I loved No More Heroes, and wanted to see where the xrazy development team behind it started, so I picked up a copy of Killer 7 for cheap. Well, it was still way too much. I was letdown is just about every way with this game, and I only reccomend it to those who want to see Suda-51's origins or need to try every artsy viedo game out there.

The game's presentation is pretty good. The art syle is unique and stylish, although severly lacking in technology when compared to No More Heroes. The load times are pretty average in length and overly common. This is dissappointing because the ;eve;s are all on-rails and in confined environments, they shouldn't require much effort from the game engine to pull off. There's a few anime style cut scenes I liked very much but they aren't used nearly enough.

The soundwork is actually one of the highlights of the game. The music is catchy but repetitive. The gun and explosion effects are over the top and well done. The voicework is also very well done compared to most video games.

The storyline is totally insane, and is very enjoyable if you like that kind fo stuff and can keep your mind wrapped around it. Multiple personalities is a great premise for a video game that I think should be used again. The game-play is where the game truly falls short. Its an on-rails first person shooter, but without the fun rollercoaster-like experience you get from House of the Dead or Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. I hade literally no fun while playing this game, again making the art-style and storyline it's only redeeming qualities.

The game should have made all cut scenes made in the anime style, made the game-play off-rails like a Normal FPS and made the enemies more entertaining and less cheap. It could have also used a fair amount of polish for load times. Really just a dissappointing game that should have been scrapped or completely revamped.

I've owned the PlayStation 2 version of this game for a long time and recently purchased the Nintendo Gamecube version.
I have heard about how the Gamecube Killer 7 has better loading times, and smoother graphics, and I can confirm that. What I didn't realize is, a lot of cool little graphical effects are in the GC version and not on PS2.

Gamecube Killer 7
+ Load times and menu transitions are much faster.
+ Graphics and cut scenes are smoother looking.
+ Controller scheme is different, but it works really well.
+ Junction screen (when you choose a path) has a red tint and shattering screen effect, and when you choose your path the game does some strange blur and subtle psychotic effects.
+ Scanning enemies and the weak points look slightly different, but in a really cool way. You can tell this was how the game was meant to look.
+ Changing personalities is much quicker, and there are better particle effects, and the background fades in and out of color.
+ Changing the camera angle button actually swings the camera around you instead of just instantly switching so you can get a cool view.
+ Gameplay seems smoother and faster.
- The game is on 2 disks so you have to swap them, not a big deal really.

PlayStation 2 Killer 7
+ I like the PS2 Controller scheme better
- Jagged edges
- Gameplay slowdown and graphical glitches
- Pre rendered gamecube cutscenes
- Longer load times

If you haven't played this game, either version is great, but once you've played both versions you can really tell that it was made for Gamecube, it was meant to be played on that system. So keep that in mind, also if you don't have gamecube you can pick one up for 30 dollars nowadays, and you'll be able to play a lot of really cheap used awesome games.

For the actual review of the game you can look elsewhere, all I have to say is it's not a game for common people, but since when were "common people" experts on what's good. I don't like the same music or eat the same food as "common people", so why pick your video games based on what everyone else likes?

This is a very unorthodox video game that might be upsetting to you if you have some false expectations. I for one adore and treasure this game as unique gaming experience. It's confusing and trippy and sometimes hurts, other times you'll be frustrated or even board. But you'll come back for more again and again. If anything else this game is worth it just to see it in motion, it looks and sounds so incredibly different then anything out there. And if you actually try to get into the plot, you'll be really entertained, or just afraid.

Bottom line: it's worth the money and time to play through it at least once.

I am not going to go into a long explanation why Killer7 is worth playing because for some people it won't be. For people who want to play a typical 3rd person action game, Killer7 will not be anything you expect.

I have both hated and loved this game at times but after coming back to it multiple times, I have gained respect for each time and enjoyed it more.

But I have still not completed it. Why? You might ask. Well the game is also one of the most frustrating games to play as well. The controls (much like Resident Evil) take quite a while to get comfortable with. And the puzzles make about as much sense as.... Well they make any sense at all.

So what's to like about the game? Well, once you get a handle on the combat, its quite fun. The sound design is simply awesome. The character animation and art work are unbelievable for a video game. It looks as good as most dark graphic novels. If feels that way too.

