Metal Wolf Chaos | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | FromSoftware [lower-alpha 1] |
Publisher(s) |
|
Director(s) | Keiichiro Ogawa |
Producer(s) | Masanori Takeuchi |
Designer(s) | Kazuhiro Hamatani |
Programmer(s) | Tatsuyuki Satō |
Artist(s) |
|
Composer(s) |
|
Platform(s) | |
Release | Xbox
|
Genre(s) | Third-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Metal Wolf Chaos [lower-alpha 2] is a third-person shooter video game developed by FromSoftware. It originally released in 2004 in Japan for the Xbox. The player takes on the role of fictional United States President Michael Wilson piloting a mech to battle the rebelling military, led by fictional Vice President Richard Hawk. Wilson's mech can be equipped with up to eight weapons selected from a set of over a hundred. In each mission, the player battles through destructible environments, destroying all enemies they come across.
The Xbox's low popularity in Japan led Microsoft to team up with FromSoftware to develop a mecha game for the system. FromSoftware was primarily known at the time for the mecha combat series Armored Core . Since Microsoft was an American company, the team worked in extensive American context and cultural references. Despite the game only being released in Japan, it grew a cult following in the West due to its exaggerated themes of American patriotism. Publisher Devolver Digital released Metal Wolf Chaos XD, a remastered version of the game, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in August 2019.
Metal Wolf Chaos is a third-person shooter. [1] The player takes on the role of Michael Wilson, the President of the United States, piloting an armored mech with a large arsenal of weapons, and must fight their way through destructible environments full of enemy infantry, tanks, and helicopters. [2] [3] The goal of each mission is to destroy all enemies, sometimes within a time limit. Each stage also has optional goals of rescuing a set of hostages and collecting energy pods. Saving hostages unlocks musical tracks for the game and special weapons, while the energy pods give the player additional shields for protection from enemy attack. [3] The player can dash for quicker mobility, but excessive dashing will drain shield power. [3]
There are over a hundred unique weapons in the game, ranging from handguns to surface-to-air missiles, [2] [3] but only eight can be equipped at a time. [3] Weapons are unlocked with money collected in each stage. [3] Destroying enemies in quick succession will generate a chain bonus, giving the player a higher score. [3]
By the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, the United States has plunged into a state of civil and economic unrest. The military launches a coup d'état, led by Vice President Richard Hawk, and succeeds in gaining control of the nation's government institutions. During this time, Michael Wilson, a fictional relative of Woodrow Wilson, is serving as the 47th President of the United States. [lower-alpha 3] Wilson realizes he is the country's last hope for freedom, and he dons a special mech developed in secret by the military to fight Hawk and the rebel forces, aided by his secretary Jody Crawford.
Wilson flies aboard Air Force One to the west coast of the United States and begins to liberate cities and outposts, traveling from west to east across the country. After retaking the White House, Wilson pursues Hawk to Las Vegas, but Hawk escapes aboard a Space Shuttle and goes to a space station, planning to launch a nuclear missile at the United States in retribution. Wilson and Hawk battle in space, with Wilson ultimately defeating Hawk and saving the country from nuclear destruction.
External videos | |
---|---|
Behind the Schemes: Metal Wolf Chaos with FromSoftware — Devolver Digital interviews FromSoftware about Metal Wolf Chaos |
In 2001, Microsoft released the Xbox console, which was successful in Western regions but had not gained a foothold in Japan or other Asian regions. In an effort to support the Xbox, Microsoft teamed up with FromSoftware to develop an exclusive mecha game for the system. FromSoftware was mostly known for its mecha combat series Armored Core at the time. Although they borrowed influence, the team did not want to recreate Armored Core. [4] The game was developed by the team responsible for the Otogi games, while the Armored Core team provided input for how to incorporate mecha gameplay. [3] [5]
Since Microsoft was an American company, they wanted to develop something with an American theme, and decided on combining both Western and Eastern influences. [4] They aimed to create a near future American setting. [6] FromSoftware worked closely with the nearby Microsoft Japan offices, who provided some of the American context and humor. [4] Despite the American cultural references, the game was still developed with a Japanese player base in mind. [7] In an interview at E3 2019, FromSoftware producer Masanori Takeuchi recalled that they were looking to draw both American and Japanese audiences: "It is America as perceived by the Japanese. It's completely fictional, but at the time, it was our idea of this ideology of American culture and comic book heroes, and we pieced that together and it became the president piloting the mech. We think that when Japanese look at it that way, from the American point of view, it's almost like how they imagine a Japanese ninja, and sort of the same ideologies, the same kind of fantasy, so it goes two ways". [5] A Microsoft employee suggested the name "Metal Wolf Chaos", with the idea being that a rhythmic three-word name would appeal to Western-focused audiences, like the American-inspired Metal Gear Solid series. [4]
Metal Wolf Chaos took between eight and eleven months to develop by a team of 30 [2] [5] before being released in Japan on December 22, 2004. [4] [8] FromSoftware also released a soundtrack and modelguns in limited quantities to coincide with the release. [9] The game did not sell as well as producer Masanori Takeuchi expected. [10]
