The Raven RepublicFor posts pertaining to video games in general
SquareEnix has just released another short trailer for the upcoming mech simulation/shooter Front Mission Evolved, which seems to be shaping up nicely. Despite no announcement of a release date, the trailers boldly show a simultaneous world-wide release of the title, the latest of which comes from the Tokyo Game Show 2009.
The latest game from From Software, the creators of Armored Core, is a throwback to the classic 8-bit era RPG titles mixed with a modern aesthetic, giving the once blocky 2D sprites a high-definition 3D remake with particularly interesting results. A modern retro style game so to speak, the game is full 3D pixel art as seen from the screenshots below:
One of FROM’s biggest hurdles in converting their PS2 Armored Core titles to the PSP was the control scheme. The inherent difference in the number of buttons on the dual shock and the PSP meant that the controls simply couldn’t be the same. This is evidenced by how FROM’s first portable Armored Core game, Formula Front, was initially an AI arena only. FROM eventually did implement player control, but with automated vertical aiming due to the absence of the L2 and R2 buttons on the PSP. This made for what enthusiasts considered a dumbed down Armored Core experience.
With the release of Armored Core 3 Portable and the announcement of Silent Line Portable, many players wondered how FROM would work around this button handicap. The image below shows how they decided to lay out the default controls.
Here’s a gallery of the new parts that appear on AC3P as well as their stats. Most of the frame parts and weapons are remakes of older AC parts not included in the recent games such as in Last Raven.
Recent screenshots of the upcoming Armored Core Silent Line Portable game for the PSP have revealed a variety of new parts to be included in the next AC game as well as some new features.
1. Shortened load time thanks to some of the game data being installed in the memory stick.
2. Data from AC3P can be carried over, though only 1/10 of the credits will be ported over aside from all of the parts.
3. A.I. training seems to be back as well.
On to the new parts:
Long time AC fan Naitoh, who has been an excellent source of information on the Japanese Armored Core scene, has recently uploaded videos of “Matsuri 2”, a Japanese Armored Core 3 tournament held back in January of 2003, on his YouTube account. Sadly, we have no further information regarding the tournament such as its rules and part restrictions. Beyond that, the only information we can confirm for sure is the slight lag with the 2nd player because of the i.Link connection, as mentioned by Naitoh himself, a given problem in the AC3 and SL editions of AC.
After the release of Armored Core 3 Portable for the PSP last July, From’s next entry in its PSP ports series is Armored Core: Silent Line, which is scheduled for a November 19, 2009 release. One of the highlights of this new edition is the reappearance of the legendary Karasawa Mk II first seen in Armored Core 2, and it seems like it retains most of its stats except for the reduced ammo count as seen below:
Three-time PACT champion Lord_Leperman has been SO busy with something that he hardly posted anything in the forums since PACT 5 finished. It turns out that he’s been consumed by a game called X3 by EGOSOFT. He’s so engrossed that he even wrote what seems to be a sort of diary entry from the perspective of his in-game persona.