The game also manages to creep you out like few games can. The voices of the NPCs and the laughter of the enemies (Heavens Smiles) will disturb even the most steady gamer.

What I recommend is picking it up cheap, and use gamefaqs when the puzzles make no sense (they are easy but dumb) and take your time. I would also recommend re-starting the game once you get a real feel for the combat. You see, the game kind of punishes you for not playing well in the beginning which really isn't fair for such a bizarre game.

Why go through all that trouble to play Killer7. Because its just so cool. It truly is. Its completely unique and you haven't played anything like it, I guarantee. Its worth playing just to check out the animation work on the seven characters and the great sound design.

Will you enjoy the game? Only if you are a fan of the kind of art that the game is putting forward. For me, the gameplay was not good enough to keep me playing but the style, art, sound, and bizarre story, were enough to keep me coming back. And, in the end, I found a whole new appreciation for what the game did so well and put up with the stuff it didn't and I definitely think it was well worth it.

This is a game that does what you have most likely never seen in a game. It is a terribly twisted world that has many interesting characters (many of which you play as), but as far as gameplay goes, it is lacking. Killer 7 is played on rails; you press A to go forward, B to turn around, and hold R to aim your gun to shoot enemies. This severely limits gameplay, as you can go on a very limited amount of paths and makes the entire game extremely linear.
You can play as seven characters, each has their own personality and skill set. What it comes down to, sadly, is the fact that you will use only two or three of the characters throughout the game, except for the few times you need a specific characters special ability. This is due to some characters simply having better capabilities than others.
What Killer 7 lacks in actual gameplay, it makes up for in style, which is the main driving factor to keep you picking up the controller time and time again. The game is just so intriguing, with such odd visuals and characters. No other game looks like it.

Bottom line: the game's story and style are what will keep you playing, as the gameplay is fairly average. An all around good experience, with solid controls and outstanding visuals and sound.

Last year, in the summer, I posted up a review for this game. I gave it one star for both the fun and the overall rating. Here's what the review said:

Title: "The only thing decent about this game is its art style. Maybe. As a game goes, it sucks."

Review: "As a game goes, it sucks. It really does scream to be put down. The story and voice acting is equally terrible. All in all, I'd have to say this was the worst game I've ever played. Unfortunately though, I've also played Cubivore, which ends up in a tie with this one for worst game ever as well."

And here are the comments:

Carol says:
Did you even understand the story? What parts of it bother you?

I replied with a later post:

D. Zepeda says:
It just wasn't fun. Aim, shoot, run, stop, repeat ad nauseam. I really couldn't even play through the whole thing.



And everything I said back then was true, at the time, and I fully believed in every word.

Zoom ahead to a little over a year later, and I notice this game still sitting on my shelf. Under a false impression that I had nothing better to do at the time, I decided to give it a third or fourth shot (I forget how many times I tried at this game beforehand). And much to my surprise, I liked it. Even more to my surprise, further on down the line of the game, I found out that I really liked it.

The voice acting/translation definitely is still probably one of the worst if not the worst I've heard in a game (maybe excluding most popular anime-licensed games). The thing about this game though, that I really didn't like the first few times I tried playing it, is that it doesn't exactly hold your hand through it. The story is not direct and easy to decipher, but heads down a more abstract route. Once I finally got the hang of it though, a year later, I realized that it was definitely worth playing through just to see what screwed up scenarios would come next. Possibly one of the things I like most about it nowadays is that it's so hard to fully understand and get into at times. It's like a challenge. And this is what turned out to be one of the funnest parts of the game. And this is the same exact thing that made me dislike this game so much when I originally played it.

I got mine for about $10 a year ago, and the price shouldn't be too much different now, so if you find it, pick it up. I think... you may like it. If not upon your original reception, then maybe someday. Just keep it up there on your shelf, and if you don't fall in love right away, then just give it a little bit of time.

Just keep in mind that the voice acting/translation job is not the best, and this isn't so much an action game as it is... as the other reviewers say on here, an "experience". It is relaxing at times, heart-stopping at others, intriguing during the rest. And the fact that it may sometimes jump between these emotions with no clear transitions makes the erratic awesomeness of this game even better.

Do play it to the end though. The ending, depending on how you play out the very last level, is pretty sweet.

Although I'm not too sure if I liked what I saw in Shanghai....