[PSP] R-Type Tactics II -Operation Bitter Chocolate-

[icycalm]

This made my day. I really liked the original, despite all my complaints, if for no other reason than because it was so different to every other similar game that is being released these days. I was thinking of going back and finishing it, and now I have a good reason to do so.

Titled R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate (in Japan, the original was known as R-Type Tactics), the new game will arrive in Japan through Irem on October 29. Players can look forward to a branching story line based off the selections you make during the game. Irem is also upping the content and strategy, with double the units and additional commands.

Multiple players will be able to tkae part in the fun again. The game promises ad-hoc battles along with cooperative missions. Additionally, the game will support game sharing for competitive play, just in case you don't have enough copies to go around.

Irem is also planning something new for the game: downloadable missions. It's unclear at present if these will be paid or free.

Tactics II will be released simultaneously as a retail and download game. The retail version will run 5,040 yen with the download version going for 3,800 yen. Those who buy the retail version will be given a bonus soundtrack.

While Sony has been releasing day-in downloadable versions of its own games for some time now, this is a rare case of a 3rd party doing the same. PSP go releases in Japan on November 1, so this could become a more frequent occurrence.

http://psp.ign.com/articles/100/1008672p1.html

I am holding out on the subtitle, because I bet the dude got it wrong.

[icycalm]

No real visual changes, and the annoying 3D battle scenes are unfortunately still present. I had totally forgotten about those, having turned them off soon after the original's first few stages.


Battle map screens:







3D animated battle scenes:





CG cutscenes:





http://www.irem.co.jp/rtt2/
http://www.irem.co.jp/rtt2/scshot.html
http://www.irem.co.jp/rtt2/movie.html

Via http://postback.geedorah.com/foros/view ... hp?id=1066

[icycalm]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkdQg5H_G7A

I translated the "trailer" for those of you wondering if they make any mention of chocolate in it:

1: The Earth was once on the verge of annihilation
2: by unknown life beings that appeared from a distant place in space.
3: For the sake of survival, Humanity
4: obtained the devil's weapon.
5: People used this weapon freely
6: and escaped from the crisis.
7: ...Suposedly.
8: And then... using the weapon intended to shoot the demons,
9: people started to fight among themselves.
10: The fight is continuing even this very moment.
11: The little girl looks up towards the starry sky and asks
12: Who will end this fight for us?
13: The stars didn't give her any answer.

PSP [Playstation Portable]
SF Simulation
R-Type Tactics II Operation Bitter Chocolate
Scheduled for release: 10/29/09
PSP is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment.

Edit: the devil's weapon refers to the Force.

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... 00#p498800

[icycalm]

Just finished translating the story from Irem's website. I also did some looking around and uncovered some new stuff. I have to point out, though, that I never finished the first game, so I'm not aware of everything that is new or that may be old.


"Formerly, Humanity entrusted its last hope and few remaining forces to a young commander and sent him deep into the Bydo's territory.

As the years and months passed, the number of Bydo forces that appeared in the Solar System continued to decrease. Humanity, at last, delighted in the coming of peaceful days.

However, that didn't last long.

During their long fight, Humanity developed the Force System, which used the Bydo itself as Humanity's weapon, in order to oppose the mighty and fiendish Bydo forces. However, even after few battles with the Bydo forces occurred, Humanity could not relinquish this formidable weapon.

The public's opinion about the Bydo weapons was divided in two. One group advocated the development and maintenance of Bydo weapons as preparation for invasions from unknown enemies and the other, that the Bydo weapons should be disposed of. The two views didn't go along well and confrontation grew.

Then, ironically, Humanity started to fight itself.

Humanity divided in two, continued to develop new weapons and steal each other's lives. They entered deep into battle and war spread throughout the Solar System.

The fight of Humanity with itself grows more gruesome each day. Right now, nobody has noticed the great crisis that is once again approaching the Solar System."


There will be three factions in the game: the "Earth Alliance Army," the "Guranzeera Revolutionary Army" and the Bydo. The EAA has no qualms about using Forces so their units will be Force focused. In contrast, the GRA opposes the use of Force. To compensate, they have abilities like Capture to control weakened enemy ships and Jamming to reduce the enemies' field of vision. The Bydo will probably just play like the good old Bydo. Irem claims that there'll be 2x the amount of units in the game.

I'll post more once I uncover more.

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... 04#p499004

The story has the same basic idea as Alpha Centauri's. When you don't have enough alien factions, you simply make the humans fight between themselves on grounds of ideology. Because humans are stupid like that.

[icycalm]

I gave this game long enough, but it doesn't look like it's gonna get localized, so I am gonna go ahead and play it. A few months back I tried to get a copy off YesAsia (Play-Asia was out), and they had me on hold for a few weeks only to tell me they couldn't find one. So I just got some Japanese PSN points and I am going to try and get the (somewhat cheaper) downloadable version right now. In any case I still want a new, sealed retail copy, so if anyone spots one somewhere, please alert me here and I'll order it asap. If all else fails I'll ask a contact in Japan to order a copy for me from Amazon or Yahoo, but I don't want to bother him if I can avoid it.

[icycalm]

Should have made a search before buying that 5,000 yen PSN card:

Irem closing soon? Pulls out a lot of PSN stuff.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=438156

The PSN store has fuck-all decent games, by the way (at least the Japanese one...) I am just going to use the credit to rebuy stuff like Loco Roco/Patapon etc. just so I can have them installed on my Memory Stick.

[icycalm]

$140 lol:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... dition=new