"A classic example of a 'love it or hate it' game, which will easily achieve the status of being a cult hit."

Ah, Killer 7. The source of tons of controversy. A game that is loved by some, hated by others. I am one of the ones who love it, and feel strongly that it's a very good game. So, with that out of the way, here's my review of Killer 7....

Story - 10/10

The story in Killer 7 is about as good as it gets. The Killer 7 is a group of assassins led by Harman Smith, an old, crippled man. Each of the other 7 members of the Killer 7 is one of his personalities. The Killer 7 is considered the best group of assassins in the world, so when a major terrorism threat pops up just as world peace has been attained, the Killer 7 is naturally the group everyone turns to. This is where the game begins, although much of the game isn't related to the main story. Many missions are self-contained sub-plots, all of which are very good. The story is about as convoluted and crazy as it can get, and because of that, it is fully deserving of a 10. I find it to be one of the best stories in any game this generation, if not the best.

Sound - 10/10

The sound of Killer 7 is perfect. The ambient noises are great. The music is chilling, haunting, and surreal. There is music to match everything, and it always enhances the atmosphere of the game. Much of it is very fast paced techno or rock, but there are definitely quite a few slower songs, as well. Things like the sound of guns firing and foot steps are wonderful, although not all of them sound completely realistic. The voice acting is the best I've heard in a long time, and the enemies' laughter is nightmarish. It's hard to put into words, but the sound is grand. For what it accomplishes, it should earn nothing less than a 10.

Graphics - 9/10

The graphics are entirely unique. They are cel-shaded, which is probably overly done these days, but cel-shading has never been done this way before. There is a large focus on detailed characters and weapons, with minimal environmental detail. The animations are extremely fluid, regardless of what kind of a transition is being made. There is a pretty heavy focus on particle effects in Killer 7, especially when fighting, and they look quite good. Overall, the graphics are a large part of the game's general style, and they do a real lot for the game. The bad parts are pretty simple. Some collision detection is kind of screwy in cut scenes, and the cel-shading causes more jaggies than wanted. These things alone are not enough to significantly change the score, though. The anime style cut scenes are, by the way, some of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

Gameplay - 8/10

Personally, I love the gameplay. Essentially, it's like a classic Resident Evil on rails. You can move forward, turn around, and choose which way to go at intersections. That's all there is to movement. To shoot, you go into a first person mode, scan for enemies, aim, and fire. Those are the basics of gameplay. Aside from that, there are some things you can do like using special abilities, but it's all pretty simple stuff. This will turn some people away from the game, mainly because it is somewhat archaic. If you think you will like this kind of gameplay, then I'd advise getting the game, simply because a large majority of complaints about the game are due to the gameplay. There is a good amount of replay value, mainly because of the 2 unlockable modes and varying difficulties. I feel that the gameplay should get a 9, but because I realize that many people will not like the gameplay all that much, I'm giving it an 8.

Style & Presentation - 10/10

The sound, graphics, and gameplay all combine to form a package dripping with so much style that it's almost unimaginable. The menus are very well done, as they both look very good and are easy to navigate. The cut scenes are presented in a good manner, including the map revealing your location during the cut scene. The environments are pretty varied, ranging from hotels to restaurants. On the most basic level, the focus of Killer 7 is style. This is somewhat obvious, simply because of the game's graphics and sound, but I thought it was worth mentioning. The game achieves the style it strives for, and because of that, it gets a 10 here.

Overall - 9.25/10

Killer 7 has few flaws, but some people may still hate it simply because of what it is. If the game sounds good to you, however, you'll most likely love it about as much as possible.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/11/05