Binary Domain Review for Xbox 360

System: Xbox 360*, PS3
Dev: Yakuza Studio
Pub: SEGA
Release: February 28, 2012
Players: 1-10 Online
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes

In a massive oversight, SEGA has neglected to allow the single-player campaign to be played in co-op mode. This is a horrible decision, considering the game has such a huge focus on squad-based tactics. The game has online competitive multiplayer built in, but all you'll find here are your standard modes that every other shooter has, like deathmatch or capture-the-flag. There's nothing that sets the game's multiplayer apart from bigger titles like Gears of War. In fact, there's even a mode called "Invasion," which is essentially a variation on Horde Mode. You can choose between several multiplayer classes and customize them as you earn in-game credits, but, once again, this is nothing you haven't seen in Gears of War or Modern Warfare, and those two games have far more players on their servers. In the end, there's no real reason to play Binary Domain when you could be playing a game that has a larger multiplayer fan base.

Binary Domain Screenshot

The game is average length for a shooter. It's about ten hours long if you leisurely make your way through it. The difficulty never grows too hard, and outside of a couple bugs or unseen ambushes, you'll rarely die. The A.I. is pretty incompetent, which is unfortunate considering you are basically stuck with them. However, your character is more than powerful enough to make up for their shortcomings. It's just you against hordes of robotic armies for ten straight hours, which itself is pretty damn fun.

In the end, I can't say that Binary Domain is a bad game, but it's definitely a mediocre game. It plays it safe in every way possible. It's only feature of note is its voice recognition system, but everything else feels like it came straight out of a How to Make a Cover-Based Shooter for Dummies book or something. It's not bad; it's just generic. It's a "me too" game that tries to sell you on ideas that could be awesome but aren't fleshed out all that well.

Binary Domain is a great rental if you are looking for a shooter to hold you over to the next big release, but if you buy it, it will probably spend most of its time on your shelf.

By
Angelo M. D'Argenio
Contributing Writer
Date: February 29, 2012

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.4

Graphics
The animations are smooth, but it's sometimes hard to tell when you are actually hitting your enemy.

3.8

Control
The controls are tight enough and the voice recognition is pretty innovative.

3.1

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The soundtrack is nothing special. The voice acting is competent, but the dialogue sometimes comes off as forced and unbelievable.

3.2

Play Value
It's fun as a rental, but there's no real reason to rush out and add Binary Domain to your collection.

3.4

Overall Rating - Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

Procedural Damage - Fully destructible and highly resilient robots adapt to the damage they sustain, encouraging you to analyze each enemy, find their weaknesses, and dispose of them in the most efficient way.

Weapon modification and skill selection - Alongside a full armory of unique weapons, put emphasis on the skills that will benefit you to increase your resilience to attack, your speed, and your firing accuracy.

The Consequence System - In the heat of battle, motivate and build trust within your squad and test your ability to make real-time, difficult decisions knowing there will always be consequences.

Multiplayer - Beyond the 10-hour single-player campaign, take your skills online and compete against others in various multiplayer campaigns that support up to 10 players.