Binary Domain

Binary Domain is an impressive third person squad based shooter that shows that the Cyberpunk genre is still as popular as ever. Set in the year 2080 you play Dan, a member of an international group designed to enforce violations of the new laws on robotics. Someone in Japan has been illegally creating robots that look like humans ( the game calls them "hollow children", perhaps after the TS Eliot poem The Hollow Men ) and you are sent in to investigate. You form part of a team all with different specialties and fight your way through hordes of robots sent to stop you.

The plot is not particularly original, there are obvious connections to Blade Runner, and the look of the robots is straight out of the film I, Robot. However it is very well done with a very Japanese feel to the surroundings that give it a unique atmosphere. The style of the game is a perfect match for the Manga cartoons the Japanese love so much and there are numerous cut scenes which blend seemlessly with the gameplay. These do give the game the feel of a Manga movie but if cut scenes irritate you be warned there are a lot of them.

The graphics in Binary Domain are first class, with everything looking very smooth and three dimensional. The sound is also top quality with some very good special effects blasting out of your speakers.

Controls are quite similar to most third person games with a cover and shoot system backed up by some simple squad commands. My one criticism with this is that the same buttons are sometimes used for several different actions. For example X is used to run but it is also used to duck behind cover and at times to jump over cover. This can lead to some frustrating moments but thankfully it doesn't happen too often.

The squad is ideally controlled using a microphone, although this is not essential as you can issue commands on screen. These are very limited in scope and generally involve simple things like "Shoot" or "Cover Me". Depending on how well different members of the squad like you is supposed to vary how they respond to your orders. They will act on their own and may refuse to carry out your orders if you constantly put them in danger while you hide behind cover. One irritating thing I found was that squad members often walk right in front of where you are firing resulting in you hitting them, which obviously does little for good relations. In general though I think most players will like to take the lead in any fight and, if you avoid mouthing off at your squad its easy to get them to trust you.

Both Dan and the other members of the team can be improved by spending money at different points throughout the game. Small automated shopping stations can be found throughout where you can but ammo, med kits, upgrades to weapons and nanobots which give you extra skills. This is nicely done and fits in well with the game, not seeming too artificial but giving you some options when it comes to character design.

On standard difficulty the single player game is tough but not impossible. The most challenging fights involve giant robot boss monsters that can take a hell of a lot to put down. This reminds me a lot of Resident Evil and while it can be frustrating to have fight these things it does provide some variety in the action.

Binary Domain also comes with an online multiplayer game which gives it some longevity. In this you get to play a template soldier, although you can modify your equipment by earning points. You can play against others in a classic death match, or fight against waves of robots in an invasion mode. As with other third person games this is a lot of fun to start with but can get a bit repetitive. It lacks the intimacy of first person online shooters and the tactics are fairly limited.

Overall then Binary Domain is a good effort, one which should appeal to anyone who likes Manga movies. Its got a few flaws but in general the gameplay is fast, furious and extremely enjoyable. If you want to kick some robot butt then you can't go far wrong by picking up a copy.

Binary Domain looked a bit low rent from the previews, and the games press was lukewarm. For my money though, this is the most fun I've had playing a video game since I don't know when. And I don't mean "I'm impressed" fun, I mean total immersion, in the flow, laugh out loud fun. This is a great game, there's no ifs and buts about it.

The short version is, this game pits you against robots in future Tokyo. When I heard that concept, I was sold - and the design team absolutely delivers on the premise. The robot designs are all fantastic, they move wonderfully, and they die amazingly. Blasting them into pieces produces different effects - if you make a headshot, they'll freak out and attack their teammates. If you shoot their legs off, they'll crawl towards you Terminator style. If you shoot their arm off, they'll pick it up and attack you with it like a club. It's great.

The shooting is fun, feedback is good, and the cover system is fluid. The benchmark third person shooter is Gears of War, and BD is a straight variation on that game's mechanics. Your character, Dan, moves quicker than Marcus Fenix though, and unlike in Gears, where you'll be quickly shredded by gunfire, charging into heaps of enemies in this game is encouraged. Most surprisingly, Binary Domain has ideas of its own that put Gears to shame.

The most important of these is to tell a coherent and moving story, which gives the action a real feeling, something I found thrilling. I was expecting nothing more than the usual gung-ho claptrap, but I was quickly drawn into events by the game's humour and intelligence. I never ever played a shooter for the story, but I found myself playing late night sessions just to find out what would happen next.

In this game, the story is gradually revealed to be very emotional, and I had more than a few moments when I was delivered into gameplay with a specific emotion to carry me along. It was a very strange experience, and one that I would like to have more of in video games. The people who designed this game are very, very clever. When it finished, I'd genuinely been taken on a journey. I never felt that before in a game. Even Bioshock's atmosphere was punctured once the story was unravelled as a gimmick; and the Uncharted games, which have great characters, don't really have stories, just plots to hang the one-liners on.

It's not an original game, but it is complete, unified, plays excellently, is paced expertly, and has been made with a lot of care. Just to compare, I'd rate it above Vanquish, which I also loved, and definitely above the Gears of War games, all of which play fantastically, but then you have to put up with all that witless posturing.

It's also a long game, I played through on Survivor (Hard) difficulty, and it took about 12 hours. I felt like a really got my money's worth. No new game + as far as I can tell, but I look forward to returning to this game down the road, and not just for the stellar gameplay.

Binary Domain is definitely in my top 5 games of this generation. Finally, a genuine surprise!

Great game - definitely worth your money.
Cheesey as hell but tremendous fun.
Taking out hordes or robots is just a blast.