Steambot Chronicles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions.(December 2007) |
| Steambot Chronicles | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Irem Software Engineering |
| Publisher(s) | Irem (JP) Atlus (NA) 505 Games (PAL) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release date | JP 2005-06-30 NA 2006-06-23 PAL 2006-10-13 AUS 2006-10-19 |
| Genre(s) | Action-Adventure Sandbox |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | CERO: B (ages 12 and up) ESRB: Teen PEGI: 12+ |
| Media | 1 × DVD-ROM |
Steambot Chronicles ( ポンコツ浪漫大活劇バンピートロット:Ponkotsu Roman Daikatsugeki Bumpy Trot?) is an action-adventure game for the PlayStation 2 that features a sandbox style of play. The game was developed by Irem Software Engineering in Japan and is published by Atlus. Irem later published a puzzle spin-off, Blocks Club with Bumpy Trot.
A sequel, Bumpy Trot 2, has recently been announced and was shown at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show.
Contents |
[edit] Storyline
The game begins by asking the player several personality questions. The effects of answering these questions include pricing of items in the game, effectiveness of items, and tweaks to Vanilla's personality. Afterwards, a scene takes place where the main character, Vanilla Bean, wakes up on a plank of wood from a beached shipwreck, to find a girl named Coriander (nicknamed Connie by her friends) standing over him. Vanilla has amnesia after the shipwreck in which he was involved, so remembers absolutely nothing about himself. In fact, he only knows his own name because it was engraved on a harmonica he had on his person. At this point, the player can choose from a number of dialog options to speak to Connie, including friendly or hostile options. Though these different options generally have no long-term effects, they will influence how characters will react to you at least through the course of the cutscene. After a brief discussion, the player learns that Connie is gathering herbs to medicate her sickly mother, Rosemary, with whom she lives in her hometown of Nefroburg. Soon after, Vanilla spots a blue vehicle atop a nearby cliff. After the driver notices the pair looking towards him/her (the driver's identity is unknown for a large part of the story, and is one of the many plot points in the game), s/he uses a bazooka affixed to the vehicle to shoot another cliff, causing an avalanche of rocks to block the only exit from the beach, which is in a small rocky cove. At this point, Connie mentions that she must catch the last bus to her town, but obviously cannot do this if she is trapped on the beach. After searching through a small wooden beach house, which seems to hold bad memories for Connie, including an old photograph that shows her and two unknown other figures, Vanilla stumbles across an old run-down Trotmobile, a type of mecha resembling a bipedal automobile, which is the same sort of vehicle as that of their attacker. After reading the operation manual to the trotmobile, Vanilla manages to move the rubble and leave the beach. The pair then discover Connie's bus has already gone, so she asks Vanilla to drive her home.
On the way to Nefroburg, Vanilla and Connie are ambushed by a member of a local trotmobile-riding gang, The Killer Elephants. The player can choose from a number of dialog options after the hoodlum threatens Connie, including standing up for her, offering to leave her to the gangster in exchange for his safety, and proposing a cash bribe. No matter what option is chosen, the player will inevitably be forced to fight the hoodlum. After defeating him, the two drive to a nearby carpet mill so Connie can rejoin with her friends Basil and Marjoram, with whom she plays in a band. The two were apparently at the mill to fix their instruments for a show later in the evening. After being joined by Basil and Marjoram, the player continues on to Nefroburg. They encounter a large quadraped mechanical mobile fortress belonging to the aforementioned gang, The Killer Elephants. The fortress opens fire on your Trotmobile and you are left with no choice but to try to destroy it. This encounter could be looked upon as the game's first boss fight. After defeating the mechanical beast, you reach Nefroburg, and escort Connie home. After this, the storyline is created by the player depending on what the player does, goes, and choose.
[edit] Characters
- Vanilla R. Beans: The protagonist of the game. He awakes on the shore of Seagull Beach, a shipwreck just nearby, when he is found by Coriander. His personality is determined by the player through choices made throughout the game; he can be a nice guy, a jerk, or greedy. English Voice: He is voiced by Spike Spencer for the US version.
- Coriander: Also known as "Connie", she is the lead vocalist of the Garland Globetrotters. She and Vanilla first meet on Seagull Beach while she was collecting herbs for her sick bed-ridden mother. She seems like a typical cheerful girl, but this belies a sadness from a past tragedy... She is voiced by Wendee Lee for the US version.
- Marjoram: The drummer and saxophonist for the Globetrotters. Marjoram is a dedicated hard-working man, also taking care of the band's paperwork and finances.
- Savory: The backup vocalist and pianist for the Globetrotters. Savory is like a big sister to Connie and is extremely popular with the band's male fans.
- Basil: He plays the bass string for the Globetrotters. He is short and immature, but has a knack for cheering people up. He has a crush on Savory. He is voiced by Dave Wittenberg for the US version.
- Fennel: He played guitar for the Globetrotters before leaving the band to pursue his musical dreams. Even after he leaves the band, he remains concerned about the other Globetrotters, in particular Connie. He is voiced by Kirk Thornton for the US version.
