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Killer7 (Suda 51 is out of his mind) [NSF56K]
Zampano
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Title: Killer7
Developer: Grasshopper Studios
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: July 7, 2005
Console: Gamecube, later PS2
Director: Gouichi Suda, aka Suda 51 (a pun on his surname. Go is 5, ichi is 1)
This is the most off the wall game I think I have ever had the pleasure of playing. It's also one of the most stylish, and yet manages to be astoundingly deep. ElJeffe, in a thread in D&D about Grindhouse, said, regarding Quentin Tarantino movies, this he elevates style to such a point where it becomes the substance. This philosophy applies to Killer7.
It's also fitting, since Suda 51, the writer and director of Killer7, is the synthesis of Tarantino, David Lynch, and Hideo Kojima. Reeeeeeal heavy on the Lynch. Especially near the end. If you like his style of reality bending mindfucks, you will like this game.
Killer7 is also notorious for having bizarre gameplay. In essence, the game is on rails, but you remain in control of your progress (you hold the A button to advance along the rail, using the joystick only to choose direction at branching paths). Every once and awhile, you hit the R button to go into First person mode to eliminate an enemy. The gameplay can be off-putting, but it's not bad enough to get in the way of the experience. I actually got to like it. But this game isn't about the controls. It's about the presentation, and the story.
The story, at least at the start, seems fairly straight forward. In an alternate version of Earth, all international disputes were settled in 1998. Under the guidance of the UN, war was made obsolete, and all the world's nuclear weapons were seemingly destroyed. In order to prevent terrorism, they came up with the brilliant idea to ban all air transportation, instead linking the continents with giant highways that span the oceans. It all seems well and good, until 2010, when a new breed of terrorism arises. Beings called "Heaven Smiles", deformed monsters that wear permanent grins as laugh as they execute suicide bomber style kamakazi attacks begin terrorizing the USA. Unable to stop them, they call upon their only hope: The Killer7, a group of infamous Assassins whose skills are such that they can stop the Heaven Smiles.
The Killer7 are...
Harman Smith
The leader. A wheelchair bound 60 year old, he is the mastermind of the Killer7. Aside from carrying around an anti-tank gun which he uses to shoot people, his true power is his ability to call upon his multiple personalities, the true Killer7. When he does so, he doesn't just take on a new persona, his body actually transforms into the body of the Killer.
You will rarely play as this character, but he is instrumental to the plot. In reality, there is a lot more to him than is readily apparent,
Garcian Smith
The Cleaner. He looks totally rad, he talks like every blaxplotation character you have ever seen, and if you are very, very good, you will spend very little time playing as him. The reason is that he sucks as an Assassin. He's slow, can't be upgraded, and his gun is a silenced pistol, which does about as much damage as a spitball fired by a person with tuberculosis.
He does play a vital role in the game, though. When another persona dies, he has to go gather up the head and revive that persona. But if Garcian dies, it's game over.
Dan Smith
The Hellion, as the game calls him. This guy is easily my favorite character. He's the second most foul mouthed of the bunch, and his weapon is a gigantic revolver which can shoot balls of energy that will pretty much kill anything. He has more badass moments than any character in the game.
And about halfway through it, he gets an even bigger gun. A double barrelled hand cannon that can wreck just about anything in the game.
Dan is fantastic.
Mask de Smith
Why yes, this game does have a mexican wrestler as a character! He also dresses like Elvis, and his weapons are 2 grenade launchers that can set things on fire. If his reload time wasn't so slow, and if his grenades didn't waste all the blood from the Smiles you blow up (blood is the currency of the game's character upgrades), there would be no reason to be any other character.
Plus,
He can headbutt bullets in mid air.
Coyote Smith
A petty Thief for the most part, Coyote has a lot of things going for him, and a lot of things against him. He's rather fragile, and his gun, a modified revolver, isn't too powerful. On the other hand, he shouts "Youre fucked!" when ever he gets a critical hit (this game's version of a Headshot, since most enemies will keep coming without their heads), and he holds his gun upside down, like a cockeyed gangster.
Also, he wears Hawaiian shirts.
Kevin Smith
I don't like him very much. Kevin is an albino who uses throwing knives. His special ability lets him turn invisible. Sounds kickass, but he has no personality, since he never talks. And since this game is all about style and personality (quite litterally, on the latter), he's kind of dull.
