Mecha games have a curious history on consoles. While the PC hosted a successful run of MechWarrior titles (and some imitators) before developers and publishers essentially abandoned the genre, the console side instead hosted two basic interpretations: the expected action-simulator titles (Armored Core) and the somewhat-surprising tactical-RPG titles (Front Mission). Whether you prefer to pilot a giant bipedal tank yourself, or be the commander that oversees a squad of giant bipedal tanks, you were taken care of. The two series have traditionally stayed pretty close to their respective genres, so it's a bit of surprise to see that Front Mission, the tactical-RPG series, go into action-mecha territory with the upcoming Front Mission: Evolved.
For a quick story refresher (since Square games, especially, love to focus on backstory and the plight of their protagonists), Evolved takes place a few decades after the events of Front Mission 5; you play young wanzer pilot Dylan Ramsey who gets caught up in a conflict between the United Continental States and a mysterious faction that expresses its opposition by attacking New York City. With the game coming out on September 28, Square-Enix personnel recently dropped by to show off Evolved one last time before review.