Chromehounds

In the crowded genre of mech games, FromSoftware's Chromehounds for the Xbox 360 standouts as a deeply strategic and customizable experience. Released in 2006, it failed to make a big splash at launch but has gained a cult following among discriminating fans. With both a story-driven single player campaign and an online persistent war mode, Chromehounds delivers mech combat complexity wrapped in an intriguing alternate history setting.

A New Spin on Mech Lore

The world of Chromehounds takes place in the early 21st century after a divergence from our timeline in 1945. A new arms manufacturer called Rafzekael kickstarts the creation of Advanced Combat Vehicles (ACVs) which rapidly evolve into the powerful mech suits known as HOUNDs. By the 2000s, three nations - Tarakia, Morskoj, and Sal Kar - engage in an escalating border conflict in the Neroimus region that will eventually erupt into full-scale war.

You play as a mercenary HOUND pilot recruited by Rafzekael to maintain peace, only to get caught up in the machinations of the mysterious Cerberus Squad. The single player campaign lets you experience the tensions from multiple fronts as you rank up through different mech classes. The overarching narrative and world-building is one of Chromehounds' strongest suits, providing more contextual depth than many mech games.

Unrivaled Mech Customization

Where Chromehounds truly shines is in its astonishingly deep garage and customization options for your HOUND units. You can tweak every individual component - from weapons to armor to locomotors - creating your own uniquely designed mech to suit your playstyle. New parts are earned through missions or can be purchased, pushing you to constantly iterate on your HOUND's capabilities.

This level of granular tinkering is akin to games like the Armored Core series on PS2/PS3, which Chromehounds has been favorably compared to. But the Xbox 360 title takes things even further with a robust role system, purchasable garages to store multiple HOUND configs, and meticulous physics and ballistics modeling for an authentic sim experience.

A FromSoftware Classic

While the Armored Core series satisfies mech fans with its robust custom builds and missions, Chromehounds supplemented customization with its groundbreaking massively multiplayer dynamics. Pilots in Armored Core battle alone, but Chromehounds' squads coordinated to directly impact the persistent inter-faction narrative in real-time. unmatched strategic depth.

Of course, more modern audiences know and fear the name FromSoftware from the Dark Souls saga and the masterpiece Elden Ring. These games are also known for how unforgiving they can be, but they are also well-renowned jewels in the gaming world. Making it a necessary point in most modern reviews to compare any game to the Dark Souls series.

Review: 9/10

Chromehounds' niche appeal prevented it from being a blockbuster hit. But for discerning mech fans, it stands as one of the most complex, customizable and unique offerings in the genre.

Pros:

• Astoundingly deep customization and mech-building
• Intriguing alternate history setting and lore
• Strategic single player campaign
• The pioneering persistent online Neroimus War mode (RIP)

Cons:

• Niche gameplay complexity limits mainstream appeal
• Online servers no longer active
• Can be unforgiving for mech sim novices

People say:

6

Attention, citizens of the present: In the event of a dystopian future, please don't invent walking robot tanks. I've driven them, fired their weapons, and tested their Big Gulp cupholders, and I can say, with authority, that current methods of killing your fellow man are way more fun. Jets, machine guns, grenades--hell, even trench warfare with rusty bayonets is more entertaining. How can I speak so authoritatively about "mechs," as the otaku among us call them? Chromehounds--a mech-building/ shooter/strategy affair--treats the subject with a ridiculous amount of realism. For example, the mechs in this game--whether you pick one with legs, wheels, or treads--move at reality-appropriate speeds, which is a nice way of saying "slow as hell." Worse, if your locomotive parts get banged up in battle, you slow to a crawl. And like in real war, you'll have a tough time telling the difference between allies and enemies in both online and offline modes. When you finally run into other machines in the game's vast sterile battlefields, that is. Chromehounds is a well-made, technically solid shooter, but its dedication to realism kills the fun.

5

I realize the glacial pace of Chromehoundd 20-story-tall mechs is supposed to reinforce their gigantic size, but this is ridiculous--even the "quick" models move like senior citizens at a packed Shoney's buffet. And speaking of old, the graphics ain't exactly next gen; gorgeous explosions aside, the landscapes are dull, and even the populated areas look like model-railroad towns. Some tossed-togelh-er single-player missions feel like little more than training for online play, where the strategy and communication required to coordinate a team of various classes (sniper, scout, etc.) of custom-built mechs offers the only real value in Chromehound$ but even that's tempered by problems, including--yep--the lumbering pace.

8

I've gotta wonder if I'm playing the same game as these other guys...'cause I really found myself slipping into addiction mode with Chromehounds. I like how even though the game rewards customization gearheads, you don't need a dedicated spreadsheet to make a good mech, like in some walking-tank sims (I'm looking your way, Armored Cordj. Also, the Hounds look fantastic, and the interface is a work of fine-tuned, though sparse, beauty. Like Mark says, offline play essentially serves as a training mode, so I can forgive its goofy tale of intrigue--the game's real beauty is in its brutal, team-focused, rewarding 6-on-6 Live play. (It's kinda like a tense Battlefield2 match... just slower.) Success online earns you weapons, money, and login announcements proclaiming your victories--a much-needed stroke for my ego. Blowing up robots is fun, people.