"Romp, stomp, romp, stomp, wossshhh... Rat-a-tat-a-rat-a-tat!” For many these strange mechanical gurgles might sum up ChromeHounds to a tee. And after just a few hours blindly rampaging through the game's single-player campaign many gamers might be forgiven for throwing in the towel and calling it a day. Yet for others the slow build and pace provided by this latest mech onslaught could be just the thing to comfort the war monger within. ChromeHounds provides gamers with an unusual dichotomy. On the one hand it is a game that promises, yet fails, to deliver an intense single-player encounter. While on the other hand ChomeHounds succeeds by providing the expansiveness of real-time multiplayer action -a persistent world- where the tide of war is continuous and in flux. Regardless, whether you look at Chomehounds as a glass half full or half empty it still leaves you feeling considerably unquenched and equally battle worn. And this is why...

The premise of ChromeHounds erupts with the opening scene of a parallel earth entrenched in a suicidal conflict between the ominous superpowers of the 1980s. Just like an illustrated tale of Japanese fiction, three apposing factions (Sal Kar, Tarakia, and Morskoj) who are held in this feudal deadlock can only persevere through the tactical advancement of ground warfare. Enter the Hound, a menacing mechanical horror built for ground terrain combat and head-to-head onslaught; providing an alternative to nuclear extinction. As the tribes of earth bludgeon their way to global supremacy the Hound has become the lance piercing all who oppose its operator's might. Firing all manners of missiles, rockets, and lethal explosives, the Hound has become the battle monolith of an alternate truth.

Initially, I found myself wide-eyed and in awe of the spectacle that unfolded during the opening scenes of ChromeHounds. The high-gloss CGI of rockets illuminating a dusk lit sky, the apocalyptic explosion of enemy targets, and the sweat inducing rattle of heavy gunfire would surely be an indicator of a successful game. Not quite. Consider this... ChromeHounds (the single player game, first) is not all that was originally intended. Rather than being thrown into the middle of a raging battle, players are led into the tyranny of an endless tutorial, which is held under the guise of a warring epic. Players will move from disjointed mission to disjointed mission, liberating (exterminating) bases, capturing COMBUS radio towers, and destroying enemy Hounds. During all of the single-player action the game feels nothing short of barren, lifeless, and laborious. Often players will be given objectives via their COM (i.e. "head to grid reference G12 on your HUD map and destroy, destroy, DESTROY!”), which must be carried out in order to progress to the next mission –wash, rinse, and repeat. However, the endless waddling between way-points results in nothing but sheer nausea and boredom. Most missions are repetitive and the AI of enemy Hounds provides little competition, and quite often I found myself just going through the motions in order to improve my score, or collect that required part for creating the ultimate Hound.

Some missions are also timed and this can prove an unnecessary chore, especially when the time limit is not specified. The only indication of the impending time limit is the urgent cry of your COM operator. In addition, success in the field can be awkward especially if you have forgotten your way-point or general goal. No, these minor details are not stored in some useful objectives list, but rather your COM operator mentions them at the start or during each mission and you must simply remember them. However, the heads-up map will lend some assistance (i.e. highlighting icons of specific locations), yet I found myself frequently stomping around blindly with little understanding as to where I should go or what to annihilate.

The good news is that ChromeHounds provides a successful online game for the Xbox 360. A collection of capture the flag, base destruction, COMBUS tower arrest, and deathmatch, help to create a meaningful experience. However this is completely outshone by the provision of a persistent MMO called the Neroimus War. Players can join an online squad, build the perfect hound suited to their playing style (leave an hour or two for this challenge), and take their angst to the virtual battlefield. Online squads wage war against the three dominant powers of the game: Morskoj, Sal Kar, and Tarakia. The novel aspect of this is that the struggle to power of each nation is actually influenced by you/your squad's victory/loss during each battle. As your squad gains or loses ground the nation you have sworn loyalty to will gain or lose sections of territory. The importance of this is communicated well, as real-time updates are relayed to players during the game via notes. As such, the end goal is to capture and control the opposition's territory.

For the fiscal at heart you will be pleased to hear that owning a Hound requires a frugal eye. Each time you take to the battlefield damage and usage will require repair and maintenance, which coincidentally comes at a fee. Funds are collected during online missions (both squad and solo) and for each battle won players are rewarded with a sufficient collection of credit. This can be used to buy parts and upgrade hounds (i.e. computer chips, night vision, radar equipment, and big guns, lots of guns). As previously mentioned Hound parts can also be acquired from those collected during the single player campaign -a lot of effort for little reward, if you ask me.

The great thing about the online component of ChromeHounds is that it requires some tactical thought. Acquiring a squad with the right mix of Hound class (i.e. Sniper, Heavy Gunner, Defender, Scout, Soldier, and Commander) will bode well under fire, however even with the right mix of skill victory comes down to little more than those with the biggest guns and strongest armor wins. Unfortunately, this means battle may often feel more like axe grinding than being apart of a strategic war of the future.

The visual presence of ChromeHounds is a mixed bag. The Hounds themselves are fantastic with great detail and variation in design. They handle brilliantly, too, and are very fluid when on the move. Truly the Hounds themselves are the highlight of the game. However, the terrain and game-world itself is a largely barren place. While everything may have high-quality textures and a polygon count to make you squeal they are largely lifeless and bland. Buildings, trees, COMBUS towers all look like they have been arranged atop a pre-school neighborhood placemat. Nothing truly looks like it belongs to the terrain it sits upon and this degrades from the immersion somewhat. The destruction of these environments is also a bit disappointing, too. While explosions look grand and furious, the impact rockets and BFGs have on the surroundings is minimal at best. If there is one thing a Mech style game needs it is a high level of destruction. Yet, blast a rocket into the side of a mountain or cliff face and not a single dent is witnessed. The only thing destructible includes bases, towers, and Hounds, while the first of these fold like a house-of-cards rather than an almighty cataclysmic eruption.

The audio is also a little uninspired. Now this may just be personal taste, but the main orchestral theme score was found to be a little tiresome and awkward after hearing it for the first few times. It sounds competent, but after drudging through everything else this game had to offer this was just another tiresome feature. The FX sounds of the gunfire and explosions are nice though and often boom with much rapture. The same cannot be said for the voice acting found in the single player component of ChromHounds, though. It is a little rigid to say the least.

The replay value of ChromeHounds will really depend on how much you enjoy MMO gameplay. It is good in this respect, but once you have spent a bit of time with the game it fails to offer much variety. Battles may seem repetitive after a while and the rudimentary mechanics at its core are not that inspiring. Still, the fluid movement of online dictatorship should provide a luring charm.