Video Game Vintage Title: Chromehounds

Chromehounds

Chromehounds is a video game for the Xbox 360. The game is set in an alternate universe where mechanised HOUNDs battle for control of Neroimus, a fictional region somewhere near Black Sea . The game features a system for personalized customization of the player's mech and an online campaign mode where players wage war in a persistent world over Xbox Live. However, the online servers were shut down by Sega on January 6, 2010, completely disabling any possible online play.

Chromehounds Plot

The single player story starts before the Neroimus war. The player takes the part of an unnamed mercenary from Rafzekael who, over the course of six missions, becomes familiar with the various HOUND archetypes. The main premise of the story is that the constant skirmishing between nations has caused the Kingdom of Sal Kar to feel threatened. Claiming its borders are at stake, the Kingdom builds a forward base in the Tajin region, on the shared border of all three nations. The neighbouring nations of Morskoj and Tarakia violently oppose this construction, and conflict ensues.

Chromehounds Gameplay

It offers opportunities for strategic thinking, as there are sometime multiple objectives for each mission. Both the single player and online game modes occupy a specific point in the game's timeline: the Single Player "Offline" story mode chronicles events just prior to the outbreak of the Neroimus War, while the Xbox Live "Online" mode takes place during the actual war.

There are six different mech classes known Role Types (RT for short) to choose from in Chromehounds. Each class of mech has seven different missions in the single-player campaign mode. Several types of other mechs and vehicles can be found including real world vehicles most notably; M1A1 Abrams, Leopard 1A5, T-72B1 and Merkava Mk.I main battle tanks.

Reception
Critical response to Chromehounds has been varied. Most gaming critics have complimented the game's online play and customization options, but have criticized it for having a poor story, average graphics, and slow-paced gameplay.

Famitsu rated the game 33/40

Eurogamer: 4 out of 10

Gamebrink rated the game 56/100

Team Xbox rated the game 8.7 out of 10