Trailer for Sega's new shooter is pioneeringly generic, but has an awesome ending

Yes, the trailer for Binary Domain, the suicidally-titled new shooter from Sega's Yakuza team, couldn't be any more generic and Japanese if it was eating Pocky while giggling and doing a peace sign at a giant spikey-haired emo rape-tentacle. But there is an awesome bit at the end that you totally won't see coming. Well you'll see something coming, now that I've told you that . But you won't know what. Anyway, watch it.

Interesting, no? Who are the good guys now? Who are the bad guys? Are there even good guys and bad guys, or are there just guys, and guns, and more guys? Argh! EXISTENTIAL BREAKDOWN!

Okay, so if we're being honest, the whole questioning-of-humanity-in-a-war-zone-and-hey-bub-just-what-makes-a-human-human-anyway-and-what-is-the-nature-of-this-soul-thing-and-how-does-one-get-one-and-can-machines-not-be-people-too-and-maybe-even-show-more-humanity-than-actual-meaty-humans-anyway schtick is also a massive cliche. But let's face it, by this point so is everything else. You're sitting in front of a monitor, reading about video games on the internet. That's a cliche. But you're enjoying it, aren't you? Let's not worry about it too much.

Binary Domain could turn out to be awesome. In fact, coming from the team being Sega's consistently excellent, consistently mental Yakuza series, it probably will, as long as it doesn't go too far in the direction of naively pandering to falsely-percieved Japanese impressions of what the western market wants, constructed from an ironic position of Japanese naivety. Which it seems to be doing a bit. But hopefully not too much. But seriously, Sega needs to change that title if it actually wants to sell any copies of this thing. Game sounds like a damn algebraic mechanism.

What do you reckon?

Dec 1, 2010

David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.
Latest in Action
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
A screenshot of Jordan drinking a soda during the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Hertic Prophet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Indy hanging onto a vine as in Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle PS5 release date reportedly set for April after ESRB leak
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says he'll "apologize beforehand" for Death Stranding 2 moments with Troy Baker's Higgs which are "so ridiculous" that "you'll probably throw the controller"
a titanium watch with grey and orange features on the arms and face
You can look like Solid Snake with this Death Stranding 2 watch, but it'll cost you over $1,500
Latest in News
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Silent Hill f
After 2 years of silence, the next mainline Silent Hill game is getting a dedicated stream this week with "the latest news"
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
A screenshot of Jordan drinking a soda during the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Hertic Prophet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2