Over the course of the past year Capcom has intrigued and confused people with clips and pictures of their upcoming title Killer 7. Originally announced as a GameCube exclusive, the cel-shaded, and very stylish, graphics showed disturbing images of characters wielding guns and people lying in pools of blood. Unfortunately, the game was not playable at E3 and information has been hard to come by.

Fortunately we do have a bit of information to chew on. First, the game is no longer a GameCube exclusive. Capcom has decided to spread the love and bring Killer 7 to the PS2 as well. Capcom has confirmed that the GameCube version will be available in North America this winter. It's still unclear if the PS2 version will be getting the same release date.

In Killer 7 players are challenged with stopping a wave of violence that is spreading around the globe. The story follows the intertwined paths of two men to tell a tale of revenge and altering persona.

Players will take on the roll of Harman Smith, an assassin who posses seven alter egos, hence the title Killer 7. Each of Harman Smith's alter egos possesses unique abilities that he must employee to kill those people that he sees "deserving of death". Capcom was nice enough to release the names and, so called "qualities", of Mr. Smith's seven alter egos.

  • Garcian Smith The clairvoyant leader of the 'alliance' who has the ability to turn invisible and serves as the "cleaner" that recovers the bodies of fallen teammates
  • Dan Smith Strong and extremely well trained, Dan has the ability to wipe out the enemy with his fiendish destructive force
  • Mask De Smith A grenade launcher wielding man who is unbeatable with his specialty wrestling moves, countering any attacks brought upon by his enemies
  • Coyote Smith Has the ability to unleash a frighteningly destructive "Gang Kick" that can knock down enemies with a single blow
  • Kaede Smith The only female personality of the group. She throws her enemies into confusion by blasting out a shower of blood super-charged with a deadly virus
  • Con Smith A young man blessed with exceptional hearing. He uses his ability to reveal the locations of hidden items
  • Kevin Smith An independent personality that keeps to himself. He can eliminate a target with ease using a number of masterful knife wielding techniques

    Believe it or not, Harman Smith is not the "bad guy" in Killer 7. A powerful criminal overlord, named Kun Lan, has created hell on earth by unleashed violent creatures called, "Heaven's Smile". These creatures have horrific smiles plastered on their faces as they begin wreaking havoc through the city streets. It's up to Harman Smith to take control of his seven egos, and their abilities, to assassinate Kun Lan and bring peace back to the city.

    The game's graphics are stylish, and almost have a comic book feel to them. Nothing we have ever seen in a video game look quite like these graphics. The imagery and style used for this game are a definite mood setter and may give children nightmares for weeks, a plus for GameCube owners who want more mature titles.

    Unfortunately, for all the excitement behind this title no one really knows how it plays. While the pictures and video released look fantastic, there are many unanswered questions regarding Killer 7's gameplay. With several months to wait before the game is released, we're confident that Capcom won't let us down. We'll have more on Killer 7 as we near its early 2005 release date.