Chromehounds

Chromehounds delivers on almost every level and is one of the better titles to have been released on the Xbox 360 this year.

For those of you looking for a giant robot game that's distinct, exciting, deep, and eminently customizable, as long as you're willing to play with others, Chromehounds is what you've been waiting for.

HOUND building is borderline therapeutic. Slow in areas, but never for trivial reasons.

The fact that up to 20 players can compete against each other at one time with no lag is impressive.

Hearing your squad yelling in victory at a hard-earned tactical win or laughing at an unlucky shot in battle is a great feeling, and the best battles can create a story that people will be talking about days later.

While Chromehounds delivers on the multiplayer aspect of the game, it is lacking a great single player to go with it.

Operating the hounds is a breeze. They are even easier to operate than the mechs in Mech Assault, although they don't move as quick. Speed is sacrificed for ease of control.

It is a slower methodically paced title that demands patience and the ability to command squad units to be successful.

A lot of fun when played online, but the single player mode feels lacking. The impressive multiplayer Neroimus War could still use some play balancing, and the game is needlessly trying to please both the sim and the arcade crowds at the same time. [Sept 2006]

The best multiplayer experience on the Xbox since "Steel Battalion: Line of Contact," and so far, minus the awesome controller, it puts that game to shame.

Overall, Chromehounds is a coin-flip because gamers will either love it or hate it due to its weak single player campaign and its robust multiplayer mode, which are both wedged in between inconsistent graphics and boring level design.

Chromehounds is truly built as a multiplayer game where team strategy, roles, responsibilities and cooperation will prevail at the end of the day. Played in this fashion, the depth and longevity of Chromehounds, not to mention its customization aspect, will last any gamer with Xbox Live a long time.

An innovative take on how shooters and mech games can play, with a very nice addition of "collect-'em-all" gameplay from the variety of parts available.

I'm actually having more fun online with this game than "GRAW" thanks to the even greater emphasis on team play, role types and big robot things exploding.

Once you get over the initial speed of the game and focus on the more tactical element then players will have a better time. However I fear that many players will lack the patience, especially if they are used to fast paced first person shooters.

More than any other game, it’s the online multiplayer that really tips the scales and saves Chromehounds from being a forgettable B-grade title.

A very niche, very focused and polished experience that will reward you if you and your friends are willing to put time into it.

Chrome Hounds makes no apologies for what it is and it isn’t looking for your appreciation. It just wants you to fight in its war. Pretenders need not apply. But if the lure of war is tempting you, then sign up.

You need to be aware that this is not the high-speed game like Virtual-On, or Armored Core tends to be, but more of a giant robot chess match. If you are up for that sort of war, we’ll keep a spot open for you on the GT Goonsquad.

Mech games are pretty scarce on the consoles, and this one fills the void nicely with plenty of customization options, fun multiplayer mode and spectacular visuals.

This unique mech combat sim looks great in action, but gets most of its mileage out of its persistent online campaign, which can be very fun for dedicated players.

Chromehounds is probably one of the more inventive games of its time. It’s the first persistent online game on the 360 and it’s FREE to play (Live fees not withstanding). It has good graphics, challenging gameplay, and enough parts and upgrades to keep even the most diehard armchair mechanic glued to their TV for weeks and months to come.

If you’re looking for a game with a solid single player or twitchy action shooting then you’re in the wrong place. Chromehounds is at its core a multiplayer experience with an emphasis on teamwork and tactics.

While the first Mech title for the 360 isn’t exactly incredible, it does set a standard for online play that will only better with age.

This game will suck you into its wartime world if you let it. And once you've adjusted to the game's quirks and interface, you'll find it very enjoyable.

People willing to enlist for the full tour of duty are going to find a tactical experience unlike anything else out there—just make sure you know what you're getting into before you sign on the dotted line.

The single-player game is sorely lacking in several key areas, and the online game, while fun, does require a lot more effort on the player than say ... (insert favorite game here).

Its pretty, but like Chrome its mostly flash and little substance. At least you can show it off to your friends.

It's as if the game designers are saying, "Well, just imagine that you are fighting in a huge war." With that kind of attitude, I hope that they are able to imagine me still playing this in a month – because I certainly won't be.

