Killer7 (GameCube)

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Description

In an alternate version of the Earth's history, a treaty was signed in the early 21st century, during which all countries willingly destroyed their nuclear arsenals, ending international conflicts. The presumed era of world peace, however, is marred by continuous attacks carried out by a new terrorist group called "Heaven Smile", which consists of human mutants under the influence of a lethal virus, and targets the United Nations and the International Ethics Committee (IEC). Meanwhile, the relationship between the United States and Japan deteriorate, as the latter becomes controlled by a party that proposes to sever connections to the USA.

A group of assassins known as Killer7 is hired by a man named Christopher Mills, on behalf of the US government. The group is led by an elderly wheelchair-bound man named Harman Smith, endowed with an ability known as "Multifoliate Personae Phenomenon", which allows him to transform into seven different personalities who were professional assassins in their lives, and whose souls were absorbed by Harman after they were killed in a mysterious incident fifty years ago. Garcian Smith is the leading persona among these seven, and the only one who can communicate with Harman.

Killer7 is a hybrid game that incorporates shooting and puzzle-solving with light role-playing elements. The player can switch between any of the seven characters during most parts of the game. Each character has unique abilities. Dan, for example, is a true marksman, while Coyote is an experienced thief with exceptional movement. The unusual cast also includes the blind Con who moves very fast, Kaede with ranged skills, Mask who has the deadliest arsenal, the albino Kevin who can turn invisible, as well as Garcian, the leader of the pack who possesses the ability of reviving the bodies of slain personalities.

Despite its 3D environments, character navigation in the game is restricted: playable characters can only move along pre-determined (though often branching) paths. Drawing out a weapon switches the view to first-person perspective with free camera rotation, but no possibility to move. Typically, the player should eliminate the approaching enemy as quickly as possible before sustaining damage, using various combinations of characters and weapons. Defeated enemies (particularly those dispatched with critical hits) yield the player "blood", which can be turned into serum in special rooms and used to enhance the abilities of the characters. A considerable portion of the gameplay is dedicated to solving various puzzles and gathering plot-related information by conversing with the game's exotic characters.

Screenshots

Promo Images

Alternate Titles

• "7面杀手" -- Chinese spelling (simplified)
• "7 Mian Shashou" -- Chinese title

Part of the Following Groups

• Gameplay feature: Character development - Skill distribution
• Gameplay feature: New Game+
• Games made into comics
• Graphics Engine: RenderWare
• Middleware: CRI
• Visual technique / style: Cel shaded

User Reviews

Seven ways to kill the fun	Oleg Roschin (181731)
[To Goichi Suda.] It was the seventh of July…	yenruoj_tsegnol_eht (!!ihsoy) (2630)

Critic Reviews

Play Magazine	2005	9 out of 10	90
Worth Playing	Jul 26, 2005	8.7 out of 10	87
4Players.de	Jul 23, 2005	85 out of 100	85
Game Informer Magazine	Jul, 2005	7.5 out of 10	75
Jeuxvideo.com	Jul 15, 2005	15 out of 20	75
1UP	Jul 07, 2005	7 out of 10	70
GamePro (Australia)	Sep 13, 2005	6.5 out of 10	65
Armchair Empire, The	Aug 03, 2005	4.5 out of 10	45
Game Revolution	Jul, 2005	C-	42
Netjak	Aug 16, 2005	3.5 out of 10	35

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Trivia

1001 Video Games

Killer 7 appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Controversy

Infamous lawyer Jack Thompson complained to ESRB president Patricia Vance regarding the rating of Killer 7 (which was rated 'M' for Mature). He cited as evidence a review on IGN, which he referred to only as "this pro-violent video games site", which had this to say:

...profanity, sex and bloodshed are commonplace… We can't stress it enough: kids should not play Killer 7. Not just because there’s an M on the box, but because for once that M really means something. There’s much more than blood and guts in the game. Everything from the design of puzzles to the subject matter is designed for older players and it's really that simple...And there are cinematics that feature full-blown sex sequences...Killer 7's adult themes, which encapsulate extremely violent, profane and sexual situations, as well as a wide range of issues from terrorism to the sale of children, make the M on the box really mean something.

The only "full blown sex sequence" in the whole of Killer7, however, features two fully clothed characters and some implicit moaning. Some have suggested that this content, if present in a movie, would likely have received no greater than a PG-13 rating. Thompson continued urging Vance to contact retailers, to pull the game from shelves. He stated that unlike the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Hot Coffee case, "full-blown sex sequences are patently present in the game," and yet the ESRB "chose to put an 'M' rather than an 'AO' rating on it."

Development

This game was originally meant to be released in 2003 and was known as one of the Capcom 5, a quintet of titles meant to be GameCube exclusive. But just like Resident Evil 4 and Viewtiful Joe, it was eventually released for the PS2 as well.

Despite the delay, it was a nice play on dates to release the game in the US on the seventh day of the seventh month.

References

The title of the messages brought to you by the pigeons are actually titles of songs from a very popular English band of the 80s. If you haven't figured out which band by now, you'll find it very fitting that band are... The Smiths.

Soundtrack

A full 2-disc soundtrack has been released in Japan, comprising 61 tracks in total.

Awards

• GameSpy
  • 2005 – Most Slept On Game of the Year (PS2)
  • 2005 – The Love / Hate Award (GameCube)

Information also contributed by CaptainCanuck and Luis Silva

Related Web Sites

• killer7 (Official game website)