From Software are a powerhouse in the Action-Adventure now and it’s interesting to see what they got up to in their pre-Dark Souls days. Whilst it’s a great release for people who are fans of the developer and never got to play the original game as well as a cool title for fans of the mech genre, visual and quality of life updates aside, the gameplay feels very rigid and definitely shows its fifteen years.
The story and presentation of the narrative in Metal Wolf Chaos XD is just big dumb fun. You play as Michael Wilson, the President of the United States in the first quarter of the 21st century who has had his position usurped by the Vice President. Naturally, he combats this as we all would, by leaping into a twenty-foot Mech, blasting his way to safety through a secret tunnel in the Whitehouse garden and fighting across America to take back his rightful position.
The story and voice acting are Resident Evil levels of nonsensical joy, from your radio handler laughing and quipping as you level buildings and slaughter hundreds to Michael Wilson’s preposterous catchphrases as he wreaks havoc across the states.
Whilst there have been visual improvements and some modernisation in that the player no longer needs to manually save after each level, the slightly rigid combat and underlying mechanics and level design remain.
It IS fun to scroll through the weapons available, from pistols and shotguns to rocket launchers and beyond, causing complete carnage throughout the streets (you can spend points in researching upgrades and new weapons etc.) but sometimes the creaky design pops through such as when you need to blow up a building and spend ages hitting the exact right spots to bring it down, making it a slightly more tedious experience than it needs to be or some of the more static boss fights etc.
Summary
Metal Wold Chaos XD, had it been released worldwide in 2004 would have been a solid title for the system and definitely deserves to be played by fans of both the Mech genre and those interested in gaming history, especially considering the heights that the developer went on to reach (there is also a sense of looseness, fun and accessibility that just doesn’t exist in their newer games) however, you really need to know what you are getting yourself in for.
This is a re-release of a game on the original Xbox that is a decade and a half old and needs to be approached as such. Still, it’s a load of mindless fun, Go, Mike!
It IS fun to scroll through the weapons available, from pistols and shotguns to rocket launchers and beyond, causing complete carnage throughout the streets (you can spend points in researching upgrades and new weapons etc.) but sometimes the creaky design pops through such as when you need to blow up a building and spend ages hitting the exact right spots to bring it down, making it a slightly more tedious experience than it needs to be or some of the more static boss fights etc.
Metal Wold Chaos XD, had it been released worldwide in 2004 would have been a solid title for the system and definitely deserves to be played by fans of both the Mech genre and those interested in gaming history, especially considering the heights that the developer went on to reach (there is also a sense of looseness, fun and accessibility that just doesn’t exist in their newer games) however, you really need to know what you are getting yourself in for.
This is a re-release of a game on the original Xbox that is a decade and a half old and needs to be approached as such. Still, it’s a load of mindless fun, Go, Mike!
P.S – I was reading an interview with the head of From Software and he said “We were thinking of including some things that players expect from current gaming, such as an ultra-hard mode”
Although I ask myself…do modern players expect every game to have an ultra-hard mode….or is that just an expectation of you personally as a developer?
💧❄️ RATING: MELTING ❄️💧
Ratings Explained
ICE COOL (Great Game Recommended)
MELTING (Recommended with reservations, one to consider if you are a fan of the genre)
MELTED (Not A Recommended Purchase)
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