14 DAY TRIAL // Japanese development teams are not known for creating complex shooter experiences but the development team at the SEGA Yakuza studio hope to change this perception with their upcoming project Binary Domain.
Masayoshi Kikuchi, who is a producer at SEGA working on Binary Domain, has told CVG that, “The genre was chosen to have the biggest window of entry for as many gamers as possible. Within the studio there are so many who are total enthusiasts and who play a range of western titles. I’ve looked at a lot of shooters for good references.”
The developer added, “But also there’s a good point of comparison: identifying where the genre lacked and trying to bring something new to it. We wanted to contribute to the ‘gap’, and this is where having robotic enemies comes in.
“It ties heavily into the gameplay and with the very detailed procedural damage, giving you a different sense of feeling.”
Kikuchi made it clear that the choice of creating a run and gun, squad based third-person shooter was motivated by the fact that such a game would attract both Japanese and Western gamers.
One of the touches that should please players is the fact that native English speakers were consulted at all moments during the development process, resulting in a smoother experience for those who get the Western language pack.
One of the major features of Binary Domain is the consequence system, which changes the way teammates react to the player base on his in-game actions.
The game also allows players to issue commanders to squad mates using the headset or the controller.
Binary Domain will be launched by SEGA on February 14 in North America, two days later on the Japanese market and on February 17 in Europe, playable on the PlayStation 3 from Sony and the Xbox 360 from Microsoft.