Review: Steambot Chronicles for PS2
Rating: T for Teen (Alcohol Reference, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes)
Game Background:Developed by
Irem and
ATLUS,
Steambot Chronicles started as a Japanese game titled
Bumpy Trot. In it, you star as a young man named Vanilla. After taking a short quiz, you start off finding yourself shipwrecked with amnesia, only to be found by the lead female character. After being trapped on the beach, the two of you come across a walking car - a Trotmobile.
From there, the story explodes. The girl who found you, Coriander (Connie), turns out to be the lead singer in a famous band. You get attacked by bandits. You complain about memory loss. You transport goods and people. You play instruments in a band or two. You fight in arenas everywhere. But what keeps the game going?
That would be you. Everything Vanilla says and does is chosen by you. Yes, that's right, you get to make Vanilla say what you want based of a list of options. Will he be happy? Angry? Greedy? Good? ...Evil? The choice is yours.
Opening Thoughts:I was first introduced to this game through a demo my friend showed me. I was a bit unsure about it at first; the controls were rather difficult: both analog sticks to steer your "trot," L1/R1 controls each arm, L2/R2 to boost/jump, L3/R3 to pick things up... However, the story grabbed my interest from the very beginning; I needed to get a copy. But was it worth it?
Review:Yes it was. First of all, the storyline is IMMENSE. Even after the main storyline is done (Which you have to play through at least twice to get the full effect), you've still got this obnoxious amount of side-quests to do. In other words, you'll always have something you could be doing.
On top of that, there are 6 songs total that you can play on your instrument(s). Instruments include favorites such as the harmonica, piano, bass, and the electric guitar. Granted, you only start with one, but you can purchase or find the rest.
As for the main part - fighting - it could go either way. The controls can be hard for one without fine-tuned control, or even impossible. However, with enough practice, almost anyone can become a skilled Trotmobile rider. From there, your success depends on how well you fight with the weapons you equip. In this game, it's pretty much survive or GAME OVER. (The tutorial greatly helps improve skills, provided you can pass it. =P)
As for other activities, there's a great variety, which is a plus. Wanna play pool? You can rack 'em up with a total of 15 NPCs, including yourself. Mining is your thing? Fossils can be dug up at any time you want. What about helping the less-than-fortunate? Well, there's 3 orphans and a starving artist to take care of. Want to be king? Then buy out the Stock Market. And that's only skimming the surface. If you ever get tired of fighting, then there's always something else to do.
However, there is one thing I do have to mention. In between areas or certain activities (Trot match, pool game, etc.) there is always a "loading" time. While the loading itself isn't a bad thing, the fact that it happens so often gets annoying. Especially when you have to wait 10 seconds to get from one end of the street to the other. >_<
Conclusion:Steambot is, despite the loading annoyance, a
really great game. There are a ton of things you can do during and after the storyline is over, which should keep you going for days or even weeks. I know that this game will keep me entertained for a long while. Probably even after the sequle comes out for the PS3...
Graphics: 9
Gameplay: 9
Load Time: 6
Overall: 8
