Oh so that's what Killer 7 is about

Killer 7 has done a roaring trade in hype thus far, largely thanks to its unusual cel-shaded look (which isn't a phrase we get to type very often). In fact, it almost feels a shame to lift the veil this week and find a mere game lurking underneath. Then again, it's also nice to finally appreciate the Capcom Five's outstanding enigma in more familiar terms. Isn't it? Oh all right then, you win, we don't really know how we feel about it any more. Whatever. The following ought to give you an idea of what it's like...

First of all: we already know that Killer 7 concerns a wheelchair-bound chap called Harman Smith, who has the ability to physically embody any of seven unique personalities, each of whom is useful in his ventures as a professional assassin. We already know that it looks lovely. We already know that it's coming out on both GameCube and PS2.

Now we also know that you generally play it from a third-person perspective, roaming around until you come upon an enemy, at which point the perspective shifts to a first-person view so you can take a pop at them. You can't move in the FPS view, but that's fair enough because before you can shoot them anyway you have to scan them so they take on a solid form. We're not sure why they're just roaming particles up to this point, but then life is full of little mysteries (like why did Capcom sign up Viewtiful Joe, Killer 7 and P.N.03 to the Cube exclusively?).

Obviously each of Harman's alternate personalities has certain advantages over the others. Mark de Smith attacks with fire, Kevin Smith is stealthy (clearly no relation then), Con Smith is fast and has a pair of guns, Dan Smith has a bullet-time ability, and another of Harman's personalities can revive fallen comrades. As you might imagine, each of the game's levels is split up in such a way that a certain character may be required in a certain scenario, or a certain scenario may have several possible approaches to it. You'll be able to switch between these folks within each level (or chapter, as they're putting it), every time you happen upon a television set.

Beyond that, all we know is that each level/chapter consists of one main goal: to take out a particular mark. It sounds pretty good - but it'll need strong and varied level design, more than a little imagination for each personality, not to mention a strong and branching storyline, if it's going to make a stronger impression on the average consumer than the woefully under-appreciated Viewtiful Joe. Over to you, Capcom...