Natsume announces Carnage Heart EXA for North America

Wow, it has been several years since I remember playing Carnage Heart. Originally released back on the Playstation 1, the series has had four other entries released for it which all basically continued on the same concept of having players take on the role of a military commander in the World Federation Forces whose role is to direct an army of robots, known as Overkill Engines (or OKEs) by programming a set of rules onto their virtual chips before the start of a battle.

I remember how insanely complex the game would become, allowing you to completely customize these machines of destruction - not only could you buy and upgrade parts, but there was a healthy dose of Research and Development that allowed one to assemble some highly sophisticated murderers. The upgrades include better weapons, bigger fuel tanks, heavier armor, more agile legs, longer range, etc.

Perhaps the coolest feature was being able to design what was essentially the AI path of the robots and map out what exactly they were supposed to prioritize in battle, like telling your robot that if there is enemy so many meters in front of it, it needs to shoot a rocket forward and then quickly dodge off to the right to avoid any incoming fire, or if there appears to be a large player disadvantage, to retreat and regroup in a certain quadrant of the field to avoid being completely destroyed. You had no direct control over these robots after battle began. It was an incredibly challenging game as you can probably imagine, with no two skirmishes ever playing out the same way, and was essentially a hardcore robot simulation RPG.

And now Natsume has announced that they will be publishing most recent entry into the series, Carnage Hearts EXA, in North America on the PSP next year to be released via the Playstation Network. One can only assume that they will be spending that time to ensure it will be compatible with the Vita considering the game was originally released in Japan two years ago. You can get a feel for just how hectic the game can become once in motion in the gameplay trailer below. I am personally very interested to see how this unique title will be received in North America.