FromSoftware had the intent for worldwide localization, with a targeted North American release for 2005 with competitive Xbox Live multiplayer modes, [2] and had gotten to the point of making available a secret playable demo of the Japanese version through a demo disc in issue 39 of Official Xbox Magazine . [3] [11] FromSoftware did not comment immediately on the reason the localization was canceled. Journalist John Sczepaniak believed the game's American satire and themes of terrorism may have given publishers cold feet. [3] According to Zach Huntley of Kakehashi Games (the Japanese publisher working with Devolver Digital on the 2019 remaster), the game's long development period left its release near the end of the Xbox's lifecycle, and Microsoft was already shifting their focus to the Xbox 360. [12] In 2018, FromSoftware confirmed that the political climate following the September 11 attacks led them to cancel localization. [13] [5] Takeuchi had expressed some remorse for not being able to provide the promised worldwide release for the game. [5] Metal Wolf Chaos remained as part of a small selection of Japanese exclusives for the original Xbox system. [3]
Despite its limited regional availability, Metal Wolf Chaos grew a cult following. [14] For years after its release, Takeuchi heard rumors about Westerners asking for the game, but did not know why they would want to play an old Xbox game not released in their region. [4] In 2016, American publisher Devolver Digital posted a message on Twitter offering to help localize Metal Wolf Chaos. [15] The fan reaction to the message prompted Takeuchi and FromSoftware to begin conversations with Devolver. The porting was handled by General Arcade, with consultation from Takeuchi and some FromSoftware staff. Also involved in the project was Kakehashi Games, a Japanese company that helps independent developers publish their games in Japan. The cross-functional team's priority was to release the game as it originally was, while upgrading visuals and potentially adding additional story missions. [4]
A remaster of the original game was shown at E3 2018. [14] [16] The game features increased resolution and widescreen support, improved textures and visual effects, and some gameplay improvements. The original English voice acting remained. [16] The game was targeted for release worldwide on Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2018, marking its first release outside Japan. [17] The game was later delayed to August 6, 2019. [18] [19] [20]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | PC: 65/100 PS4: 63/100 XONE: 55/100 |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Destructoid | 7.5/10 [22] |
Eurogamer | Recommended [23] |
GameRevolution | [24] |
GameSpot | 4/10 [25] |
IGN | 5.5/10 [26] |
Push Square | 6/10 [27] |
The Guardian | [28] |
Brad Shoemaker ( GameSpot ) and Chris Carle ( IGN ) expressed their opinions of Metal Wolf Chaos based upon a demo they played at the 2004 Tokyo Game Show. Both praised the absurdity of the game's story, the frantic action, simple controls, and the destructible environments. [1] [29] Ryan Payton ( 1UP.com ) reviewed the full game. He found the premise great, writing: "Chaos is presented as a satire of Saturday morning cartoon quality. The graphics, music, and characters' vernacular all drip of super-sized Americana, giving the game a surprisingly fresh and fun atmosphere". Although he agreed with the other sentiments shared by Carle and Shoemaker, Payton found that the game grew worse with repeated play. He felt that the combo system, which was designed to extend the game's longevity, was flawed due to glitches and interrupting gameplay tips from a sidekick. [2] Reviewing the game in 2017, John Sczepaniak (Hardcore Gaming 101) found it to be a rich experience despite its simplicity, and a shame it was never released in the West. He called the writing "a work of absurdist genius", and praised the game's "intuitive arcade-style action" and "relentless style". [3]
In retrospective coverage, the game is largely remembered for its exaggerated American patriotism. 1UP.com wrote that Metal Wolf Chaos as the most "insanely patriotic" game ever, [30] Kotaku called it the most American game ever, [31] and GameSpot considered it among the most American games of all time. [32] Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked Michael Wilson first on their list of top ten video game politicians. [33]
Metal Wolf Chaos XD has received "mixed or average reviews" on Metacritic. [34] [35] [36]
In science fiction, mecha or mechs are giant robots or machines typically depicted as piloted and as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword 'mechanism' or 'mechanical', but the meaning in Japanese is more inclusive, and 'robot' or 'giant robot' is the narrower term.
Xbox Game Studios is an American video game publisher based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, spun out from an internal Games Group, for the development and publishing of video games for Microsoft Windows. It has since expanded to include games and other interactive entertainment for the namesake Xbox platforms, other desktop operating systems, Windows Mobile and other mobile platforms, and web-based portals.
In the history of video games, the sixth generation era is the era of computer and video games, video game consoles, and handheld gaming devices available at the turn of the 21st century, starting on November 27, 1998. Platforms in the sixth generation include consoles from four companies: the Sega Dreamcast (DC), Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2), Nintendo GameCube (GC), and Microsoft Xbox. This era began on November 27, 1998, with the Japanese release of the Dreamcast, which was joined by the PlayStation 2 on March 4, 2000, the GameCube on September 14, 2001 and the Xbox on November 15, 2001, respectively. In March 31, 2001, the Dreamcast was among the first to be discontinued. Xbox in 2006, GameCube in 2007 and PlayStation 2 was the last, in January 2013. Meanwhile, the seventh generation of consoles started on November 22, 2005, with the launch of the Xbox 360.