This game is predominantly about next generation tank combat, which may strike some people as terribly boring, but for those just itching to join the new era of steel-clad, explosive-hurling champions, Chromehounds delivers the most satisfyingly complete experience available to date.

The online performance still has a lot of kinks, often making it tough to join games. It can be difficult to experience the game properly as a functional squad. Still, Chromehounds is a game that has a lot of potential.

Like the idea of mech-battling or are a hardcore gamer? Got Live? Got time? Got capable friends online? Then Chromehounds has something to offer you in these slow times.

Chromehounds wields tons of fire-power online, but its gameplay gears are rusty. [Aug 2006, p.87]

The customization adds an additional layer of strategy to Chromehounds, one that's very much welcome. [Aug 2006, p.59]

I was rather disappointed with the single player game. I was able to finish all of the single player missions with just a few hours of gameplay.

Chromehounds is for all those who've ever wondered who exactly was backing them up when they faced armies of security bots, turrets, and other mechs.

Chromehounds is an excellent online game, but the single-player suffers because of it, making it no use for anyone without a Gold Live account.

Even while using proper RT tactical maneuvers, playing Chromehounds only amounts to a point and shoot experience, despite its impressive customization complexities.

However, the technical issues that currently exist in the game in a connection-based capacity really are unacceptable, and it saddens me immensely that issues like this still exist after the widely-known tragedy that was Steel Battalion: Line of Contact, and given how much potential this game has.

Even hardcore mech fans, who may well get their money’s worth in the multiplayer, would have benefited greatly had more time being spent making the combat more enjoyable.

Like the "Armored Core" games, Chromehounds feels like an amalgam of smart and goofy, and while it will appeal to fans of the former series, finicky casual types will probably be bored, frustrated, or both. [Sept 2006, p.82]

A well-made, technically solid shooter, but its dedication to realism kills the fun. [Aug 2006, p.88]

While tactics are required the crux of battle really comes down to brute force, which may diminish the longevity of the game's appeal.

Chromehounds offers nothing especially 'next-gen' to the mech genre and, apart from its in-depth customisation and online squad aspect, it really emerges as a distinct disappointment.

Scant little more than a badly reared puppy that’s bound for the pound.

Unfortunately, with such drab presentation and predictable gameplay, there isn't enough to sustain interest for long.

Certain of the mech types, such as the underpowered and, surprisingly, oftentimes sluggish-moving scouts are simply less fun to play than others.

It's nothing we haven't seen done before with more energy and enthusiasm in countless other mech games. [Aug 2006, p.91]

The single-player isn't very good, it lacks pace, excitement, variety and feels like one giant training mission. [Issue #11]

Overall the gameplay is pretty forgettable and is only saved by the interesting ideas presented online. [JPN Import]

Too simple to be strategic, too slow to be a shooter, too basic to be next-generation. [Sept 2006, p.70]

Even if Xbox Live does prove Chromehounds’ saviour, there’s no denying that the single-player mode will be relegated to little more than a tactical playground to warm up for the online battle because it’s just a little too one-note, a little too slow, a little too lifeless to truly engage. [Aug 2006, p.112]

The game is hardcore in the sense that, only a gamer with far too much time on his or her hands would take the punishment of completing the dry campaign. The hardcore gamers out there are the only ones that could stand the drab visuals, and boringly done sound.

It stumbles in its lame single-player and brutally slow pacing, but offers a nice amount of customization for would-be mech mechanics, leading to a game perfect for the chop shop and lousy for the road.

An ambitious failure that sounds great on paper but proves to be a tediously slow, uninvolving experience for anyone less than a hardcore giant robot fan.

As long as you don't fall asleep at the wheel, Chrome Hounds offers a smattering of explosive action.

Much slower and less action-packed than we'd hoped - plus, it doesn't even look that much like a next-gen game. The online mode needs to be awesome if there's any hope for this one. [Issue 9, p.80]

Chromehounds is really, really, really boring to play...Not one that I can imagine Xbox 360 players sticking with for more than a handful of hours tops, no matter how starved they are for new releases at the moment.