Chrome Hound: Age of Arms

When From Software held a raffle soliciting four-player teams to demo its latest game at the Tokyo Game present to view we assumed that the culprit was its latest Armored Core game. As it move rounds out, though, From had a plenteous more pleasant surprise -- Chrome Hound: Age of Arms, an expanded twist upon the AC concept for Xbox It's still a third-person mecha action game, heavy upon customization features, but it's got something Armored Core has not ever had: team-based online combat for up to 10 players with Xbox Live.

From actually calls this Network MMO Mecha Action, which gripe [i]or[/i] grips out the promise of a more mingled persistent world than in your usual versus game. What was shown at TG focused simply upon combat, though -- we'll have to wait for more detailed documentation to explore the world around the action.

That action direct the eyes like more than enough of a curved catch to maintain your interest. The game's basic presentation is unblemished Armored Core -- the same behind-the-back camera angles, a similar interface, similar lock-on targeting combination of parts to form a wholes and a comparable blend of deliberate and speedy pacing. What's a clear pace ahead is the modeling of the environments, which are far more mixed and detailed than the relatively simple sci-fi locales in Core.

Chrome dog takes place in a comparatively realistic near-future setting -- the first screenshot exhibit off locations clearly set in Paris, with giant mecha called "Veiled Armor" stomping below the Eiffel Tower and around the Champs Elysee The demo version of the game has a similarly Continental flavor, taking place in wide boulevards lined with files of very French buildings. the couple the mecha and the horizontal architecture have far better originals and textures than Core, giving them a smoother and nevertheless somewhat more realistically weathered direct the eye

You can diocese the battlefield from two perspectives -- the traditional view from above the mecha's shoulders, or a bird's-eye view of a wire-framed battlefield map. This strike one as beings to lend the game an emphasis upon strategy and teamwork that's been historically alien to From Software's mecha action efforts, since the map view suffers team members keep track of each other and coordinate their efforts. It also clearly indicates that this game will take upon an much larger scale than Core -- the map in the demo horizontal looked to cover a two of dozen city blocks, as well as a longitudinal dimensions of a river that may well have been the Seine.

From Software knows mecha action, at least according to the template that's won it consistent succes with Armored Core. Thus, we can trust that at least fans of that series can gaze forward to Chrome Hound, since for all intents and drifts it appears to be Armored Core, single much more so. A more user-friendly mecha game would be an plane nicer surprise, though, given the opportunities online combat and voice chat tender themselves, so we'll look forward to any and all novels from From soon.

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