- Dandelion: A former member of the Globetrotters, for which he played the violin. He now crafts instruments in a small shop in the woods. He is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal for the US version.
- Ciboulette: The captain of the Juniper Berry, a ship. She instructs the player in how to pilot a Trotmobile in the game's tutorial.
There are many other characters to encounter during the course of the game.
[edit] Trotmobiles
The mechs, or "Trotmobiles" as they are called in the game, are the main meat of the game. In order to get from town to town near the beginning, the player must use his Trotmobile to traverse the countryside. The machine functions as more than a simple mode of transportation. Between towns, many other trotmobiles, many not really recognizable as such, are dispersed, such as the Desert Hornets' various models, the bandits outside of Happy Garland, and even the miners within the various ruins.
The Trotmobile is also used to haul materials. When visiting an area such as a forest, there may be someone who will stock the players trotmobile with lumber, which can then be transported to someone who needs it, allowing a transaction for money to take place. Various back attachments are involved in this, such as a flatbed, carriage, basket, and a tank.
Trotmobile battles are a core aspect of gameplay. An arena, dozens of parts, and multiple opponents allow players to compete in melee for cash about the course of the game. Parts may either be purchased from stores, found as a part of the story, or crafted from materials at city garages.
Many styles can be created as well. Small trotmobiles are faster, but cannot carry as much weight, and as such are prone to low HP totals. The smaller models, involving smaller leg types and the Small to Medium bodies, are effective against larger opponents. Meanwhile, larger Trotmobiles are more heavy-duty, bestowing more HP while lowering speed. Due to the stronger leg units, and likely the Large frame used, some of the heaviest equipment can be used on larger frames.
[edit] Music
Music is a large part of the Steambot Chronicles storyline and acts as a chapter ender in many cases. At first a solo musician busking on the street, Vanilla gets invited to join the Garland Globetrotters. With each successful concert, Vanilla earns tips and posters of the other Globetrotters, as well as sheet music for new songs. The sheet music allows Vanilla to practice songs solo. Practice and play well enough, and Vanilla will be asked to manage the band.
There are several instruments in the game, each with different control schemes. Vanilla starts out with a harmonica, and can later acquire the trumpet, saxophone, violin, string bass, accordion, drums, and guitar as well as play church organs and pianos found in bars or colleges. The main goal of playing music is for tips.
In an optional side-quest, Vanilla can acquire an electric guitar and join Fennel's 'Fennel and the Blue Lightning' band.
[edit] Side Quests
One notable aspect of Steambot Chronicles are the variety of non-critical side quests the player can do to pass the time and earn Uroch, the game's currency. The player can choose from many missions.
- Trot Fighter (Compete in gladiatorial Trot battles.)
- Street musician / Band member (Play music for tips.)
- Transporter (Carry people or merchandise to a destination for a fee.)
- Archaeologist (Uncover and sell fossils and relics, assemble skeletons of prehistoric animals.)
- Pool Shark (Playing Nine Ball for wagers)
- Commodities (Buying or collecting goods and selling them for profit)
[edit] Reception
The game has received generally positive reviews, given a 7.1/10 from Gamespot, a 7.3/10 from IGN, and ranking with a 75% on Gamerankings.com. Main points of criticism has been directed to the game's difficult controls and rampant slowdown, but was complimented on its battles, its musical score, and the freedom the game gives the player.
[edit] Trivia
|
|
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
The game contains a fair amount of references, both towards real life people, foods and other fictions.
- The Bloody Mantis member, '0007' (encountered in the villain storyline) can be seen as a reference to James Bond 007. Both are part of a secret group and wear black.
- One of the many film reels players can collect in the game say the movie is entitled "Welcome Back, Trotter", obviously a play on the name "Welcome Back, Kotter, a TV series."
- The two brothers who wish to fly and use a Trotmobile are a humorous take on the Wright brothers.
- A discarded robot found near the GTW factory (in Happy Garland) greatly resembles the classic Sci-fi film rogue killer robots from the 60's.[citation needed]
- The artist 'Pablo' is a caricature of the famous real-life artist Pablo Picasso.
- One of the books the player can obtain in the game is "Railroads for dimwits"; a homage to the "...for Dummies" help books.
- The "Ultimate Trotmobile Championship", or "UTC", may be a reference to the "Ultimate Fighting Championship", or "UFC."
- The name of the band in the English localization is the "Garland Globetrotters", which may be a reference to the exhibition basketball team, the Harlem Globetrotters.
- An enemy encountered in the first optional dungeon, 'Totem Recall' is a reference to the film Total Recall.
- Another enemy found in the dungeon, Dig D.O.G.G shares a similar name to the classic title Dig Dug.
- An almost word-for-word quote is taken from Metal Gear Solid when Dr. Nutmeg says "I guess using machines to help people is only in the movies."
- When on a date with Connie, Savory or Captain Ciboulette, one can share hot cocoa and 'personal time' with said girl. This is a reference to Hot Coffee from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
