While FromSoftware has made a new name for themselves thanks to their highly successful Dark Souls series and its spiritual offshoots, there’s a hole they’ve left in many of their fans hearts with the lack of Armored Core, the mecha-based series the company was known for before Souls came around. There’s no signs of an Armored Core revival, but those hankering for something similar got a remaster of Metal Wolf Chaos XD, a spiritual spinoff of the series. Now those playing on PS4 have a limited edition to pick up.

While the digital version of the game has been available for quite some time on PS4, Xbox One and PC, Special Reserve Games is releasing a physical edition that you can preorder through here. Unfortunately, it is only for the PS4 version of the game, so Xbox One and PC players are out of luck.

If you’re interested, you better hurry too, as the edition will be limited to only 3,000 copies. It will include a reversable cover, 40 page instruction booklet, and a propaganda notebook with patches and stickers from the game. If you’re curious about what the whole thing is about, you can read our review through here.

Over 15 years after its original release, Metal Wolf Chaos XD has returned with powerful vengeance. The original game was a Japanese-only release, and its remaster has been hotly anticipated by those who’ve wanted to play it when it launched on the original Xbox (or just those FromSoftware fans thirsting for mecha action in the absence of Armored Core). A new behind-the-scenes video actually shows there’s a lot of irony in that.

In the new hilarious video, we actually get to see the current publishers of remaster, Devolver Digital, going behind the scenes and talking with some of the original team behind the game. Ironically, one of the ideas behind the title was to challenge the idea that mech games couldn’t sell in America, but the game never officially came out in the country after several localization issues. There’s also a lot about how the game portrayed American cultural through Japanese lenses. Check it out below.

Metal Wolf Chaos XD is available now digitally for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. A limited physical edition PS4 release will also come out August 20th.

In spite of this American aesthetic to the game, it never actually came out of Japan. Nevertheless, it grew a cult following outside of Japan. The meme ultimately took on a life of its own, when Digital Devolver, beloved indie publishing label, announced a localization of the game for current gen systems. And in bringing the game over, they have doubled down on the game’s ridiculously exaggerated ideas, with voice acting that sounds like a B-tier TV shlock drama, and the writing to go with it.

There’s a reason I am giving you this history lesson, and that’s because if you go into Metal Wolf Chaos XD without actually knowing that this release is essentially done in service of a fan-favorite meme, you will be blindsided and sucker-punched. The writing and voice acting is so awfully bad, and the graphics are so obviously low-budget PS2 (even though the title originally came out on the far more powerful Xbox, it feels like it didn’t do much with that power), that you’d find yourself wondering if the universe was staging some sort of elaborate prank.

"The writing and voice acting is so awfully bad, and the graphics are so obviously low-budget PS2 (even though the title originally came out on the far more powerful Xbox, it feels like it didn’t do much with that power), that you’d find yourself wondering if the universe was staging some sort of elaborate prank."

I cannot stress this enough – the production qualities in this game are awful. They are bad. In a sense, that is the point, given that the game has chosen to go with the aesthetic and tone of the really bad TV movies you can accidentally run into on a Sunday afternoon. The game is aware of how ridiculously bad it looks and sounds, and it absolutely revels in it unashamedly. And to their credit, the voice actors sound like they are being as earnest as it is possible to be while stifling and holding back their laughter at just how bad this whole thing is.

It basically sounds like a fan dub of an anime, and I’m being really mean to fan dubs when I say that. The writing is absolutely awful, and the voice acting is another dose of terrible performances on top. Now, again, I get and understand that that is in fact the point. It’s a budget B-movie come to life in the guide of a video game, the Rocky Horror Picture Show or The Room of video games. And it does that job well, but if you’re going into this expecting an actual good video game, you’re not going to find that here, outside of a flabbergasted “this is so bad, it’s almost good” way.

To be entirely fair to the game, given the actual premise of the title, going the shlock-budget aesthetic was probably the right move to make. The game is set in 2025, when internal unrest and civil strife causes a rebellion that deposes of the government and people’s freedoms (the game is really big on the word freedom). To rescue America and make it the land of the free again, the President of the United States dons a mech suit developed in secret by the military and goes on a rampage across the country to take down the revolution.

It’s such a dumb, and obviously self-awarely stereotypical Hollywood, setup I think my braincells died just contemplating it. 

"That’s… really there is to it. You’re running and gunning, and sometimes blowing things up around you because the PS1-era explosions are charming to see in a way. "

I’ve talked so much about how the game looks and sounds (and I want to spend some more time talking about that, because really, what the hell?), but it’s not like the actual game here is much better. You’re piloting a mech, with multiple different kinds of guns loaded into it, of which you can be using any two at the same time. You just run around and wantonly shoot everything in sight, in the game’s rudimentarily destructible environments garnishing the really basic and standard levels.

