Title: Binary Domain
Developed By: Studio Ryu Ga Gotoku (Studio Yakuza)
Published By: Sega
Console: Playstation 3 / XBox360
Genre: Third Person Shooter
Classification: This game has been classified M for Strong science fiction violence
Review Conditions: This review was done on an Australian Playstation 3 version of the game. No immediate differences should be present between versions.
Special Thanks: Sega Australia who kindly provided a review sample for this title.
While none of the games have scored ecstatically high in my reviews yet, I can happily say that I am a fan of the Yakuza line of games. Why would I be saying this in a review for a game not in the series? Well… the team behind the Yakuza franchise of games last year opened their own development studio within SEGA entitled Studio Ryu Ga Gotoku (Studio Yakuza) and chose that instead of releasing another game with their tried and proven genre of gameplay as their first title – they would release this third-person shooter game entitled Binary Domain. I have said a few times over the years that I am not that big a fan of this genre given my habit of running into the heat of the action instead of a slow and steady approach but over the last few months and favorable experiences with games such as Mass Effect – I was more than eager to give this game a try. Did it pay off? Read on to find out in my review of Binary Domain.
Where does the machine end and humanity begin?
2080 AD Tokyo, Japan. The Amada Corporation break Geneva Code, Clause 21 by creating humanoid robots that believe themselves to be human. These so-called Hollow Children have infiltrated the human population, blurring the lines between man and machine. Dan Marshall and the Rust Crew are tasked to find Amada at all costs. Will the team’s human bond be their greatest strength or will they fall to the machines?
Taking place many decades in our future, the human race has now begun relying on robots for everything from Military to doing the mediocre jobs that nobody wants to do. Due to the problems with the earths climate, Tokyo city has been rebuilt into a giant and almost impenatrable fortress where how well you are off determines how well you live – with the slums and sewers existing at the bottom of this “tower” and the more modern metropolises situated at the top. You are Sergeant Dan Marshall from America who has been sent to penetrate this city along with four other members of your “Rust Crew” in order to investigate the Amada Corporation that has begun to produce Hollow Children which infiltrate the human population and pose a threat to those in Japan – and others worldwide. As a core plot – I think it does pretty well for itself and provides something a bit different from the teams usual Yakuza-surrounding plotlines while maintaining a level of maturity and sarcastic comedy.
In terms of world building, there was nothing I could really fault them about. The plot is pretty slow in the first chapter or two where you make your way into Japan and with the exception of a few laughable moments it was just there to set the tone. Once you meet up with other team members and get into the heavier plot in regards to capturing Amada, I thought there were enough twists and turns to keep me interested. I did appreciate how they did reward your progression in the game with better visuals – as in Chapter 1 the designs leave much to be desired (Nothing much you can say about dark corridors and the occasional dull looking enemy) until moving on to the more modernized areas that they used a lot of to deliver the plot. Unfortunately there are also a few areas that were creative but were not implemented
The game comes in pretty short at around 10-12 hours in length with exceptions for difficulty and experience level at these sorts of games…. but while it may seem quite non-linear at first, upon beginning your second playthrough you will find it is less so. At several points through the game you are able to select two team members to join your party while the other members split up. While the game introduces a sizable cast of party members who are introduced at points throughout the game – the party system only works well in the first couple of chapters then afterwards when you are locked into a set party for the second half of the game – only used to select one or two characters to go with you while the other(s) keep watch or undertake another task. This not only limited the potential of replaying the game (Perhaps going down completely different routes) but also left several characters without too much character development and essentially made them redundant. It is a real shame because while it worked for realism, I would have liked to hear more from Charlie and Rachel who didn’t really receive much development at all.
Even with this and a few other elements I will discuss later in this review… it was an above average storyline with potential I just wish they had used more than they did – perhaps dedicating some more time to making it completely non-linear and having your choices in-game have more of an affect on the plot… dragging you into completely different scenarios instead of a couple of different scenes and a few ending alterations.
