Genre: Mecha Shooter
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: From Software
Release Date: September 2006

SEGA seems to be positioning From Software's Chromehounds to pick up where the much-lamented MechWarrior franchise left off, so gearheads everywhere can rejoice. From Software, of course, is primarily known to American fans for creating the Armored Core series of mecha combat games. If Armored Core is From Software's take on flashy mecha power-fantasy stories like Gundam, then Chromehounds is their answer to hard-bitten, grittily realistic mecha stories like VOTOMS and Battletech. Chromehounds takes place in an alternate history where an explosion of solar flares during the '80s crippled all technologies that relied on radio waves, thereby changing the global balance of power and the way wars were fought forever.

In the future of this alternate history, heavily advanced mechs called HOUNDs developed to become the primary instruments of war after the massive radio interference rendered ICBMs and military aircraft useless. HOUNDs move along the ground using a variety of different chassis, ranging from bipedal legs to hovercraft systems. They're usually deployed in organized squads that work as a unit, often compared in structure and function to the way a pack of wild dogs might behave.

As a result of the massive expansion of solar flares, world politics took a rather different turn in the world of Chromehounds than they did in the real world. The USSR lost in Afghanistan and actually lost territory to anti-Soviet rebel forces, an event with destabilized all of Eastern Europe. This also sent Soviet Russia into turmoil and led to a civil war that resulted in the nation splitting into two separate countries: the Great Soviet Socialist Republic and the Republic of Russia. With the Soviets neutralized but threats spreading as insurrections destabilized world governments, the US declared a reversion to isolationist policies and withdrew support from former allies. Japan, as a result, developed closer diplomatic ties and eventually dependence upon China, which soon lead to the creation of a unified Southeast Asian superpower called the Far East Union.

Against this backdrop of alternate history, a player spends the Chromehounds solo campaign fighting to determine the fate of an imaginary Eurasian region called Neroimus. At the moment, world events have broken Neroimus into three separate nations: the US-backed Democratic Republic of Tarakia, the formerly Soviet republic of Morskoj, and the Arabian Kingdom of Sal Kar. Each nation has its own story goals in the main campaign, and its own characteristic approach to equipping and deploying HOUNDS. All three get much of their technology from Rafzakael, a secret society of mercenaries and arms dealers that formed during World War II and later became one of the foremost dealers and designers of HOUND parts.

Various missions in the solo campaign detail the struggles of these four great military powers, while letting the player experience frontline action in one of the game's six different roles. Each of the six combat roles, or RTs, develops a completely unique story line. Players who plan on focusing on the game's multiplayer aspect need to complete the story modes to train themselves in the game's basic survival techniques, and in order to learn how to effectively play each of the RTs.

The six RTs are the Soldier, the Sniper, the Defender, the Scout, the Heavy Gunner, and the Tactics Commander. Soldiers are heavy front-line combatants used to destroy enemy fortifications. Snipers lurk toward the back of a pack of HOUNDs, picking off advancing enemies as necessary. Defenders are heavy, slow-moving HOUNDs that can dish out and absorb enormous amounts of damage. Scouts are high-speed recon units that lead a pack's charge to draw out the enemy. Heavy Gunners are the long-range counterpart of the Soldier, assault units that can heap massive damage onto distant targets. Finally, the Tactics Commander gives up weapons in order to lead the pack and issue orders to other HOUNDs. Obviously, most players are going to end up with a marked preference for one particular type of HOUND and whatever functions it's best at. Aggressive players who like to do heavy damage will probably enjoy Soldiers, while more cooperative or reactive players are likely to enjoy Heavy Gunners and Defenders.

Each type of HOUND uses equipment and weapons specialized for their particular function, most of which can't be used by other types of HOUNDs at all. Within the range of equipment allowed for a given RT, though, players can customize their HOUND to reflect specific tastes and objectives. This can be as minor as adding modifications to a weapon or as drastic as completely relocating the cockpit or altering the locomotive system of a mech. You begin with a narrow range of customization parts available to you, and earn more options and money to purchase them with as you play through the game. Often what loadout works best for a given mission reflects personal taste more so than any kind of mechanical demands, and it's very satisfying to defeat enemies while using exactly the tactics and techniques you personally find most interesting. If you want to play with pure crushing in mind, though, you can easily equip units with things like custom ammunition and special defense types to do more raw damage at once. You can also opt to rely on sneaky strategies like crippling an enemy's weapon systems.

Once you're in a mission and on the field, combat controls are sweet and simple. They're enough like traditional FPS controls to feel comfortable and familiar, but also distinct enough that the game doesn't feel like little more than a gimmick FPS. You use the right trigger button to cycle through your default weapons configurations, and each configuration can fire a maximum of four weapons at once. After firing, weapons go through a "cool down" period before you can fire them again. To fire, you pull the right trigger button. The left analog stick controls movement, while the right controls targeting. Pressing down on the right analog stick lets you switch between the two major viewpoints, first- and third-person.

Generally, third-person is better for moving your HOUND around, while first-person is slightly better for precision aiming. Switching between views takes valuable fractions of a second, though, so there's a distinct advantage to be had in learning how to aim well from third-person mode. You use the left shoulder tab to cycle through assist parts, which do things like reduce your weapon "cool down" periods, and hit the left trigger button to use one. In certain situations, you may want to use the Back button to self-destruct your HOUND.

Remarkably, these are the only controls that the majority of the HOUNDs require. Certain types, like the Tactical Command, use the D-Pad and face buttons for special functions like issuing orders, but these additional functions are as quick and easy to learn as the basic controls. The entire scheme is smooth enough to feel intuitive and friendly, and yet operating your HOUND never feels so easy that it disrupts the illusion of controlling some enormous, super-complex piece of machinery. It's the perfect balance between challenge and efficiency.

This preview really only scratches the surface of what Chromehounds has to offer. We've barely discussed the game's graphics and sound, and won't be talking about its robust multiplayer options until next time. Chromehounds is a simply massive, well-honed title that shines in almost every respect, and deserves being discussed in detail. Fans who've been desperate to find a new military mech combat game to obsess over in this post-MechWarrior era are going to be very satisfied indeed.