That’s… really there is to it. You’re running and gunning, and sometimes blowing things up around you because the PS1-era explosions are charming to see in a way. Sometimes, you’ll have secondary objectives, that require you to shoot at a specific thing with one of the six kinds of guns that you can equip to it at a time, and sometimes you are tasked with taking down bullet-sponge bosses, but that’s really it. It’s basically a bullet hell game. The game encourages replays of missions because of a scoring system at the end of each level, and trying for a higher score is really the only thing you’d want to run the really straightforward levels again. That and maybe grinding some bonus drops the game has at pre-determined spots, or earn some money, which you can then use to research better upgrades for your mech.

The gameplay loop is remarkably shallow. It’s actually surprising how unengaging it can be, beyond just you entering into a sort of haze, as you hold down the trigger and shoot at everything, your mouth hanging half-open. With that said, however, there is a certain satisfaction to be gleaned from repeatedly running levels and missions in the game, if only because of the thrill of chasing down a score.

At $30, the half-priced Metal Wolf Chaos XD should be a relatively easy recommendation – and if you choose to buy it for the meme, knowing that the entertainment you get from it is more of the “so bad it’s good” variety, that the gameplay isn’t anything too special to make up for how the game is deliberately putting its worst put forward in favor of a joke, then yes, it’s actually pretty funny in how ridiculously and hyperbolically bad it is, with the at-times strangely engaging gameplay, and the game’s occasionally sharp wit acting as additional advantages to the purchase. If, however, you are playing this game hoping for even an average mech action game? $30 still feels far too high for it.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

Madden NFL 20

The latest in the Madden series promises a bevy of new features for long-time fans. A new story mode called Face of the Franchise: QB1 is being introduced which sees player-created characters going from playing quarterback in college football to the NFL. The Pro Bowl will also be making a return but gameplay-wise, perhaps the most intriguing new addition are the X-Factor abilities. Each player will have their own signature talents and abilities which can tip the scales – like having an increase on maximum pass distance. Madden NFL 20 releases on August 2^nd for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall

Triumph Studios is back at it again with another turn-based strategy title. Except this time, Age of Wonders: Planetfall takes the series’ style of expansion and conquest into the sci-fi genre. The Star Union has collapsed and six factions – each with their own units and traits – vie for supremacy. Battles are turn-based and employ some new mechanics like grazing where shots missed will still deal 50 percent damage. However, the developer is also looking to introduce more destructible environments, more complex economic and diplomatic choices, and more varied gameplay. Age of Wonders: Planetfall is out on August 6^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC so we’ll see how well it fares.

Metal Wolf Chaos XD

Cult-classic Metal Wolf Chaos is finally coming to the West for…some reason. The remaster Metal Wolf Chaos XD is being handled by General Arcade and will have an improved resolution, better graphics and improvements to the gameplay. As for the story, it’s about Michael Wilson, the president of the United States, jumping into an overpowered mech to stop a coup led by the vice president. What more can we say? If you’re interested in third person mech shooting with corny writing and lots of customization, Metal Wolf Chaos XD might be worth the wait. It’s out on August 6^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Remnant: From the Ashes

Gunfire Games is known for the Darksiders series but will be presenting something completely different with Remnant: From the Ashes. This third person shooter (with co-op support) sees players battling a powerful inter-dimensional evil. The key to defeating it is to travel to other dimensions, scavenge whatever resources are available, upgrading weapons and so on while investigating the enemy’s origin. Levels are dynamically generated with different encounters and events, and there are a number of bosses to battle on the way. Remnant: From the Ashes is out on August 20^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey

Ancestors is very different though – it’s a survival game where players control an ape clan as it evolves through the ages. That means exploring new areas, hunting, bonding, controlling other clan members and of course, evolving (with various skills unlocked in the process). Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is out on August 27^th for PC via the Epic Games Store.

Control

Step into The Oldest House, a surreal location that serves as the headquarters for the Central Bureau of Control. An entity called Hiss has overrun the facility and killed the acting director. As a result, Jesse Faden, a woman with supernatural powers, must take up the shape-shifting Service Weapon and fight back. As players explore the constantly shifting walls of The Oldest House, they’ll come across different side quests and NPCs, learn new abilities and even unlock different secrets. Control arrives on August 27^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Life is Strange 2: Episode 4

Dontnod Entertainment’s epic saga of Sean and Daniel Diaz is slowly winding down with Life is Strange 2: Episode 4 releasing on August 22^nd. The duo have come a long way since the horrific incident in Seattle and have met a range of challenges. While the final episode releases in December, Episode 4 might be a good time to hop in for the appropriate amount of tears and cliff-hangers.

