Chromehounds: An Inside Look with Ultimate Hound Authority Toshifumi Nabeshima

If there’s anybody who knows Chromehounds, the upcoming Xbox 360 mech shooter, better than anyone else on the planet it’s Toshifumi Nabeshima. Nabeshima was there from the planning of the very first Armored Core game and produced all the titles that came after. So what does the ultimate authority on Chromehounds have to say about it?

He says its primarily a network squad-versus-squad action game rather than one-on-one battles. They went with the  squad-based approach to increase the importance of the different roles players could take in the game. “With player-versus-player battles, each player would simply build the strongest Hound possible, but that’s not what Chromehounds is about. Rather, we want players to focus on constructing Hounds that will let them carry out their assigned tasks according to their [squad’s] strategy.”

The squad-based gameplay also allowed developers to come up with powerful weaponry. “In games that emphasized battles between individual players, creating weapons that can decimate opponents with a single shot risks destroying the game’s balance. Since Chromehounds is squad based, we can have more extreme weaponry. Players may even feel some of the weapons are too powerful.” With the right strategy and teamwork, its posible to defeat the opponent without firing a single weapon.

Even getting around in Chromehounds requires strategy. “Players who emphasize speed will have to keep their mechs light, which means low durability and firepower. On the other hand, players who overemphasize carrying capacity could find themselves victims of close-range attacks or be destroyed by snipers before they’re able to flee.”

On why the Chromehounds Team chose the Xbox 360, Nabeshima cited the console’s Live Voice-Chat feature as an essential part of the gameplay. In fact players will have to use the Chat feature the moment they enter the squad lobby, It will also play an important role during mech-customization phase. Nabeshima says he wants players to talk about about strategy, who will take on what roles, and how the Hounds should be built. With the communication feature and the game’s system that lets teammates help each other building the Hounds, Nabeshima says the game shouldn’t scare off newcomers.

Nabeshima’s last thoughts on Chromehounds? He hopes players (that means you, your teammamtes and your opponents) will have a hell of a great time playing. Chromehounds is set to be released in Japan real soon (June 29) and later in the US (July).

Via Gamespot

If there’s anybody who knows Chromehounds, the upcoming Xbox 360 mech shooter, better than anyone else on the planet it’s Toshifumi Nabeshima. Nabeshima was there from the planning of the very first Armored Core game and produced all the titles that came after. So what does the ultimate authority on Chromehounds have to say about it?

He says its primarily a network squad-versus-squad action game rather than one-on-one battles. They went with the  squad-based approach to increase the importance of the different roles players could take in the game. “With player-versus-player battles, each player would simply build the strongest Hound possible, but that’s not what Chromehounds is about. Rather, we want players to focus on constructing Hounds that will let them carry out their assigned tasks according to their [squad’s] strategy.”

The squad-based gameplay also allowed developers to come up with powerful weaponry. “In games that emphasized battles between individual players, creating weapons that can decimate opponents with a single shot risks destroying the game’s balance. Since Chromehounds is squad based, we can have more extreme weaponry. Players may even feel some of the weapons are too powerful.” With the right strategy and teamwork, its posible to defeat the opponent without firing a single weapon.

Even getting around in Chromehounds requires strategy. “Players who emphasize speed will have to keep their mechs light, which means low durability and firepower. On the other hand, players who overemphasize carrying capacity could find themselves victims of close-range attacks or be destroyed by snipers before they’re able to flee.”

On why the Chromehounds Team chose the Xbox 360, Nabeshima cited the console’s Live Voice-Chat feature as an essential part of the gameplay. In fact players will have to use the Chat feature the moment they enter the squad lobby, It will also play an important role during mech-customization phase. Nabeshima says he wants players to talk about about strategy, who will take on what roles, and how the Hounds should be built. With the communication feature and the game’s system that lets teammates help each other building the Hounds, Nabeshima says the game shouldn’t scare off newcomers.

Nabeshima’s last thoughts on Chromehounds? He hopes players (that means you, your teammamtes and your opponents) will have a hell of a great time playing. Chromehounds is set to be released in Japan real soon (June 29) and later in the US (July).

Via Gamespot