Agents of Mayhem trailer features Johnny Gat as Magnum PI
Selleck short
Agents of Mayhem [official site], the explosion-laden singleplayer shooter from the creators of Saints Row, is shaping up rather nicely by all accounts. And by 'all accounts' I mean the accounts of both Holly and Adam, who enjoyed the over-the-top action of separate preview builds.
It's just got a new trailer showing a man punching a car into lots of others cars, which all go boom, and a woman dancing on massive gun while screaming "I call this the Chicago deep dish". Erm...okay. Oh, and there's a Magnum PI cosplay from returning Saints Row favourite Johnny Gat. Because why not.
Gat, unfortunately, is initially cut out to be pre-order bonus DLC.
As a reminder, the game is a class-based shooter where you're out to defeat the League of Evil Gentlemen Intent on Obliterating Nations, or LEGION for short. You pick three characters from a cast of 12 for any given mission, and you can switch between them at any time.
Each has different abilities and play styles: Rama, for example, is a bow-wielding sniper that can set up traps that suck enemies into a vortex, while Agent Hollywood is an explosions expert.
I loved the theme and silly humour of Saint's Row IV, but as an action game it wasn't much cop. By the looks of it, Agents of Mayhem will have stronger mechanics but may feel a bit more constrained. Here's wot Adam had to say:
"Even half an hour with Mayhem is enough time to declare it superior to Saints Row as an action game, but the focus on a specific set of characters in a more tightly focused experience means some aspects of the Row have been cut away.
"This isn’t Saints Row: The Future or Saints Row: The Superheroes, and it might be missing elements of that big urban canvas that Volition's series has offered in its finest moments. Instead, Agents of Mayhem is perhaps best understood as a singleplayer take on character-driven action games like Overwatch and Battleborn, a skill-based third-person shooter that favours knowledge of the protagonists over a twitchy trigger finger.
And here's Holly's thoughts:
"The combat felt satisfying, and was genuinely enjoyable. Very quickly I found myself cycling through my three heroes, using one to blast away close range with a shotgun, then darting back with a faster character. It’s a mechanic I actively wanted to spend more time with."
The game is out on 18 August – is it one you're looking forward to?