Hunt: Showdown

Originally Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age, Crytek restructured this title into Hunt: Showdown, a co-op PvEvP game where bounty hunters embark into the Louisiana swamp to hunt monsters. The catch is that after snagging a monster’s bounty, you become marked by other hunters in the area and must successfully escape to reap the benefits. With support for up to 10 players, solo queue and new monsters since first entering early access, Hunt: Showdown is shaping up to be a unique experience when it launches on August 27^th for Xbox One and PC.

Astral Chain

PlatinumGames is known for its combination of genres but Astral Chain is on another level. Taking place in the future in the last bastion of humanity Ark, the story sees the forces of Neuron using Legions to battle evil. There’s a bit of everything here – investigations, exploration, side quests, NPC interactions, puzzle solving…and that’s not even mentioning the combat. Players use a variety of Legions in battle to quickly attack, bind foes or execute powerful sync attacks. Astral Chain releases on August 30^th for the Nintendo Switch and we can’t wait to see what else it holds.

Blair Witch

Bloober Team’s Blair Witch is a first person horror title that takes place a few years after the first film as former police officer Ellis and his trusty dog Bullet investigate the Black Hills Forest in Maryland. The developer’s penchant for reality-warping environments and horrors in Layers of Fear and Observer could the Blair Witch mythos well. Then again, this could be yet another horror title that fails to capture what made the first film great. We’ll have to wait and see how when Blair Witch releases on August 30^th for PC and Xbox One.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan

The other major horror offering next month is The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan from Supermassive Games. It sees five tourists traveling to the South Pacific Ocean and encountering a ghost ship. Obviously fun and happy times ensue. Much like the developer’s previous horror game Until Dawn, players can partake in different quick time events and ultimately decide who lives and dies. There’s even co-op and four-player support, making the journey for survival that much more perilous. Man of Medan is out on August 30^th for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Long before Dark Souls capitulated them into mainstream success, FromSoftware was known as the Armored Core developer. While not officially part of that series, Metal Wolf Chaos XD was a sort of spiritual offshoot of it as a beautiful satire of American culture mixed with mecha action. After finally getting a date for the remaster of the game, it seems PS4 players will be able to net a physical copy for a limited time.

Special Reserve Games announced via their official Twitter that they will be releasing a physical version in August. Whether or not they plan to try and do day and date with the digital edition is not clear and no listing is up as of yet, so keep your eyes peeled. And unfortunately for non-PS4 owners, it seems that there is no physical edition, limited or otherwise, for Xbox One and PC versions of the game. For those, you will have to purchase the game digitally.

Metal Wolf Chaos XD will release August 6th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

pic.twitter.com/PHwHJGMSd2

— SpecialReserveGames (@specialreserves) July 9, 2019

FromSoftware’s upcoming Elden Ring has got a lot of people very excited. Not only because of how its expanding the From formula to an open world setting, or the fact that, well, it’s a game made by FromSoftware- but also because it represents a collaboration between the minds of Hidetaka Miyazaki and author George R.R. Martin.

Elden Ring may, however, not be the final time FromSoftware works on such a collaboration. In fact, Masanori Takeuchi, producer at the studio, recently expressed his desire to work on similar collaborations in the future (via IGN). More specifically, he brought up Guillermo del Toro (who is no stranger to working on video games) and his work on Pacific Rim, a film that he personally seems to really like, while also bringing up similarities with the upcoming remaster of Metal Wolf Chaos, in how they both put an emphasis on mech action.

“Del Toro obviously directed Pacific Rim and I’m actually a big fan of [the films],” said Takeuchi. “He really captured that kind of children’s robot anime sort of approach to futuristic robots in a mature setting really well, I feel. Obviously, we’re working on Metal Wolf Chaos, and we like mech and robots as well – and we think some sort of collaboration there would be fun.”

Elden Ring is due out some time next year for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Meanwhile, Metal Wolf Chaos XD recently also got a release date, and will be launching August 6.

Devolver Digital has announced that Metal Wolf Chaos XD, a remaster of FromSoftware’s cult classic handled by General Arcade, will be releasing on August 6th. It will cost $24.99 on Steam, and pre-ordering grants a mech suit skin. Check out the latest trailer below.

As US President Michael Wilson, your role in Metal Wolf Chaos XD is to fight off a coup d’etat by Vice-President Richard Hawk. You’ll pilot a powerful mech and battle mechanized foes across locations like the Grand Canyon, Brooklyn Bridge, the White House, and more. The remaster will feature improved visuals, 4K resolution support, 16:9 aspect ratio support, and a new save system.

