player, bringing them into the world and story of Chromehounds. From there, he said, players will begin to tell their own stories to their friends about the game, once they take part in the persistent Neroimus War mode online.
Use the cover of night to your advantage.
Mechanized Combat
Chromehounds features 44 single-player, off-line missions that serve a double purpose. The missions primarily introduce players to the fictional world of Chromehounds,and as players progress through a story that features a large cast of characters from three different countries, these missions serve as a great tutorial for the game. You'll learn how to pilot each of the six different HOUND models, while unlocking new parts to customize these vehicles. This will allow you to bring your own custom HOUND to your Xbox Live® battles, choosing exactly what kind of teammate you want to be.
"There are three key features to this game that really make it stand out from the rest of the Mech crowd," said Lambros. "First and foremost is the customization. It's really quite amazing. Second is the expansive online gameplay. Third, the unique role of the Tactics Commander, which makes squad-based gameplay very dependent on communication and strategy. All together, this makes an impressive package for gamers." The Tactic Commander is the HOUND squad leader, designated before entering battle. Victory or defeat, he gets the credit or the blame.
Online Battlefields
Lambros said Xbox 360 offers unprecedented online gameplay for consoles, and his team is going to push this even further with Chromehounds. The addition of Xbox LSP (Live Server Proxy), where an external server is housed at the game developer's studio, will allow for expanded squad-based rankings and many persistent world features in the Neroimus War. He added that the game's six-on-six online battles, where strategy and communication is key in winning the battle, will bring the squad-based shooter genre to a whole new level.
"Chromehounds features extensive online gameplay above and beyond the already robust features of Xbox Live," said Lambros. "Developer From Software has used Xbox LSP to add more features and content to the online gameplay."
This external server has allowed From Software to include a persistent online battle mode called the Neroimus War. Players will be able to form squads and battle for supremacy over three lands. While engaging in battles, they'll expand the borders of their country, earn money to buy parts, participate in elections, enter lotteries, access extensive rankings (for both individuals and squads), and get news updates on the status of this virtual world.
"This is in addition to all of the great online play you'd expect from a shooter, like capture the flag, survival, checkpoint battles, team matches, and more," added Lambros.
Lambros said Sega will support Xbox Live Marketplace by offering a robust selection of items for download, starting with trailers, packs of gamer pictures, and dashboard themes. After the game launches, Sega will have several sets of new weapons and color schemes that can be purchased for players to further customize their HOUNDs.
No time to admire the scenery, you have a job to do.
The Next Gen Franchise
"Chromehounds will have immense replay value because of the extensive online gameplay," said Lambros. "The Neroimus War alone has hundreds of hours of gameplay in it, and will be different each time you play it. Add to that the myriad of customization options in the six different types of HOUNDs and I'd say this game is nearly unlimited in all the different ways you can play it."
Landros believes the game's customization will appeal to the hardcore among Xbox 360 gamers. He believes From Software offers something special with their combination of dedicated online play and customizable content.
"I also think the role of the Tactics Commander will be a personal favorite to a lot of hardcore HOUNDs out there," said Lanfros. "Those pilots will act as the brains of the squad and really be able to change the face of a battle with good strategic planning and communication." Or not, of course. Either way, it sounds like Chromehounds will offer an exciting new spin on the Mech combat genre for gamers on Xbox 360.
Article by John Gaudiosi
