kill.switch

"The rules of the game are gonna change ..."

The words are prophetic, not only in-game but in terms of the first-person shooter genre. The response?

"Let’s get the party started, then."

Ammo is at a premium, but so is cover, and both must be used wisely if you are to accomplish the tasks set before you.

Namco’s release of kill.switch, for the Xbox, will change the way that first-person shooters are viewed. Certainly, it has all the earmarks of a classic FPS title, including the rag-doll effect that will have enemies flopping all over the area under the impact of explosives or weapons fire, but the game has explored an entirely new and long-overdue angle. Namco calls it the Offensive Cover System. Gamers will call it ‘too cool.’

Basically, the OCS allows players to use elements to protect themselves, such as stanchions, crates, even furniture. Duck behind the counter, use the controls to target, peek out and blast your opponent, or even take a blind shot. You know where they are, just raise your weapon up and shoot. The latter will seldom hit anything, but it will have the enemy ducking and can be a good ploy to move into a better position if pinned down.

And therein lies the key to this game - instead of just randomly charging into a swarming nest of bad guys, you have to think about what you are doing. You survey the environment, pick locations to set up and attack, figure out where the enemy is, and then use the environments to your advantage.

After wending through the tutorial to learn how to maneuver through a hostile environment, you are given your first task - find a general tucked away behind walls and a host of gun-toting lackeys. The setting looks to be a Middle Eastern town. In the distance you can hear two of the enemy, one disparaging the mental acuity of another. As you approach, it is obvious they are inside a room with a series of windows open to the alley.

There are a couple of choices, duck under the window and sneak past, or attack and eliminate them. Option one will get you past the first tier of enemies, but also put them at your back as you penetrate the stronghold. Option two will notify everyone inside that you are there and moving in.

What do you do?

The enemy AI is pretty good in this game. They won’t just stay in one spot, waiting for you to shoot them. They also use the afforded cover and will move from one location to the next. Sometimes trying to be stealthy, others just running for their lives.

The controls are a little sluggish on the default setting. You use the right thumbstick to target and this can be laborious at the predetermined setting. It’s best to fix that immediately to make this a little more responsive. In this manner the game is a straight-ahead shooter. You have to be quick or you are dead. The targets only flash open for a brief moment.

The graphics and sound of kill.switch are fairly typical of the genre. There is not a lot new here. In fact, the game is based on the stock "lots of enemies against the sole warrior" premise that so often accompanies shooter titles. But that is not the main draw here. The OCS will power this game along.

While some games, like SOCOM, allow players to utilize cover in a multiplayer combat setting, kill.switch has taken that to the single-player game in a manner that is impressive. The avatar’s offense centers on using cover well. Coupled with solid graphics and sound, kill.switch is a title highly worth playing, again and again, and again. After all, with so many environmental elements at your disposal, there are different paths to the target.

Gameplay: 8.4
This is fairly simplistic. You have a target, there are a host of enemies between you and it, and you go in and kill, kill, kill. The scenarios play out well, and are seamless. Nothing spectacular here, but solid action nonetheless.

Graphics: 8.5
The rag-doll animations are very well done. The environments and special effects are also excellent.

Sound: 8
Lots of explosions and the sound of gun fire. A nice element is the perspective voice sounds, you can hear the enemy and there is some perspective in the sound. Of course, make a silly error and the enemy will also hear you. Some of the dialogue is borderline silly.

Difficulty: Medium
The game has two settings, normal and hard. Until you are ready for the hardcore, intense action, keep it on normal - that is challenging in itself, just not as many enemies.

Concept: 9
The OCS is remarkable.

Overall: 8.5
This game sparkles because of the OCS and animations, otherwise it is a straightforward shooter that sets up with some pretty simple and standard missions. However, this is a game that challenges not only the reflexes but the mind as well. You are tasked to make decisions and employ some tactical battle plans into the mix of eliminating the onslaught of foes the game throws at you.