Atlus announces Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament for PSP

[xtop]

http://theportablegamer.com/2009/04/...n-to-your-psp/

Do games like Virtual On, Mech Assault, and Armored Core make you weep with gaming euphoria? Do you enjoy feeling the earth beneath your hulking metal feet tremble as you blast fools directly INTO said earth? Did you eat your Wheaties™ this morning? Have you heard of a little company called Atlus? If you answered “YES” to the logical majority of these questions then mark your calendars NOW for “Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament.”

Summer 2009 is all we can tell ya, but we do have some Japanese screenies to show you (localized US ones coming soon). We’ll let Atlus run down some of the key features of this metal-on-metal brawler, which was originally developed by Irem.

* You control your adventure — Mission-based gameplay puts you in the driver’s seat: you choose what you do and say. Take on missions ranging from cross-town delivery to mining in a canyon to defeating bandits. The money and fame points earned can be used to upgrade your Trotmobile and enter arena battles.
* Complete freedom to build — The cardinal rule of Trotmobile design is that there is no ideal design. Instead, there are tons of customization options, letting you upgrade your arms, legs, heads, bodies, and more, each changing the nature of how you battle! Personalize your vehicle with color and emblem to make it distinctively yours.
* Four-player competition mode — Clash with your friends’ Trotmobiles in 4 player ad hoc multiplayer! Set each player against the others battle royale style, or pair up for tag team action.
* One disc, four players — Only one UMD disc? You can still compete! Activate “game sharing” to enter multiplayer mode with standard Trotmobiles, or use multiple UMDs to have access to your customized battle vehicles!

As someone who put 100’s of hours into Mech Assault and Virtual On!, this has me more than a bit thrilled. It’s much too early to rave about it until we have some hands-on battle time, but we’ll keep you updated on this one as often as possible. The PSP needs more of this stuff!

[dereksworl]

Originally Posted by xtop

http://theportablegamer.com/2009/04/...n-to-your-psp/

If its anything remotely like Front Mission, i will have to consider it. speaking of which, SE give me a current Gen Front Mission for PS3!!

2009= the year of the PSP

[MOONPHASE]

Got the email from Atlus yesterday and this is going to be so awesome but I want Steambot Chronicles 2

[Marine Mike]

Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament PSP - Stomping Your Way to Victory
Posted by Mike Meeker // Lead Editor

Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament
Hello, all you PlayStation Blog readers! They call me Mike Meeker (because that’s my name), and I have the distinct honor of being the Lead Editor for Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament, a fun-fueled PSP action-adventure brought to you by the fine folks at Atlus. The people running the PlayStation Blog have been kind enough to let us toot our own horns, so now’s my chance to tell you all about this game. Well, not all about it, because we want to leave some mysteries for you folks to discover

This poor chump must have loaded up on MISSiles.

Take a trip back in time, to a simpler era where people lived in friendly communities, the Industrial Revolution was in full bloom, and people rode about town in those new-fangled two-legged Trotmobiles. That’s right. The automobile is still around, but the walking Trotmobile is much more popular, especially in Orion City, where the game takes place. Incidentally, that’s also where the nation’s largest Trot company is headquartered, and the Orion City Trotmobile Battle Tournament decides who’s the best Trot driver in the land.

At the start of the game, you’re out to make a name for yourself as an up-and-coming Trotmobile driver, with an antiquated machine and no respect. Luckily, you’ll earn the friendship of a mechanic named Venus, and the two of you will take on all comers in your quest for championship. Of course, if the game was all about gladiatorial combat, it would get a little dull. You’ll get a lot of say in how your character acts, and your responses might have an impact on what happens later… But I recommend going with your gut, because I and fellow editor Clayton Chan had a lot of fun writing all these lines, along with the other characters’ reactions. (The fact that the majority of the hilarity is voiced only adds to the majesty.)

Seriously, haven’t you ever wanted to say this to some irritating optimist at one time or another?

Back in the driver’s seat, you’ll find loads and loads of customization waiting for you in the shop. You’ll have a wide variety of parts and accessories to choose from when kitting out your Trotmobile, and some will give you an edge in combat while others will allow you to do the jobs you’ll be undertaking all over the city. You’re not alone in the tournament, though, and you’ll be facing a veritable menagerie of Trotmobile riders, designs and equipment loadouts in the ring.

How tough could this guy be? I bet he’s got a day job where he sits behind a computer all day.

You won’t have access to all the good stuff right from the start, of course, but that’s what the jobs are for. When you’re not fighting for the amusement of the crowd or exploring the wilderness, you can climb out of your vehicle to take on jobs all across the city and the surrounding areas, from simple deliveries to demolition work to ghost hunting and celebrity reporting. Take your earnings and put them into buying better parts for your Trotmobile, or else you’ll be caught unprepared for the challenges ahead, and even worse, people with questionable fashion taste will make fun of you:

Harsh! Are you just gonna that that guff? It’s even harsher when you hear it voiced. Some of our QA testers cried.

So, you’ve got turn-of-the century (the 20th century, you history sticklers) mechs stomping around, kooky characters, personal freedom, vehicle customization, and the ability to take part in a grand tradition of furious gladiator combat. (You’re a winner!) What more could you want? You probably want some multiplayer action, with up to 4 players or something. Well, fine! It’s in there like swimwear! You can even play with 4 players using a single copy of the game! Now what more could you want?

Personally, all I want is to make you aware of this game, and if I have to make my Trotmobile ride the Space Shuttle up into orbit and surf back down to Earth on a piece of the Space Station, I’ll do just that.

…No, Sammy, that’s not a real move. But that would be wicked awesome. Look for Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament to hit on June 30th!

[BlackMamba]

Atlus is trying hard to be the new Working Designs

[chnandler_bong]

I Dl'ed Virtual On and it wasn't quite the happy fun experience that I recall from my Shakey's Days...hopefully it won't be too much like that particular game...

Originally Posted by dereksworl

If its anything remotely like Front Mission, i will have to consider it. speaking of which, SE give me a current Gen Front Mission for PS3!!

2009= the year of the PSP

All of the Front Mission games I've played have been grid-based strategy games, and all of the games used to describe this latest offering are more from the action genre, so this ain't your game.