Video Game Review: Killer 7 for the PlayStation 2
Goichi Suda, a.k.a. Suda 51.
How can one describe this guy?
One can see through his games the various passions he has in pop culture
and the media. Punk rock, Quentin
Tarantino, grindhouse movies, social commentary about life; those are some of
the things Suda 51 loves to reference in and out of video games. The most general definition you can find is
that he’s a hipster game developer.
However, he’s hip to the various things that are in American pop
culture. How interesting. This brings us to what I like to call his “Obscure
3” video game projects. They are
considered obscure due to the subject matter covered in each game, mostly
mature, and very strange. These projects
are Killer 7, No More Heroes, and Lollipop Chainsaw. Now, I do own 3 of his games, but not all 3
of his projects (I have Killer 7, No More Heroes, and No More Heroes 2:
Desperate Struggle). Today, I’m covering
the first of my collection, Killer 7.
What makes Killer 7 very obscure is the fact that it plays
very close to a suspense thriller this side of the late 1980s/early 1990s
television series. In this case, the first
show that comes to mind is “Twin Peaks”.
If you aren’t familiar with this show, look into watching it. If you are, you see exactly where this game
will be going. The other projects in
Suda’s collection are not as suspenseful or as twisted as this game, but are
just as strange. No More Heroes plays a
little into the pop culture junkie realm that Quentin Tarantino lives in. Lollipop Chainsaw is almost straight out of a
grindhouse film, with one tough as nails female lead. Only this grindhouse film is more than likely
made as a tribute to those films, so this game will more than likely be
something out of Robert Rodriguez’s fantasy.
In fact, I’d go as far as to say that Lollipop Chainsaw is what would
happen if you took Rodriguez’s grindhouse fantasies and starred Scarlett
Johansen in it…if not Cynthia Rothrock (that one’s for you, Obscurus
Lupa). But, we’re not here to talk about
that. We’re here to review Killer 7 and
if it stands tall as a video game worth buying, let alone renting. So, let’s dive into the madness.
Graphics
Killer 7’s graphics are, for the record, updated in a
sense. The game I own is a port of the
game….made originally as an exclusive for the Nintendo GameCube. The game doesn’t look too different from its
GameCube counterpart. If anything, it
looks much more polished with less blur and more brightness. But, to speak on the originality of the
graphics itself, you have 3-D sprites, moving between 2nd and 3rd
person perspective and there is cel shading on the sprites themselves. Here’s why this works: it fits the subdued yet suspenseful feel of
the game. The art style resembles that
of a “film noir” feel. The colors are
subdued and darkened, even in bright stages.
The camera is at very obscure angles, as well. Lastly, various bits and pieces of the
graphics pay homage to the retro game style with pixelated blood and icons
among other things. It’s a very
different approach melding styles together, but it works to play up not just
the obscure nature of the game, but also the obscure mindset of Suda 51. Oh, and the cut-scenes are just unreal, be it
with computer graphics or animated reminiscent to Japanese anime.
Sound
The music definitely fits the mood of the game, as well as
its nature. You get a really subdued musical
score, chock full of atmosphere as it draws from different musical styles to
get the point across. There’s nothing
more blood-curdling than hearing a Heaven’s Smiles’ laugh. It freaked me out later on in the game, as
they got more and more dangerous to deal with.
There are no sound skips or issues, but hearing Smiles all lie in the
power of digital surround sound. They
get louder as they get closer, which is something you don’t want to happen to
you. When it comes to the dialogue in the
game, it falls under two categories. One
deals with the cut-scenes in the game where you get full dialogue and speech
from the various voice actors you may or may not have heard in games. The other category deals with the in-game
cinema, in which when you encounter someone, you hear things in whispers…and gibberish. I guess it only fits since the people who
talk this way in the game….are dead….for the most part….
