''Assault Suit'', also known as ''Assault Suits'', is a series of futuristic robotic war

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s developed by

NCS NCS may refer to: Biology and chemistry * N-Chlorosuccinimide, an organic chemical * Neotenic complex syndrome * Nerve conduction study, a medical diagnostic test * Neuronal calcium sensor, a family of proteins * Thiocyanate, an organic compoun ...

featuring soldiers manning the eponymous gigantic humanoid mecha. Spanning the course of 15 years and beyond, the games would be cross-distributed, cross-published and developed between the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It would be known as one of the most challenging series to follow due to the drastic changes from game to game.

Releases

The series

Assault Suit Leynos (Target Earth)

Assault Suit Leynos is a run and gun video game. It was developed and published by Masaya in 1990 for Sega Genesis. It was released in America as ''Target Earth''. It was re-released on the Wii’s Virtual Console, and on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pac ...

,'' released in North America as ''Target Earth'', is the first game in the series. It was released for the Sega Genesis. One scene, where a comrade who doesn't make it back to the ship burns up in the atmosphere, was removed from the North American version.

Assault Suits Valken (Cybernator)

The success of the first Assault Suits game in

would spawn another game on the Super Famicom. The artwork style, assault armor concepts, as well as the dialogue engine would remain similar to that of Target Earth/Assault Suits Leynos, but with major graphical improvements. The US name

Cybernator , also known as ''Cybernator'', is a 2D mecha action game developed by Masaya and released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The second entry in the ''Assault Suits series,'' it is a prequel to the first game, '' Target Earth ...

added confusion to

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

gamers and disconnected many of the fans from the Target Earth roots. This game was actually a prequel to Assault Suit Leynos, taking place nearly a decade before. ''Cybernator'' was the subject of

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

during its

localization Localization or localisation may refer to: Biology * Localization of function, locating psychological functions in the brain or nervous system; see Linguistic intelligence * Localization of sensation, ability to tell what part of the body is a ...

. The Japanese version featured written dialog accompanied by a portrait of the speaker, but for some reason, these portraits were removed during localization. There was also a scene absent in which the president of the enemy forces, after realizing that his nation has been defeated, commits

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. It is unknown whether

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

took action on these censorships. An

enhanced remake A video game remake is a video game closely adapted from an earlier title, usually for the purpose of modernizing a game with updated graphics for newer hardware and gameplay for contemporary audiences. Typically, a remake of such game software sh ...

was released for the PS2 in 2004.

Assault Suit Leynos 2

Assault Suit Leynos 2 is a 1997 Japanese run and gun video game developed by NCS for the Sega Saturn. It is a direct sequel to ''Assault Suit Leynos'', for the Mega Drive and is the third title in the ''Assault Suits'' series. It is a side-scrolling mecha shooting ga ...

'' arrived on the

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...

as the true sequel to

, but was released only in Japan.

Assault Suits Valken 2

The sequel to the SNES title in the series was released on the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

. It differed from the rest of the series, as it was a Strategy/RPG, unlike the rest, all being Action/Shooter/Platform titles. After the release in 1999, the same game would be reprinted by the company Four Winds on August 30, 2001. This game was never released outside Japan either.

Assault Suit Leynos

A remake of ''Assault Suit Leynos'' was released for the

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

by Gunhound EX developer Dracue Software. Originally set to launch in late 2014 or early 2015, the game was delayed to December 2015 to allow the team to implement a cooperative mode as well as multiple endings. It finally released on July 12, 2016. ''Famitsu'' gave it a 26 out of 40 score.

References

External links

NCS
NCS Website

* Video games about mecha Video game franchises introduced in 1990 {{Masaya Games