E3 2011: Binary Domain PS3 Preview
Posted by Jeffrey Harris on 06.10.2011
Hands On: At E3, 411mania.com gets a look at a super cool new squad based shooter from SEGA. This is Binary Domain.
Last year at E3, 2K Games previewed a really cool looking squad based third person shooter game called Spec Ops: The Line in the Spec Ops series. That looked like a really cool contemporary action game with some interesting squad based strategy tactics mixed with run and gun TPS shooter action. Unfortunately we had nothing to see from that game this year or get the chance to play it. Instead, over at the SEGA booth, I got the chance to play a really cool sci-fi themed, action-adventure, squad based third person shooter game called Binary Domain.
The game is a brand new IP created by Toshihiro Nagoshi who created the Yakuza game series. You play a guy by the name of Dan in a special ops military squad. You are fighting your way out of a city filled with some ominous robot characters. The robots believe they are human and it shows in the gameplay. The robots use human-like tactics in their shooting. They can snipe at your team from a far, they can hug walls and duck behind debris and obstacles and they can team up in squads against you.
You get a set of four weapons. You get a basic sidearm which has infinite ammo and you get chance of two particular longer-range barrell or rifle type weapons. You start out with your sidearm, your assault rifle, and a set of grenades. You can pick up a second longer range weapon as you advance in the level. My personal favorite was the shotgun since it is easier to aim and just go up and smack down your enemies with it. The enemy robots in the game are relentless. You can shoot off their arms, limbs, and even their heads and they will keep coming at you. The enemy AI in this game comes off pretty cool. The controls are really good and the run and gun shooting aspect works well and is extremely fun.
Now this is a squad based shooter so it mixes strategy and group fighting with the basic action. There were two levels we could sample in the demo. In each demo you could pick out two additional team members for your group in your mission. There is a meter on the partner selection which reflects how much the team trusts you. And your actions in the mission will affect how much trust you can gain from your team members. There is also a command system in the game where you can give orders or comment to your team members in alternate ways. Interestingly enough, your team will make suggestions in the action which you can either follow or ignore. If you follow them, your team will appreciate your shooting skills and technique or thank you for letting them take point or if you make a mistake, the team member will make a comment at you for screwing up.
Each level had its own boss. One was a bi-pedal machine called the robot lancer and the other was like a giant crab or spider robot. The boss fights were cool. You have to take cover in your area to take stragetic shots at your opponent and avoid their missiles and heavy guns. You can find a rocket launcher to bust up the armor of the bosses and then shoot out their weak spots. Your assault rifle also has an EMP pulse shot that can stun your robot enemies. Eventually for the bi-pedal robot you can jump on top of his head and shoot out their weak spot in a cool moment. I was really impressed with how well this played.
Binary Domain will be hitting the Xbox 360 and PS3. The release date is not yet official, but I believe it is due out some time in 2012.
