Suit up Mr. President.
In the current climate of video games seeing older titles make a reappearance is nothing shocking. What is shocking is seeing such an oddball title get a second chance. Before becoming big with the Souls series, From Software made a ton of obscure titles for PlayStation and Xbox. One of those is a game about taking on the role of the President of the United States and hopping in a mech suit to take down the Vice President. Yeah it is bonkers, but in that wacky way that a lot of people really enjoyed. Now we get a chance to revisit this once Xbox-only title that was never released outside of Japan, and it is as ridiculous as anyone can imagine.
The plot of this game is absolutely ludicrous. I mean if the idea of the President in a mech suit taking down the Vice President wasn’t enough, it only takes a few seconds of the hilarious dialogue to realize this is a special breed of video game. The performances are so far over the top they may never land back on Earth. The President takes it upon himself to suit up and take down an entire army to once again restore freedom to the United States of America. It is the absolute best kind of absurd and as long as players know that going in, they will enjoy what it is delivering.
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, PC
Price I’d Pay: $24.99
For those of us that remember the early days of From Software games, Metal Wolf Chaos XD plays a lot like one would expect. The controls are clunky and the button combinations for simple things such as swapping each weapon is more confusing than they should be. Aiming is fickle and everything just feels sluggish and unresponsive. This feels like a game from that era, and it hasn’t been modernized in a way that makes it feel like anything more than a re-release.
The main campaign is a short one, clocking in at under ten hours, but the age of the game makes it more complex than it should be. There is a lot of nuance to each gun and its ammo and use. None of that is explained anywhere before each mission, so it devolves into a lot of trial and error on the part of each level. This drags down the pace of an otherwise mindless action game. If you are going to see it as a big dumb action romp, at least make everything else fit that narrative. This is clearly From Software toying with more complex mechanics that would become their staple in more recent games.
As far as the re-release of the game it feels like just that. There is a nice coat of paint added to the game, but none of the pacing and control issues have been included. No extra checkpoints or explanations of what anything does. This leads to frustration for players who are used to the hand holding games today do. I don’t mind a little experimentation, but this is the kind of game that simply punishes players for not understanding the mechanics it clearly relies on. It can be infuriating at times, and makes this game harder to recommend outside of anyone who already has an affinity for it.
Metal Wolf Chaos XD is a ridiculous game and I love that we live in a time where something like this can come back. Players need to know what they are getting into before jumping in though. This is an awkward game from a different time and this remaster adds little outside of some sharper visual flare. It is still a truly interesting piece of gaming history and I am thrilled it can exist for players today to experience.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