Control
The controls of this game are pretty straight forward. You move with the directional pad, moving
forward with the up button and backward with the down button. You move through different areas on a rail,
but can turn in different directions when need be. When you get to a fork, you use the d-pad to
choose your next location, and then you select it. When it comes to dealing with enemies, you
move through stages until you hear a laugh or a giggle. Once done, you press the necessary button to
go into targeting mode. Look around for
an invisible outline and press the scan button and you’ll reveal the enemy or
enemies of the area. Then, you shoot
them until they die. If you’re good
enough, you’ll target a critical spot and shoot it for blood, which will be
explained later. Other functions to
utilize outside of or within targeting mode include special attacks that vary
per character, counter attacks that are activated upon leveling up, pulling up
maps, etc. The controls are not that
complicated. After a few sittings, you
will get the hang of it and find yourself tearing through the game at an even
pace, but only a fast pace if you’re prepped.
Etc.
The story behind Killer 7 works like this: in the future, peace has been found between
countries. Various endeavors have been
taken to maintain peace in the world.
When this happened, the United States had become a global superpower
with little to no opposition. This leads
to a terrorist group, known as Heaven’s Smiles, to attack various others that
are against their beliefs. It’s up to
Harman Smith, a master assassin to use his expertise to flush out the Heaven
Smiles group and the targets that support them.
What’s Harman’s plan of action?
He utilizes 7 different hit men to do his work for, with their unique
skills. They are known as the Killer 7
and their murderous track record speaks for itself. Now, here’s a twist or two to the game. The more you kill and the closer you get to
the truth, the closer you get to the conspiracy that surrounds this whole
situation, which involves international intrigue, political corruption, as well
as some deep psychological messages and imagery that will unlock the truth
behind the Killer 7, that may or may not hit you square in the face. There’s a chance you’ll be left asking many
more questions once the answers are given to you. The game’s extras include that of the ability
to level up your character by killing Smiles by hitting their critical
spots. This gives you thick blood to
make serum and thin blood to help you recover health and use special
attacks. Yes, it’s weird that he’s using
blood as a means to strengthen himself.
But, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Another extra is finishing the game on a tougher difficulty where
enemies are strong and plentiful. Also,
finding critical spots are nearly impossible.
Lastly, you have a chance to unlock Killer 8 mode, which is an updated
version of the original game with some tweaks.
Sadly, there aren’t many extras to help the game’s lasting appeal. The game has 7 targets, so in total, there
are 7 stages. While some stages are
straight forward, others have multiple parts to them. But again, once you get used to the controls,
cutting through the game will be rather easy.
What add to the difficulty are both the random appearances of the smiles
and the puzzle elements that go into the game.
Every twist and turn will lead you to another puzzle segment that will
be helpful for the completion of the stage.
Remember what is said when you get clues. If you don’t, you will find yourself lost,
and dying. But don’t worry as you have
endless amounts of ammunition. The only
problem: reloading your weapon when you run out of ammo. Make sure you have the right person or
persons to help you on your way. The
game can be challenging, but it’s not impossible to finish or play due to the
controls. It may very well be impossible
due to certain bosses. But, in the grand
scheme of things, you won’t have a very lengthy game experience, or a very
short one.
Final verdict
Killer 7 is a vastly underrated and incredibly
well-developed game, utilizing a very obscure look and feel within and outside
of the game. You will be left with a
very memorable experience, albeit not a lengthy one. However, the puzzles and enemies leave the
game taxing enough to make the experience just long enough to leave you fulfilled. Also, the story behind the game is also very
enthralling, not to mention suspenseful.
The twists and turns in the game will leave you questioning the mindset
Suda 51 had when making this game. I’m
sure he saw an especially intense episode of “Twin Peaks”, or probably a David
Cronenberg film. Nonetheless, this is a
game you have to own for either PS2 or Nintendo GameCube. But, if I had to choose, I’d go PS2 for the
better definition.
Tune in again when I cover another one of the “Obscure 3”,
courtesy of Suda 51, as I tackle No More Heroes for the Wii.
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