The game's RPG and dungeoneering aspects are quite apparent. An experience system helps provide incentive to keep the slaughter going, and that space-based city will let Max upgrade himself and his equipment even further, as well as identify those pesky rare items. With five armor and four weapon slots to fill, finding hot equipment and making it even hotter looks to play a large part in the fun. And like PSO, the stronger you get, the more the game will throw at you, ensuring plenty of use for even the biggest BFG.
Bounty Hounds is graphically decent, though there's some disparity between the town and action scenes. The town runs at 30 frames per second and looks very detailed for a PSP game; again, the run-down high-tech look reminds me of Hellgate: London. This is perhaps unsurprising, as noted futurist illustrator Syd Mead contributed to the game's early art direction. The action scenes, however, have much less detail, right down to that alarmingly close fog line. The upside is that they run at a silky smooth 60 frames per second, no matter how many enemies appear. It's a tradeoff, but definitely the right one in terms of gameplay. Story cinematics, meanwhile, are pretty interesting: a combination of pre-rendered CG animation and comic-style 2D art.
The big question is if all of these elements will be enough to offset the eventual tedium of slashing through hundreds of similar enemies ala Devil Kings or Dynasty Warriors. With 40 planets to conquer (each with unique foes) and virtually limitless character-leveling options, Bounty Hounds is certainly going to give its best shot. We'll figure out if that's enough to spawn a new gaming addiction come its fall release date.
