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Good: High level of customization, lots of multiplayer depth, good looking hounds and weapon effects, fully realized game world

Bad: Slow, boring gameplay, awful single-player mode, barren environments, poor in-game interface, disappearing casualties, annoying sound effects

Needs: A fast forward button

On paper, Chromehounds should be the definitive sci-fi action sim. It offers an extremely detailed building mode, an immensely deep and persistent online campaign, and cutting edge graphics for both the in-game models and weapon effects. Unfortunately, it's also incredibly boring.

So where does Chromehounds go wrong? Simply put, the gameplay is downright terrible. Actually, terrible isn't the word I'm looking for. Rather, the gameplay is simple, unexciting, slow, and at times, frustrating. It's really a shame too, since Chromehounds has so much potential conceptually.

For one thing, it features an exceptionally well thought out gameworld and back history. The setting is a war-torn fictional version of our own world, where a slightly different chain of events leads to the outbreak of World War III. The fighting results in the birth of a new type of war machine, known as the hound. Hounds are basically multi-story battle tanks that occasionally come on legs, and are armed with enough weaponry to destroy a small army. The story focuses on the three nations that occupy a territory known as Neroimus as they use these hounds to wage battle against each other.

The single-player portion of the game is centered on the events leading up to the war amongst these nations, and is divided into six separate story arcs. The arcs are separated according to the game's six different role types (RTs), and each essentially serves as a tutorial to playing the different hound varieties. The stories themselves are fairly disposable, mostly because each arc consists of only seven missions, giving very little time to provide a good narrative and well developed characters.

Even after the poor story-telling, the single player mode is a let down on a number of other levels. For one thing, the enemy AI provides almost no challenge, as most opposing hounds will simply follow a set path and shoot at you only if you cross it. Furthermore, most missions only have one or two simple objectives, so most seem to end just after they begin. Simply put, if you're looking for a decent solo outing, this game is not it.

Perhaps the single-player game's biggest fault lies in a larger problem altogether: the game just isn't very fun. There's just so little to do in the actual game that most players will be lucky to sit down and give the game a second chance. When all is said and done, the only things you can really do are move and shoot. That's it. Worse, the moving and shooting game is so poorly implemented that even this becomes a chore. For starters, the hounds themselves are unbearably slow. Simply turning in a full circle can take upwards of 30 seconds, and trying to navigate across some of the game's larger maps is simply unthinkable. The shooting game isn't much better. Aiming at and hitting opponents is extremely easy, and anyone with any kind of eyesight should have no problem nailing their enemies with missiles and shotgun blasts. This means firefights boil down to simple circle-strafe tactics, with the winner being the one controlling the better-equipped hound.

Making matters worse is the game's abysmal in-game interface. Instead of using a traditional targeting reticle in the center of the screen, the game utilizes a separate sub-camera in the top right of the screen to show you where you're aiming. Unfortunately, this window not only distracts you from the on-screen action, it also has a major problem with its drawing distance. There will be times when you'll be able to see an enemy up ahead in the actual game window, but unable to aim at them in the sub-camera. The ability to switch to a first-person targeting mode is nice, but a simple reticle would have been nicer.

The game's radar and health read-outs are also poorly implemented. The on-screen radar is fairly useless, but by hitting the Y button, you can bring up a more detailed map and series of meters detailing the condition of each of your hound's individual parts. Unfortunately, the map is still fairly useless unless you're the commander, not to mention it takes up nearly the entire screen. Mission objectives in the single-player game are represented by tiny numbered circles, but the lack of any other kind of information on these objectives is irritating. Additionally, the health meters are difficult to read, as the icons indicating which part they represent are too small to discern.

One other minor complaint comes from the fact that there is no in-game options menu. Should you need to change your video or controller options, you have to self-destruct and completely exit to the game's main menu. Considering that the ability to access the options menu while playing is almost a given in any other game today, this minor oversight is more than a little annoying.

The game does have a few good features though. The wealth of multiplayer game modes is actually one of the game's strongest points. For players craving fast action, the game offers a number of standard multiplayer scenarios including capture the flag, deathmatch, and survival mode. Each of these game types can also be played ranked or unranked, and the game offers an impressive statistics-keeping feature so you can always compare yourself against other players around the world.

