The back of the DVD case reads "Just what the Xbox 360 needs". I second that.
The attention was focused on the development of multiplayer Xbox Live play, and here is where Chromehounds shines. You have your standard player and ranked free battle. You have single missions that can be completed solo or co-op to raise your funds. Then theres the persistant online war that forces you into a squad (clan) of up to twenty people to battle it out for world domination. I hope you like your squadmates, because you'll be seeing them often. This system creates a band of brothers type squad pride that a lot of multiplayer games lack. You're not just thrown into the fray with strangers. Instead youre part of a team that has to share command, special lottery parts, and every defeat and victory. A lot of games carry multiplayer support nowdays, but few let you see your fellow gamer as an actual individual playing towards a cause, instead of frag number 50.
The gameplay consists of giant robots blah blah blah.
Yes, they walk slowly, but if it wasn't for that, this game would just be another shooter. The amount of strategy used by either an individual Hound customizer, or the co-op tactic planning that takes place during almost every match is remarkable. If you want to read about the different role types and interactions that go on during a typical match, go elsewhere. You can find such information all over the internets. I'm not about to write a strategy guide. The bottom line is that a quick trigger finger will help you take matches, but not as much as your sense of situational awareness of the battlefield. Needless to say, Youll have a hard time finding a squad without a headset comunicator, it's a requirement here.
Here's a quick rundown:
-Don't bother if you're not a Live Gold member. Play a game called "what the hell is wrong with me?" instead.
-The multiplayer is fantastic. It forces people to communicate and strategize. It FORCES people to communicate and strategize.
-The graphics are great.
-The graphics aren't fantastic.
-The sound is... minimal.
-The insane customization of every hound on the battlefield makes for very intresting interactions. (Anti-heat-seeking-missle flares, armor plates, system chips, light and heavy weapons, thermal vision, radiators, wheels/treads/legs/hover chasis, radar dishes, spacers, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, multi-rockets, shotguns, howitzers, cannons, generators, melee weapons, ect ect ect.)
-A demo, trailer, or quick play through isn't going to show you what this game is like, you have to put down the $60 and risk it.
-The first Xbox 360 Live game worth obsessing over. Think Counter-strike, World of Warcraft, ect.