In a time where unique video games are hard to come across, whenever one such game does land itself in our hands, many hardcore gamers choose to look past the faults of these games and appreciate them for what they are. Killer 7 is that type of game which few will admire, others loathe, and even less be indifferent about.
Along with Viewtiful Joe and Resident Evil 4, Killer 7 first started off as one of the infamous "Capcom 5" for the GameCube. These games were to supposedly be exclusive games for Nintendo’s cubed console, and high profile games as well, however, most of them were later ported to the PlayStation 2, with only P.N. 03 staying exclusive to the GameCube, and Dead Phoenix lying dead somewhere in Capcom’s developmental studios with little chance of rising from the ashes.
Killer 7 is a stylistic action game who’s art direction is something unlike anything we’ve ever seen in a videogame before. It’s a mix of cel-shaded visuals and almost archaic character models that seem to give off a look that’s similar to the CGI seen in cheesy science fiction movies from the 1980s. In my personal opinion, while the game’s art style is unique, it’s not something that I find appealing at all. I’m a fan of cel-shaded video games and the unique art styles that often stands side by side with the graphical technique, but I just find Killer 7’s art direction boring and uninteresting.
While Grand Theft Auto will forever be under siege by parent’s and politicians across the nation for its questionable content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Killer 7 is a game that pushes the envelope, in regards to mature content, further than any Grand Theft Auto game ever has, and most likely will get away with it completely, without some sort of good or bad publicity to generate sales for Capcom, as San Andreas definitely has for Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive. Killer 7 is that type of game that a child should never get their hands on because it almost seems as if there is a possibility that the game will warp their mind and desensitize them from things most parents fear to expose their children too. Of course, what does this mean for older gamers like myself? Not much apparently, since we have every right to check out the game for ourselves and experience its violent and disturbing images in all its glory. This is where Killer 7 earns its unique identity, from its bizarre storyline and content.
Killer 7 takes place in an alternate reality were the nations of the world are finally at peace, or at least making some serious attempts to attain such a goal. All nuclear missiles have been destroyed by being launched outside of the planet’s atmosphere and being detonated in space, creating a fireworks show that symbolized the coming of world peace. Of course, such a thing seems like an impossibility and the world’s peaceful state is interrupted when a terrorist organization known as Heaven Smile makes an attack during a United Nations summit some years later. In order to take down this organization, the United States government seeks out of the assistance of an elite group of assassins known as the Killer 7.
The interesting thing about the Killer 7 is that they are not you’re normal group of assassins, if such a thing exists. Harman Smith, a crippled old man with a multiple personality disorder which has created seven distinct personalities, is the Killer 7. So, each character that you play as in the game, are all created by Harman’s psyche.
In order to not spoil the game’s plot any further, I’ll leave its description as that. Its plot is definitely the best thing the game has going for it. However, those expecting to be enthralled by the game’s story as you would in, let’s say, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, will be disappointed. While Killer 7’s plot is interesting, I just cannot find it as compelling as Snake Eater’s or any other game which shares a similar trait in which its story overshadows its gameplay.
I spent months looking forward to Killer 7 and thinking that I would be pleasantly surprised by the game’s possible "uniqueness" I stayed away from reading most previews and hands-on impressions because from my experience I’ve learned that the best way to enjoy a great game is to play it without knowing much about it. Well, from the moment I got my hands on Killer 7 I realized that if there was anything I would possibly ever like about the game, it wasn’t going to be its gameplay. The game feels like a watered down and hackneyed version of a game that resembles Resident Evil 4, and compared to that Capcom masterpiece, Killer 7 is a piece of crap.
The first thing players will notice about Killer 7 that differs compared to most action games is that the game doesn’t handle like anything you’ve likely to have played before. Your control over any of the game’s characters is extremely limited to moving forward on a linear path that is already pre-determined. The only time you get any type of expanded control over your character is when you press the right trigger button to go into 1st person perspective in order to shoot some bad guys, but when doing this you only have control over your weapon’s aim and cannot move from that spot unless you go back into third person, which leaves you open to enemy attacks. So, if you’re one of those folks who complained about the controls in Metroid Prime and its sequel, get ready to throw a fit because Killer 7 is your worst nightmare.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the reason Killer 7 handles the way it does is because its need a way to make itself feel different than Resident Evil 4. No, there are no zombies or tyrants, but there are puzzles and hordes of zombie-like creatures that you must kill. However, the puzzles that you encounter in the game just happen to feel even more tedious than they do in a traditional Resident Evil game, because not only are the solutions clearly obvious, but they’re encountered so often that the boredom begins to drive you into state of mind numbing insanity.
One of the game’s unique gameplay traits is being able to switch between the various personalities of Harman Smith on the fly. Each character has their own different weapon and special abilities (pick locks, move large objects, remove hidden barriers, etc.) and players must switch between characters in order to solve many of the game’s puzzles and get passed various obstacles, however, much like puzzles mentioned above, switching between characters feels tedious. It’s not implemented in a clever way in which players will enjoy switching between characters at all. You’re bound to pick a favorite character and play as that character for the most part of the game, only switching when needed, and then going back to that character. I hate it when "unique" gameplay features end up feeling forced and chore-like as opposed to actually being enjoyable.
I’ve seen many people describe Killer 7 as a love it or hate it type of game and while this statement may be true, I’m sure most players will definitely hate Killer 7. I tried to like the game, however, every time I turned on my GameCube to play it, I couldn’t help but feel as if I was forcing myself to do so. Like I said earlier, I hate it when games feel like a chore and Killer 7 felt like one from start to finish. I cannot suggest Killer 7 to anyone, although, I will tell you readers the same thing I told the guy working at my local game shop when I traded the game in... "some reviews have been saying that it’s a good game, but I think it’s a piece of garbage."