The real meat of the multiplayer experience lies in the Neroimus War mode, a persistent online campaign in which players join one of three unique nations and battle for control of the Neroimus region. After picking a nation, players then have the option of creating or joining a squad. Squads are essentially this game's built-in version of clans or guilds, only you're required to join one before you can participate in the online campaign. Once in a squad, players can then join in battles in various zones within the Neroimus region. By winning battles, squads help their nation to increase their control of these zones, and open up paths to new zones. The ultimate goal is to take over the opposing nations' capitols and to win the war.

A number of other elements really help make the Neroimus War as immersive as it is. Frequent news reports pop up while in the main lobby announcing breakthroughs in the war and honors granted to key players in the conflict. These give a real sense of community to the campaign, and do a nice job of honoring players dedicated to the online experience.

The financial elements of the war are another nice touch. By winning battles, players and squads are awarded a large sum of money. From these winnings, expenses such as repair and ammo costs are deducted, and the remaining total is added to your funds. With this money, players can buy new parts for their hound or make donations to their nation to help out with the war cause. This virtual economy plays a very interesting role in the online experience, and in some ways, it's more exciting than the actual game itself.

Fortunately, the multiplayer experience does help address some of the gameplay problems from single player. The six different role types go a little ways in adding an element of strategy to the otherwise boneheaded gameplay. When designing your hound, you can choose to gear it towards being a soldier, sniper, defender, scout, heavy gunner, or tactics commander. Each of these types has its own unique pros and cons, and choosing which to use on your squad plays a very important part in the online strategy. For example, scouts are essential to capturing COMBAs, which are essential for extending your range of communication on the battlefield. Meanwhile, heavy gunners and snipers are essential for blasting enemies from a distance. Perhaps the most important role belongs to the commander, who is in charge of spotting enemies on the radar and issuing orders to the rest of the team. Choosing which role types to use in your squad is essential to success online, but even this additional layer of strategy doesn't prevent the inevitable monotony of the actual gameplay.

Another great component of the game lies in its hound construction feature. By unlocking hound parts in the single-player game, and buying and trading for them online, players have complete control over the construction of their own unique hound. Everything from the chassis to the cockpit to the weapon systems to the generator to the computer systems to the paint job is completely customizable, and with the promise of free downloadable content, the possibilities are practically limitless. The only drawback to this incredibly deep construction system is just how complicated it can be at times. With factors to consider such as energy use, maximum load, and heat to cooling ratios, many casual gamers will find themselves turned away before they can finish building their first hound.

As for graphics, Chromehounds shines in some spots and fails in others. The hound models themselves look great, with a nice level of detail and a high number of polygons. Also worth noting are the exceptional weapons effects, particularly the explosions. These could very well be some of the best effects around right now, and they do a great job of capturing the feel of combat. Unfortunately a number of problems prevent Chromehounds from being a true graphical wonder. The environments are extremely bare and repetitive. More texture variety and additional scenery would have been welcome additions. Another minor problem is the way units and buildings disappear after being destroyed. One would assume that with the technical abilities of the Xbox 360, the developers could afford to leave some wreckage on screen, but apparently that's not the case. Finally, the game has occasional framerate dips, particularly when playing in high-definition. These aren't a major issue, but occur just frequently enough to warrant mention.

The sound is a huge let down. The game's soundtrack is subdued and for the most part forgettable. The sound effects are average on all accounts, with generic explosions and gun shot noises. Perhaps the most grating part of the game is listening to the sounds your hound makes. The constant crunch of your hound's movement over rough territory is annoying enough, and don't even get me started on the sound of your damaged hound sparking for 15 minutes after taking heavy damage. I rediscovered my television's mute button while playing this game.

If you're looking for a good single-player game, don't buy Chromehounds. If you're looking for a fun, action-packed multiplayer game, don't buy Chromehounds. Despite the exceptionally deep hound construction system and persistent online campaign, there's just not enough to make up for the fact that the gameplay is truly awful.

Graphics: 6.0

Sound: 5.0

First Play: 4.0

Replay Value: 7.5

Gameplay: 5.5

Overall: 5.6

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