Killer 7 Review

ESRB Rating: M for Mature

Reviewed by: Doctor Gonzo

A Word to All Naysayers

This is the game, if Resident Evil 4 didn’t do it for you, that should disprove all arguments that the GameCube is for kids.

Personally, if I have a choice, I go for that system over the other new-gen consoles nine times out of ten. This game is about as sick and twisted as any. It's chock full of blood (which you use to power up your attributes or regain health), talking severed heads, and weird S&M informants that follow you throughout the acid trip-induced story line.

You play as a group of mercenaries who are known as the Killer 7 led by a crippled old-timer named Harman Smith. Harman is essentially Charlie from Charlie's Angels in that he only contacts your group leader Garcian Smith. Garcian and the other playable members of the team are all revealed early on to be one person with something slightly more paranormal than multiple personality disorder. Instead of just personalities, they all have their own bodies, but should still be considered the same person -- from the female assassin Kadee Smith to the Mexican Wrestler in a suit named Mask de Smith.

A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action

Besides the puzzles that aren’t usually very hard to figure out, the involving storyline keeps you awake crying for mommy in the middle of the afternoon. The two most notable parts of the game are the look and the feel.

The battle system isn’t that much of a challenge most of the time (unless you beat it and unlock the Ultra Hard mode), but the design of the game is something to be applauded. It looks like cell shading but is done in a way that I’ve never seen before. The music will get you pumped up for the boss fights, and once you hear the dance beats that come in just before every boss battle you’ll know exactly what I mean.

In reference to the puzzles, it’s important to keep track of the maps so that you don’t end up missing something tiny that causes you to search for a needle in a haystack later. As long as you go through the levels methodically and remember what the Killer 7’s unique special abilities are, you should be fine.

And in regards to the difficulty, you’ll probably only have a hard time with an enemy the first time they are introduced. Once you leans that each enemy has a very distinguishable weakness, it takes a lot of the stress from the game.

Doctor’s Orders

I recommend that you buy this game if given the opportunity. Its innovative style is enough to keep you entertained until the end, but if you’re looking for a challenge you’ll have to play through the game more than once. While I will admit that the first play through offers little in the way of a crucible, I found myself unable to play through the first level on Ultra Hard for quite some time.

The designers help you cope with the serious difficulty by throwing an unlockable character your way and promising more if you can beat it again. If you managed to beat it a second time, feel free to post a comment on the review letting everyone know how much of a badass you are. I think this is as much of a worth-proving milestone as beating Sephiroth on Expert Mode in Kingdom Hearts.