Kaede Smith
Kaede Smith is the only female character among the Killer7. Her special ability lets her break certain barriers by slitting her wrists and spraying the blood all over the place. She also uses a giant pistol with a scope, letting you snipe out targets. Sniping is very helpful in this game, even more than others, since most (read: all but 2) enemies in this game cause damage by direct physical contact, and have no long ranged attacks.
Con Smith
Con is a 14 year old chinese punk who is blind, and can run like a freak. His weapons are a pair of automatic pistols, which he reloads by playing hackysack with the clips. He's crazy acrobatic in the few places that really demand it, and his ability to book it like the wind is handy for backtracking, when needed.
There are other characters too.
Like this ghost guy in a tuxedo
And the disembodied head a girl
And this. . .gimp
This game is a trip like no other.
It also has some really nice anime cutscenes. Like this one:
Featuring Dan Smith being cool (no real spoilers]
Speaking of YouTube, if you plan on getting this game, stay the hell away. They spoil pretty much all the major plot points.
This is the exception, and really gives you the perfect idea of what the game looks like in motion.
Killer7 Tribute
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I do wish they had more characterization there. They had a lot of background for Dan and Mask, and not much for the others. I wanted to know more about Kaede's backstory, for instance. If any criticism can be made against this game, it's that it was too short.
Fun fact: Killer7 is not a complete game.
Killer7 is the game that Grasshopper made with the funds they were given. Suda 51's original vision was much bigger, and much more expensive.
That vision is told in a book released by Capcom called Hand in Killer7. It explains some things, but a major problem is that the primary storyline is expouses doesn't exist in Killer7. Events don't lineup in accordance with game events. It does, however, explain what the Yakumo is. Some things can be reconciled. For instance, Hand in Killer7 says that Kaede
That being said, every reasonable question that arises from the game can be answered with information from the game, and information conjectured from the game. It is self-sustained.
Still, fucking awesome game.
If you can't get into the story, then there's no point in playing the game, since the story is the crux of the experience. But the plot is there, it just doesn't give you all the information.
That level, Cloudman, by the way, is where the real serious lunacy begins.
And she's awesome. My favorite character in any game, probably.
I'm always such a hater on this game. But a game should require as much effort as this one did. I guess I'm the "cautionary tale" that this fucker is just simply not for everyone.
猿も木から落ちる
It may very well be the very definition of "not for you" in some cases.
By the way,
(endgame spoiler)
Well, a Harman. There's at least 2.
All the weirdness felt really gratuitous and the music gave me a headache. Not to mention that the way the story was presented didn't leave it much room to actually be much of a story.
I think that's a completely fair judgement.
I wish more people were willing to have the idea of "Well, I can appreciate it, but it's not for me", as opposed to completely tearing the game down.
I understand that some games are just horrible, but a lot just offer experiences that aren't for some gamers.
I really enjoyed Killer 7, for me, it really felt like a memorable experience. It just had so many odd moments that the game really sticks out for me.
And I enjoy the gameplay too, I love the need to switch characters to best suit a situation.
The game doesn't make sense for like the first 4-6 hours. Then when things start coming together you realize this is probably one of the best stories ever in a game, even if it's not "complete".
gdmn, i didn't know that. that's beyond sick.
i just knew
Now Playing - GRAW, FFIII DS, Ninja Gaiden Black, Phoenix Wright
Yea, it is that same safe I believe.
We had some dude on this site back when Killer 7 was new who knew like everything about it. I was all into the game hardcore too. I think I talked more about the game after finishing it than I did actually playing it because the story is just that bizarre and great.
It's probably the same guy who made the GameFAQs analysis. It's as close to spot on as anyone is going to get unless Suda 51 comes out and discloses everything.
On the nature of Harman Smith:
The key idea of the analysis is that there are 3 Harman Smiths: Diety Harman, Young Harman and Master Harman. They form a Trinity of sorts, and they fill out the Freudian archetypes. Diety Harman is the Father and the Superego. He is the one who plays chess with Kun Lun, and who gets shot up at the end of Smile. He is an immortal representation of the West, contrary to Kun Lun's immortal East. Young Harman is the Son and the Id. The analysis labels YH as the Holy Spirit, but I disagree. Young Harman was the principle of Coburn Elementary, and he is the one that Emir killed. He is also the Harman Smith that you meet at the end of Smile, right before Garcian confronts Emir. Young Harman was Diety Harman's physical presence, and was the leader of the Killer7, but it seems he went rogue and sided with Kun Lan, or at least with the Yakumo policy. He split from the core Persona of Diety Smith and became the principle of Coburn, and raised Emir. Young Harman was Kun Lun's key piece until Emir killed him, in the process gaining the ability to house Multiple personalities (represented by the Third Eye, and probably the vision ring too). Now Kun Lun was screwed, so he had Emir go and kill the Smith Syndicate and Diety Smith, but it seems that he either failed to do that, or killed himself before he could complete the deed. But Diety Harman resurrected him, and overwrote the Emir persona with a new one Garcian Smith. And since Emir killed the Smiths, he now housed their personas in him. And since he killed Young Harman and gained his power, he also housed him.
