I don't think we need to dwell on the football this weekend do we? I'm talking of the Leicester result of course. *sigh*

I spent a lot of this weekend finishing off Killer 7 so I thought I'd post a few comments as it's quite an important game IMHO. Gameplay wise I'm in two minds, part of me is impressed with the bold decisions they made by stripping the usual action adventure controls to a uniquely minimal set (you move by pressing one button to run - the only other control you have over the character is when you get to a junction and get to choose a direction to move), however I think the first person shooting bits could have been better. You are rooted to the spot when shooting, so the usual circle strafing associated with first person shooting games is thrown out of the window, in fact these bits play more like an old lightgun game - which begs the question why not throw in lightgun support?

As for design you can't help but admire it. From the strange graphics engine with it's unique cel-shading, the way enemies explode in a shower of blood droplets, the bold colours and minimal texturing to the manga sequence which intercut each level - you can see a lot of thought has been put into the visual presentation of the game. The soundtrack is just as well thought out, I'll write about that later though as I've ordered the CD soundtrack from Play-Asia, and I think it warrants consideration on it's own.

Then there is the story, intriguing and clever are two words that come to mind. On the surface it's a surreal tale about an assassin with 7 personalities (each of which can take on a physical form) hunting down a cult of terrorists called Heaven's Smile. But it's so much more than that, there is a whole subtle and clever critique of Japanese American relations since the end of World War II (made even more poignant with the anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima) lurking in cut scenes , conversations and symbolism buried within the game. It's the sort of thing that I'm not capable of analysis by myself, luckily someone else already has over here - makes a very interesting read if you have completed the game.

Don't think I'll play a game like that for sometime - next one on the list: Nintendogs... It's a puppy simulator *gulp*