The controls are also being refined to help players ease into the action better. Though developed by General Arcade, FromSoftware is still overseeing work on Metal Wolf Chaos XD. We’ll see if it has the authentic over-the-top action that defined the classic when it releases next month. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Of all the titles that Devolver Digital revealed last year at its E3 press conference, a remaster of FromSoftware’s Metal Wolf Chaos was the last thing we expected. We also expected it to release in 2018, but alas, delays are a cruel mistress. The good news is that a release date will be announced later this week, according to the publisher on Twitter.

There wasn’t much else revealed, aside from the game being available to wishlist on Steam. As of now, it’s scheduled for Summer 2019, which means any day before September 23rd. We’ll have to wait for more information from the publisher in the meantime.

Metal Wolf Chaos XD is an intriguing title, telling the story of US President Michael Wilson, who must fight back against a coup de tat led by the Vice President. He’ll do that with a super-powered mech and fight in locations like the Grand Canyon, White House, Brooklyn Bridge, and much more. Developer General Arcade is in charge of the remaster and is adding improved controls, better visuals, a new save system, 4K resolution support, and much more.

Wishlist Metal Wolf Chaos XD on Steam because release date news is coming this week!https://t.co/HkBHsafkLB pic.twitter.com/0mXedeaFar

— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) July 1, 2019

Though FromSoftware has carved out a solid niche for itself over the last decade or so with its Soulsborne games, which have become so much of a force in the industry that they’ve pretty much created a subgenre all by themselves, in its earlier days, the studio was synonymous with mecha-focused games. Armored Core was the series that FromSoftware banked most heavily on before Souls became their go-to franchise, but their focus has shifted away from mecha games in recent years.

While speaking with IGN, producer of the upcoming HD remaster Metal Wolf Chaos XD Masanori Takeuchi explained that the same can be attributed to a gap in mentality between the Japanese and western audiences, and how they both view mecha games, and the very concept of mechas. According to Takeuchi, while Japanese audiences look at the mechs themselves as characters of their own, for western players, they’re more of tools for the pilot than their own entities.

“I talked to a lot of people, asked a lot of questions, and my point of view is that, in Japan, in robot anime, the audience perceives the robots themselves as characters, almost the same as the people in the series,” said Takeuchi. “So a lot of mecha games are created with the concept that [the robot] is a character as well as the pilot or some other human being.”

“But in the west, I feel that robots are perceived as a tool, they’re an extension of a machine,” he continued. “Therefore, they’re not the character, they’re just something that you control, or something that you ride on. So, a Japanese-made mecha game perhaps feels weird for the western audience to play. Maybe there’s some kind of gap in the mentality.”

Takeuchi also explained that one of the reasons FromSoftware’s focus has shifted from mecha games to dark fantasy titles such as Dark Souls in recent years is simply down to how they’ve chosen to manage limited resources, and though they would very much like to keep pumping out games of both kinds, they can’t do that unless they know there’s strong demand for both.

“We didn’t intentionally say that we were going to focus on the Souls games,” he said. “Mecha games and dark fantasy games are the two main pillars of FromSoftware, but the game development cycle has become so long. We’re trying to readjust all our limited resources. So in an ideal world we’d keep pumping out both games, but that’s just the situation. But you should very strongly say you want another mecha game.”

Metal Wolf Chaos XD, which was originally due out in 2018, will be launching some time in 2019 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Meanwhile, if you’ve been waiting for FromSoftware to get back to Armored Core, there’s hope for that yet as well.

From Software released Deracine for the PlayStation VR in November, with Metal Wolf Chaos XD and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice releasing in 2019. On top of this, other unannounced projects are also currently in development. This is according to an interview that president Hidetaka Miyazaki had with 4Gamer.net.

Miyazaki referred back to the “3.5” product lines from an interview in 2016, which consisted of Deracine (0.5), Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (1.0) and unannounced titles (2.0). When asked if two unannounced games were in development, Miyazaki confirmed the same. “While it isn’t the time to discuss details, they’re both [FromSoftware]-esque games. We’ll need a little more time, but we’ll be able to tell everyone more about them once they take shape.”

The Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne director also made sure to mention that Dark Souls Remastered and Metal Wolf Chaos XD were not included in the 3.5 plan. Referring to the titles as “[FromSoftware]-esque games” is interesting – a game like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice originally began development as a Tenchu sequel before morphing into a stealth action hybrid with Souls-like combat. What could the developer have next up its sleeve? Hopefully we’ll find out in the new year.

In the meantime, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is out on March 22nd, 2019 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.