In order to control Young Harman, Diety Harman created another persona, Master Harman, as a second control along with the governing Garcian persona. Master Harman is the Holy Spirit, the Father's spiritual presence in the physical world. Master Harman is also the Ego, the mediator between Id and Superego. Master Harman is the Harman you see the most, the one in the trailerpark. He primarily exists to keep Young Harman subdued, and to act as Diety Harman's voice when needed. We see why in the begining of Smile. Young Harman overpowers Master Harman, and the first thing he does is rape and kill Samantha.
I love this game.
Well I'm impressed then. Might have to try and get it, but everywhere in Sydney that sells cube games seems to hava a really poor selection so I doubt I could find it. Any tips on where to find it (if its still available)?
Well, there was a PS2 port as well, which is easier to find. I don't know exactly where you'd find it in a physical store, but you should be able to find copies all over the internet. I know Capcom's online store is still selling the PS2 version.
XBL Gametag: mailarde
Screen Digest LOL3RZZ
I really enjoy the game, and I'm not opposed to different forms of game play (seriously, every game I own is identical to some other game, just with a different coat of paint. It's nice to play something unlike anything else)
And, the story, honestly, is good enough that it doesn't need to be kept secret to be good. Too many stories rely on suprises to keep them exciting, but Killer 7 manages to still be exciting even when you know what the suprises are take THAT, Sixth Sense!)
EDIT: I just wanted to watch some videos from Killer 7 and ended up with this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNW4rBDBVkg It looks to be like some kind of...cartoon or anime based on Killer 7? Or is this in the actual game?
I couldn't tell if it was that, or if it was just stupid.
But there's nothing like it, and you end up getting swept along with the whole crazy ride.
I'd disagree about Garcian on the whole "blaxpoitation" description. He certainly didn't sound like Shaft from what I remember. Hell, he's the most intelligent, developed member of the Killer7. If anything, I think he's one of the least tokenistic character in video games. A far cry from, for example, Gears of War's "Cole Train".
Ugh.
Short load times make a big difference with this game, and I have heard that the PS2 version has noticably worse graphics.
Yeah, Hand in Killer 7 certainly opened up some awesome and crazy insights, and I cant wait for No More Heroes, even though I havent seen much info on it, I'm looking forward to it so bad.
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I always wanted to buy it but it dissapeared of the shelves the first time around before I had the chance... Then forgot about it.
But damn if this isn't one of the most awesome games i ever played. The atmosphere, the story... And the out of this world craziness fits me perfect. Also, the music... Running up the stairs into that big hall with a cool beat just pushing you forward? Never been so excited for a comming fight IN MY LIFE.
BUY NOW! Also, I heard the game controls easier with the gamecube stick, even if lock on takes care of most of the aiming.
Pokémon HGSS: 1205 1613 4041
Yeah, I loved that part.
The Handsome Man and Ulmeyda are some of the best characters the game has to offer.
Keep in mind, again, that events in Hand in Killer7 do not lineup with events in the actual game. Hand is the game that Suda 51 wanted to make, but couldn't.
It still gives tons of insights into the characters and other stuff, but the timeline its presents is all but impossible in the context of the game.
I would have liked to have seen this played out, though:
100 YEARS PASS
[ 2115 ]
In Shanghai, the battle between Harman Smith and Kun Lan
continues.
[ 2170 ]
The final battle takes place in Detroit. Billions of
"Final Smiles" fly to Detroit from the East.
OVERDRIVE MASK De Smith--the main persona of the Fifth Smith
Syndicate--confronts the horde of "Final Smiles."
[ 2171 ]
The chess game between Harman Smith and Kun Lan never ends,
fearing HIS apparition . . . .
Yeah.
I am totally pumped for No More Heroes too. Apparently, while Killer7 was all about politics, NMH focuses more on social issues. It also plays closer to GTA, in that you are given free roaming abilities over the town that the game takes place in, fittingly called "Santa Destroy." Also, random beam katanas.
I ought to go back to it.