Binary Domaina is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Sega. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in February 2012 and Microsoft Windows in April 2012. The game is set in Tokyo, Japan, in the year 2080. It features innovative artificial intelligence technology.
The game is set in a world where global warming has caused worldwide flooding, leaving much of the world uninhabitable. As a result, robots were used as the main labor force. The game features a consequence system, which decides how non-playable characters in the squad views and trusts the player in story mode. The game also features seven different multiplayer modes, with five classes being available for players to choose.
It was conceived by Toshihiro Nagoshi, who created the Yakuza video game series. The characters of Binary Domain were created with making realistic personalities and behavior in mind. The Consequence System was created to make the game as a competitive game in the third person shooter genre. The game received mixed reviews upon launch, with critics praising the game's story and Consequence System. However, it received criticisms regarding its voice recognition system. The game sold only 20,000 copies in North America by April 2012.
Gameplay
The player can issue commands to squad mates by pressing certain buttons or voice, either via a headset or the Kinect System using the voice command feature on the Xbox 360 console. The game's AI is able to recognize six different languages, including English and Japanese.
A major part of the game is its consequence system, which decides how the squad views and trusts the player in story mode. Their opinion of the player is based on how the player performs and treats team members. This affects both the storyline and gameplay, where the characters behave differently depending on trust levels. Conversations between the player and the squad members can also affect trust levels. The end of the game will change, depending on the level of trust the team members have in the player.
Stats of both the player and the squad members can be augmented with nanomachines that need to be fitted in place in a style similar to a jigsaw puzzle. These nanomachines, as well as weapon upgrades, can usually be bought at shops that the player can find throughout the game. The use of grenades in combat is supported through a visible parabolic arc, which helps players to adjust their aim. The enemy AIs in Binary Domain adjust themselves on how to fight back against the player's advance, depending on the situation. For example, they can work together in groups to flank the player's position or toss fragmentation grenades if the player is in one spot for too long. There are certain stages where player will need to navigate through dangerous obstacles and enemies in order to advance to the next stage.
Multiplayer
Several multiplayer classes are available: Scout, Sniper, Striker, Soldier, and Heavy Gunner. For the English localization, these classes were reported to consist of Special Operations, Recon, Demolitions, Assault, and Heavy Gunner. There are two factions, the Ministry of Homeland Affairs' Interior Security Administration Division and the resistance fighters. Multiplayer modes consist of Data Capture, Domain Control, Team Survival, Operation, Invasion, Team Deathmatch, and Free for All.
Synopsis
Plot
In the game's backstory, global warming has caused worldwide flooding, leaving much of the world uninhabitable. This forced the governments to build new cities above the waterline, using the ruined cities as foundations. Since much of the world's population had died, robots were used as the main labor force. An American-based company called Bergen controlled a very large majority of the world's robotic industries, making America much more powerful. A Japanese corporation named Amada tried to sue Bergen for stealing their technology in a patent dispute. Despite the fact that Amada was the first robotics company to create the first humanoid robot, the lawsuit failed, since Bergen had a great amount of influence, This resulted in Bergen controlling 95 percent of the robotics market.
World economic concerns lead to the creation of the "New Geneva Convention", a new set of international laws. One of the clauses outlined, Clause 21, banned research into robots that could pass for humans, called "Hollow Children" in the game. A majority of the world's countries agreed to sign the convention into law. An organization called the International Robotics Technology Association (IRTA) created a global task-force, nicknamed "Rust Crews", to deal with breaches of the convention.
Years after the treaty was signed, an android attacked Bergen's headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, previously having no idea that he was a robot himself. Believing that robotics genius and founder of Amada corporation, Yoji Amada, created the robot, the IRTA sent one of their Rust Crews to Japan to find Amada and bring him in for questioning under orders from the UN Security Council.
