Explosions are not few and far between but nice and plentiful
The graphics of chromehounds is really good, i was very suprised one time when i looked back and i saw huge imprints on whatever i walk on that just let you know a hound was there. Thats just something i really enjoyed seeing but anyways the mechs look very nice the textures of the terrains are very nice and i don't know if this is a rating but i give the explosions a WOW!!! The explosions from a mech or destroying a town or whatever oh especially the ones with what looks to be some oil tanks or whatever explode so nicely creating a thick smoke you can't even see through. I really enjoy seeing all this come in to play. Also the lighting from machinegun fire or launching rockets or anything is a very very nice sight.
The sound in the game is just as you would expect from this kind of game. Machinegun fire, cannon fire, missle launching, hounds exploding buildings falling yah its all here.
Here we are the gameplay. The controls in this game work very well it is simple and will only take you a few minutes to get used to the controls. The aiming i really enjoy of course if you have seen any gameplay videos or screenshot you have seen the box in the top right that actually has the crosshair on it but it also zooms in or out dependant on the weapon you have selected. So if you have a sniper rifle it zooms in accordingly but if you prefer to have the main screen to aim (for long shots its a must) then you just punch in the right analog stick and boom there you go. One thing i noticed that i thought was a nice addition is now the box in the top right changes from the crosshair to just showing your mech in 3rd person so you can still keep an eye on things around you.
The hounds handle all well people complain about them being too slow but when you bog down a mech with a ton of weapons yah that will happen, when building your mech you definately need a strategy as far as how you are placing weapons and how you want to fight. For example on the left and right side of my mech i tossed on a cannon on each side set them to fire at the same time and the knockback from those shooting at the same time made them aim horribly. You will always be messing with your mech between the matches online.
The multiplayer in this game is absolutely fantastic. Teamwork and communication is a must if you even want to survive at all. From the beginning you can't even talk to each other you have to find the closest communication tower to set that up and then if you want to go out further you have to capture more. I thought that was a very nice touch to the gameplay. There are many modes to play online which are all pretty fun. The only one i don't like personally is just the flat out deathmatch because i think this is more of a team game but thats just my opinion. Anyways the game online is just great you can make changes to your mech before the game starts so if you forget something change it and you are still in the same channel of the game and what not.
The single player i see it more as a tutorial for the online, because online is where this game is meant to be played. The single player you have a story through each of the different mech types. There are a handful of missions in each which aren't so long which of course is because your mech has fuel so they can't go on too long. Each hound's separate missions will do well introducing you to that type of hound and showing you what to expect especially when building one.
Also to note during mayhem online i have not noticed framerate drops which is fantastic. A few things i wanted to note as well i thought that was a nice touch is in single player and online the structures are destructible yes you can destroy houses and everything its great. You see a few trees and don't want to go around them??? Well you are a hound just run through them and yes you can do that! Fences cars and even some small buildings you can just run over them. those details just make you feal like you are in a big powerful hound being able to just run through that stuff. I have to say that i am enjoying this game a ton and for what i expected was surpassed by what i actually got. Even though the single player feals more like a tutorial i have enjoyed playing through those but the real deal with this game is the online play.
Oh yah and how could i forget... Building a hound is a highly addictive part of the game alone. You can change the paint the different colors in the camo paint or whatever type of pattern add and create decals and just make your mech look truly unique. I have to say just messing around with my mech with the weapons and the paint and what not i spent a few hours doing that and didn't even realize it.