First look: Robot Warlords

Midas Interactive has released information on Robot Warlords, its upcoming PS2 mech strategy game set in the very near future. As the game's story has it, splinter factions in Japan's military have begun to lay waste to Tokyo by means of giant robotic war machines called "bullets." As a member of an elite government strike force, you will take command of a bullet and confront the rebels.

Robot Warlords is a strategy game at its core, and it will include two play modes: story mode and life mode. In the story mode, you're made to play through a linear series of missions, through which the game's narrative unfolds. Life mode is much more fluid--in it, you'll be presented with missions, and you can choose whether or not you want to participate in them. Regardless of the play mode you go through, you'll be able to customize your bullet's arsenal. You can choose to equip it with long range, short range, or hand-to-hand weapons, all of which affect your bullet's movement, speed, and power ratings. The mission maps will be grid-based, and they'll be replete with buildings, vehicles, and other such obstacles.

Robot Warlords will also feature a two-player head-to-head mode, in which players can secretly issue commands to their bullets. Presumably, such an interface will resemble that which is found in Pokémon Stadium or in sports games at large.

Robot Warlords is set for release next month in Europe. A North American release date has not been announced at this time. We'll keep you posted.