''Kill Switch'' (stylized as '' kill.switch'') is a

third-person shooter Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em ...

video game developed by Namco USA in 2003 for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...

and

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

. A

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...

port was released in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. The GBA port was created independently of Namco, due to a licensing deal with Destination Software. The

PAL Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a colour encoding system for analogue television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...

release of the PS2 port came with a demo of ''

SOCOM II U.S. Navy SEALs ''SOCOM II U.S. Navy SEALs'' is a tactical shooter video game developed by Zipper Interactive and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 2. It is the sequel to ''SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs (video game), SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs' ...

'' on a separate disc. The most distinguishing characteristic of ''Kill Switch'' is its

cover system A cover system is a video game gameplay mechanic that allows a virtual avatar to hide from and avoid dangers, usually in a three-dimensional world. This method is a digital adaptation of the real-life military tactic of taking cover behind obst ...

, a mechanic that has the player character taking cover behind objects and around corners in a manner similar to Namco's own ''

Time Crisis ''Time Crisis'' is a first-person on-rails light gun shooter series of arcade video games by Namco, introduced in 1995. It is focused on the exploits of a fictional international intelligence agency who assigns its best agents to deal with a m ...

'' series of

light gun shooter Light gun shooter, also called light gun game or simply gun game, is a shooter video game genre in which the primary design element is to simulate a shooting gallery by having the player aiming and discharging a gun-shaped controller at a scre ...

s as well as

Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on p ...

's third-person shooter ''

WinBack ''WinBack'' (known as ''WinBack: Covert Operations'' in North America and ''Operation: WinBack'' in Australia and Europe) is a third-person shooter video game developed by Omega Force (a division of Koei) and published for the Nintendo 64 in 199 ...

'' and

Hideo Kojima is a Japanese video game designer, director, producer and writer. He is regarded as an auteur of video games. He developed a strong passion for action/adventure cinema and literature during his childhood and adolescence. In 1986, he was hired ...

stealth game A stealth game is a type of video game in which the player primarily uses ''stealth'' to avoid or overcome opponents. Games in the genre typically allow the player to remain undetected by hiding, sneaking, or using disguises. Some games allow th ...

'' Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty''. However, ''Kill Switch'' was the first third-person shooter to feature the cover system as its core game mechanic, though ''

Gears of War ''Gears of War'' is a media franchise centered on a series of video games created by Epic Games, developed and managed by The Coalition, and owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. The franchise is best known for its third-person shooter vide ...

'' would popularize it.

Story

Protagonist Nick Bishop (voiced by Marcus McCollum) is a super-soldier remotely controlled via direct neural connection by a man known only as "Controller" (voiced by Chuck McQuary) in a series of combat missions designed to bring "the North" and "the West" to war. Profiteer Archer (voiced by

Adam Baldwin Adam Baldwin (born February 27, 1962) is an American actor. He starred in '' Full Metal Jacket'' (1987) as Animal Mother, as well as in the television series ''Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 ...

) plans to benefit by selling the technology used to control Bishop, who gives Controller headaches on recollection of suppressed memories featuring a woman and the phrase "Say my name". Moments before launching a biological warhead, Controller is killed by a surge triggered when a woman known as "Duchess" (voiced by

Adrienne Wilkinson Adrienne Wilkinson is an American actress. She is known for playing Eve, the daughter of Xena in the TV series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' in the fifth and sixth seasons. She has appeared in numerous television series such as ''Angel,'' '' Charm ...

) seizes control of Bishop. Sent to attack Controller's base, Bishop's memories are eventually restored: the woman from his memories was his new wife, who Archer killed when he captured Bishop to sell the technology inside him. Freed, Bishop kills Archer in a final assault and walks away.

Reception

''Kill Switch'' received a wide range of reviews across all platforms, with the Xbox version receiving a score of 75 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews", while the PC and PS2 versions received scores of 66 and 73 out of 100 respectively, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Criticism was directed towards its thin plot and simplistic level design, while the gameplay mechanics, especially the

, were lauded and considered engaging. It was compared to the ''

'' series. The Xbox version of the game was said to possess enhanced graphics over the PS2 version. GameSpot awarded the Xbox version a 6.9 out of 10. The GBA version of the game was similarly received, with IGN calling it a "solid portable action title" and awarding it a 7.5 out of 10.

Legacy

''Kill Switch'' is best remembered for its

as a core game mechanic, and for introducing the blind fire mechanic to the cover system. Several shooters took inspiration from ''Kill Switch'' and implemented similar cover systems. In the design of ''

'', lead developer

Cliff Bleszinski Cliff Bleszinski (; born February 12, 1975), popularly known as CliffyB, is an American video game designer, known for his work in the development of the ''Unreal'' and '' Gears of War'' series. After working at Epic Games from 1992 to 2012, he ...

Epic Games Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, M ...

credits ''Kill Switch's'' cover system as one of the influences they put into the game's design, as ''Kill Switch's'' lead designer Chris Esaki was employed by Epic Games and was involved in the development of ''Gears of War''.

Naughty Dog Naughty Dog, LLC (formerly JAM Software, Inc.) is an American first-party video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1984, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001. Gav ...

's '' Uncharted: Drake's Fortune'', which began development in 2005 and was released in 2007, also took inspiration from ''Kill Switch'', which ''Uncharted's'' lead designers Evan Wells and Amy Hennig credited as inspiration for the game's cover system. Other examples of shooters that featured ''Kill Switch''-inspired cover systems include the 2005 third-person shooter '' CT Special Forces: Fire for Effect'', and the 2006 games '' Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas'', a

first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...

released in the same month as ''Gears of War'', and '' Killzone: Liberation'', an isometric

shoot 'em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of chara ...

released a month before ''Gears of War''.

References

External links

GameRankings PC reviews

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kill Switch 2003 video games Destination Software games Game Boy Advance games Namco games PlayStation 2 games RenderWare games Third-person shooters Video games scored by Kevin Manthei Video games developed in the United States Windows games Xbox games