For those familiar with the mechanics of third person shooters, the core gameplay system and control should be just pick up and play, with your normal assortment of shooting, aiming, taking cover and throwing grenades with your usual assortment of weapons ranging from Snipers to Machine Guns – for which each character has their own unique weapon they carry with them at all times – along with being able to pick up a handgun and other mid-sized weapon for them to use. However the fact you only battle against robots actually played to this series advantage as no longer do you just pummel a character with pullets until they are down (Well you can…. but there are a few additional perks with this game). As they are destructible, you can pin-point locations such as their legs to reduce their maneuverability or turn them into allies by performing head shots. Of course… this is all on top of the boss robots which are near impenetrable monsters and each have a unique way of battling them from jumping on their head from a tall building to climbing up its electrified tentacle. The AI wasn’t dumb by any means either – opting to go after Dan when using heavy machinery instead of the characters trying to distract it (At least in my experience) requiring more strategy than I would have expected.
The game also tries to separate big battles with some additional game-play mechanics that help set the scene – even if they are only used once or twice and still keep with the core gameplay. Things like adding a jet-ski scene or a shootout from the back of a car or van might not have been the best implemented systems but help keep the game fresh without impacting the third-person shooter element. Another fun little inclusion was the voice command system, where using a headset you can interact with your party using a sizable collection of phrases ranging from character names to commands to cursing out loud when you make a mistake. Unfortunately I had difficulty with my older model headset so I didn’t get the best use of this function – but from the experience I had, even if it was still limited to the same couple of commands it was a nice inclusion to give you the feeling you have greater control. Those who do not have a headset can use the basic commands using the L2 button.
As I mentioned above the game makes use of a party system that is not so well implemented, and depending on what characters you include in your party different dialogues occur between characters, so in that regard it does improve replayability but not to an extent that I personally had hoped for. Along with this system is a relationship system, where depending on your actions in battle and dialogs with them…. they will either be helpful and supportive team members through obeying commands given, offering battle suggestions and giving you leadership roles – while if they have a poor relationship they will be more than willing to not support you and push you to the back-ranks of the group. A nice feature but once again I thought they could have taken it further by allowing a greater depth for strategies. In terms of character editing, you only get to choose the secondary weapon and firearm for Dan, however all characters weapons can be upgraded along with the ability to add stat improvements in the form of nanotechnology, purchasable from any portable weapon vendor.
Outside of the main storyline, the game comes attached with an online multiplayer mode which comes with your usual batch of deathmatch style games and a co-op mode entitled Invasion, where you and a group of online players battle wave after wave of increasingly more challenging robots. While I will be honest that I didn’t spend more than a couple of hours on this mode – I thought it was a decent inclusion but nothing special.
In terms of design, Binary Domain originally presents you with a grim and to be honest uninspiring locale, but as the game progresses you get treated to a very well designed metropolis that has good attention to detail and is used to bring contrast to the many different lifestyles of the people in 2080 and how their own weaponary and “Means of Protection” can alter it (Aka. Expect many falling and dilapidated buildings). Character designs reminded me slightly of the styles they used in the recent Ryu Ga Gotoku series and were pretty good overall, if not could have used a bit more detail. Perhaps a little peeve of mine was the menu systems, which I thought could have been a bit more streamlined. In terms of the games soundtrack I was very much impressed with the more electronic style of music that suited the locale and action scenes well. As the “Rust Crew” and associates are all from different nationalities, when it come to Sega’s work on localizing the dub I felt they did a great job at keeping true to the individual characters accents and personalities.
Overall, Binary Domain was a good solid game…. but I feel that with a bit more planning and expansion upon the games unique systems I think it could have gone from “Good” to “Great” or “Excellent”. Overlooking this however, there was enjoyable if not a bit short gameplay, great designs and a strong musical backing. I do hope this means we can expect more games along these lines alongside Yakuza game installments, as they have proved to me that while implementation may need a bit of working upon in my books, they do have the ambition and talent to work on a number of different game projects with the newly formed Studio Yakuza!
Final Score
Storyline/Character Development: B-
Design: A-
Music/Voice Acting: A-
Gameplay: B+
Replayability: B-
Personal Opinion: B+
Overall Score: B+
