Binary Domain
Another SEGA published title here. Binary Domain had all the promises of a great game, and actually delivered on that promise. Developed by Yakuza Team, the title aimed to tell a story of humanity through the use of robots. We aren’t going to spoil the story for you here. Suffice it to say, the tale it weaves is one of intrigue and conspiracy which everyone should at some point endeavor to experience. Moment to moment gameplay wasn’t particularly special in itself. It was a third-person cover shooter. What did make Binary Domain a little different however was its use of consequences.
You never went into battle alone. Instead, you were flanked by comrades who would suggest pathways to success. It was up to you to choose which one was taken. this all sounds pretty normal and nothing special right? Well fling that idea right back out the door because Binary Domain created something unmatched in its consequence system. If you never listened to one of your colleagues, they wouldn’t work as hard for you in battle. This would also affect story points in the game, particularly the title’s ending.
Another area where Binary Domain was utterly special came in the form of its AI. It’s going to sound a little odd being here in text because these are all things we’ve seen before. Just imagine them in their purest possible form of complete awesomeness and you’ll get the gist. Enemies would tactically decide where to push you to stall your advance. They would set up pincer movements or leave false openings to lure you into a trap. This is where that consequence system came into light once again. If you had a member of the team who didn’t like you, they would be a chink in your armor against such attacks.
Binary Domain saw critical praise and is still seen as a cult game among many. So why the hell did this game fade into nothing? The reasons are likely numerous. One of these is most likely a lack of advertising once again by SEGA. The publisher was so far into the ropes by now they couldn’t see the ring. Cash was tight and Binary Domain could have saved them. Sadly their lack of showing people that the game was actually out didn’t help. Oh and a little something called Mass Effect 3 was being advertised everywhere for release the following week so every possible avenue was bought up.
How much of a commercial flop was Binary Domain? Well by April 2012, two months after launch, the game had sold a not-so-grand total of 20,000 units.