Armored Core is a third-person shooter mecha video game series developed by FromSoftware. The series centers on a silent protagonist who takes on work as a mercenary pilot in the far future, operating large robot combat units known as Armored Cores at the behest of corporate and private clients. As the player completes missions for these clients, they gain credits to improve their Armored Core and unlock further opportunities to make money. Some games include an "Arena" mode in which the player fights other Armored Core pilots in head-to-head battles, which can reward the player with further income or prestige.
MechAssault is a video game released for the Xbox notable for being one of the first games to support Xbox Live online multiplayer. Developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Microsoft, MechAssault was initiated when Denny Thorley of Day 1 Studios approached Jon Kimmich of Microsoft about developing an original BattleTech game built from the ground up to support console play. "MechAssault" was released in November 2002. A sequel, MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf, was released on December 28, 2004. Both games are set in the BattleTech fictional universe.
FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing company. It was founded by Naotoshi Zin in Tokyo on November 1, 1986. Initially a developer of business software, the company released their first video game, King's Field, for the PlayStation in 1994. Its success shifted FromSoftware to focus fully on games, with them producing two more King's Field games before creating the mecha combat series Armored Core (1997), one of their flagship franchises.
Armored Core is a 1997 third-person shooter mecha video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was originally released in Japan by FromSoftware in July 1997 and in North America in October 1997 and Europe in 1998 by Sony Computer Entertainment. The game is the first entry in the Armored Core series. A digital port was released in 2007 in Japan and 2015 in North America on the PlayStation Network as a part of the PSone Classics line of games.
Armored Core 4 is a 2006 mecha-based vehicular combat game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The fourth main entry of the Armored Core series, the game serves as a reboot for the franchise and is set in the future where a war has made the nations of Earth devastated and their respective governments have been replaced by corporations. Conflicts soon begin to break out between the corporations, which use massive combat robots, Armored Cores, to fight each other. The player is a Lynx, a name given to pilots of highly advanced NEXT Armored Cores.
Kota Hoshino is a Japanese composer and sound designer. As part of FromSoftware's sound team, Hoshino is best known for composing multiple games in the Armored Core series and as the bassist and vocalist of FreQuency.
MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf is a 2004 video game developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios exclusively for the Xbox console, and set in the BattleTech universe. Development of MechAssault 2 was announced shortly following the release of MechAssault, with the developers focusing on the expansion of online and networking features to capitalise upon the success of the original game as a pilot title for the Xbox Live online service, and creating a more open-ended gameplay style in which players are able to exit their mech and occupy multiple vehicles.
Gun Metal is a 3D shooting video game for the Xbox and Microsoft Windows where you take control of the fully transformable prototype combat vehicle. It was developed by the now defunct Rage Software Limited.
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information announced later that month at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).
Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit is a third-person shooter developed by FromSoftware and published by Ubi Soft. It is FromSoftware's first game for the Xbox.
Armored Core: For Answer is a 2008 mecha-based vehicular combat game developed by FromSoftware and published by Ubisoft for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the 13th installment in the mecha-based Armored Core series, the game is the direct sequel to Armored Core 4.
The Xbox is a home video game console manufactured by Microsoft that is the first installment in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was released as Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market on November 15, 2001, in North America, followed by Australia, Europe and Japan in 2002. It is classified as a sixth-generation console, competing with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube. It was also the first major console produced by an American company since the release of the Atari Jaguar in 1993.
Ninja Blade is a 2009 action game developed by FromSoftware and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360 and Windows.
The eighth generation of video game consoles began in 2012, and consists of four home video game consoles: the Wii U released in 2012, the PlayStation 4 family in 2013, the Xbox One family in 2013, and the Nintendo Switch family in 2017.
Daemon X Machina is a mecha third-person shooter action game developed and published by Marvelous. It was originally released for the Nintendo Switch on September 13, 2019. It was later ported to Microsoft Windows on February 13, 2020. The game received mixed or average reviews upon release.
Super Robot Wars XO is a 2006 tactical role-playing video game developed and published by Banpresto for the Xbox 360 in Japan. Part of the company's Super Robot Wars series, it is an updated version of the GameCube installment Super Robot Wars GC (2004). Players control a fleet of mechas from a variety of super robot anime series, including Mobile Suit Gundam and Getter Robo, to defeat opponents on a grid-based map. XO combines tactical role-playing game mechanics with action sequences, which use stylized anime-esque cutscenes unique for each character.
Valfaris is a 2D action platforming game developed by Steel Mantis and published by Big Sugar. The game was released for Windows and Nintendo Switch on October 10, 2019. It was later released on November 5 for PlayStation 4 and November 8 for Xbox One. Merge Games distributed the physical copies of the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions. They were announced in August 2021 and were released in November. The game's soundtrack was composed by former Celtic Frost guitarist Curt Victor Bryant.
Didn't crack last month's Easter-egg code that unlocked a playable demo of the Japanese-only game Metal Wolf?