News: Armored Core for Answer

December 05, 2007, 01:17 PM

by kurokishi, via From Software -
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Due to some conscientious ninjas, I was sent some scans of the latest Famitsu which contained an exclusive preview of the upcoming sequel to Armored Core 4. Entitled Armored Core for Answer, it utilizes the same game engine as Armored Core 4 but with some substantial modifications. For a start, each area will be around 20km square, they are going all-out to emphasize scale in relation to immense mobile fortresses. There will also be online co-op(!) and the series will finally feature playable mecha that are fully transformable.

The big thing for me is that From Software is hiring THREE major mecha designers to work on the game. The first is Shoji Kawamori, who was responsible for the transformable Valkyries in Macross and was instrumental in the creation of the design work for the older Armored Core games. Kawamori will be penning the NEXT mecha (basically the new futuristic AC's seen in AC4). Kazutaka Miyatake and Makoto Kobayashi will be designing the huge mobile fortresses. Both these latter gentleman are of special interest because Miyatake actually designed the SDF-1 from Macross and Kobayashi is a complete nut for complex bulbous machinery (his work on Dragon's Heaven is a personal favorite of mine, as it was relatively unfettered compared to his involvement in Zeta Gundam and the Venus Wars movie).

From the article it seems that both the PS3 and 360 versions will be released simultaneously (in Japan) in March of next year. Toshifumi Nabeshima will return as producer and I totally dig the funky logo.