Metal Wolf Chaos XD

Metal Wolf Chaos XD is a time capsule from 2004 that allows its recipient to survey the United States’ enthusiasm for boisterous violence and blind patriotism. The President stomping around in an eight-gun mech suit and delivering outrageous dialogue while suppressing a coup is nakedly hyperbolic, but it’s also a lens to an outsider’s interpretation of mid-aughts American culture. Metal Wolf Chaos, in addition to presenting a clumsy but capable action caper, has only improved with age.

It’s clumsy and filled with flaws, but it’s precisely these imperfections that make it so interesting.

Metal Wolf Chaos XD is a decent enough port of a cult classic mecha game but misses the mark over the Xbox original. That said, even if you are not a fan of mecha games, you should still give this game a go. It’s raucous and a lot of fun and finally it is now more widely available. However, as someone that poured a lot of time into the game over the years, I still think the Xbox version is the best.

It’s easy to understand and justify the state of worship that Metal Wolf Chaos XD has managed to unintentionally create during the last fifteen years: an insane setting, a pungent satire aimed at the American society and a good technical realization, all at the service of an enjoyable third-person shooter. However, the latter ingredient didn’t age very well: Metal Wolf Chaos XD is quite easy, somewhat spartan, and the weapons fail to convey the right feedback.

Even if you suffer from bone spurs, going to war as the kickass President Michael Wilson in Metal Wolf Chaos XD is supremely enjoyable. That being said, it can be rather unforgiving at times and some patience is required to learn its ins and outs.