Armored Warriors

Armored Warriors (Powered Gear - Strategic Variant Armor Equipment in Japan) is an arcade game released by Capcom in 1994. It uses the CPS-2 arcade system and featured a free-form fighting system that incorporated up to three players at once. It has low distribution in Japan and North America and only spawned one sequel, Cyberbots.

Plot

Taken from the game's advertisements:

In the year 2281, the war spanning half a century over territory between the United WorldForces and the Raian Kingdom had at last come to an end.

But this peace was not to last. A year after a truce was signed between the two forces,former Raian army captain Azrael, who has converted himself into a cyborg in an attempt tobecome "the perfect warrior", has marshalled several thousand other cyborgs and declared waragainst the Raian Kingdom. Robbing mobile weapons from the army, this group of rogues hasinvaded the Raian capital of Merkid and has begun to abduct the civilians.

The United World Government, receiving an emergency message from the planet Raia, has but onechoice: to organize and dispatch an army formed around its elite corps, a squadron of warriorscalled "Bloody Armor", to eradicate the enemy forces and rescue the civilians.

And so, in October 2282, the United World Forces begin to launch its attack upon the planet Raia.

The most intense battle in human history is about to begin...

Gameplay

Armored Warriors most prominent feature is its multi-player option, and the ability to augument the players' mechs with a large array of different parts for varied attacks. Multiple regions of the mech could be switched, including the arms, legs and handheld weaponry. Such parts were gained (or lost) by inflicting damage upon enemies, which would cause various parts to disenbark and be wielded by the player. Addtionally, by using commands, the players could use an option called a "Team-up Change" which initiated a powerful attack used in tandem, and could also further the customization of wepaons by using a main and sub-weapon.

Gameplay follows a mission-like structure, with seven in total. Each stage consists of the game giving the player prerequsites such as a time-limit to eliminate enemies, a set amount of ammo for weapons, and destroying a varying amount of enemies. Each stage ended with a boss character, and the game provided a competent replay value with the customization options.

Characters

* 1st Lieutenant Jeff Perkins pilots the AEX-10M BLODIA, a well-designed machine that is equally matched in all areas of combat.
* Captain Ray Turner pilots the SVA-6L REPTOS, a mecha designed for close ranged/melee combat. Its light and mobile specifications make it plausible for high-speed situations.
* Major Glenn Reed uses the AEX-10H GULDIN, a power-type mech used for absorbing damage and plowing through opposition. Its high attack statisitics give it a low speed designation, however.
* 2nd Lt Sarah White uses the AEX-12J FORDY, an extremely fast mech used for rushing attacks and a featuring a high mobility. It lacks a sufficient amount of armor and must use its speed to avoid damage.