Like "enormous beasts of steel?" Atlus announced Zoids Assault, which it says contains many such beasts, headed exclusively for Xbox 360 on August 26th.

Described as a demonstration of "commitment" to that system, Atlus' "gritty militaristic strategy RPG" revolves around tactics and customization for giant biomechs in a war between the Guylos Empire and the Republic of Helic.

Hey, lots of you have said you're sick of World War II, right?

Full release after the jump.

When I posted new screenshots of Spectral Force 3 yesterday, several of you mentioned that you'd rather wait for Atlus' other upcoming Xbox 360 game, Operation Darkness, the tactical RPG that answers the age old question, "What if their were zombies and werewolves in World War II?" These screens mainly deal with the inner workings of the Success developed game, due out June 24th in the States, but still. You asked for Operation Darkness, you got Operation Darkness. Atlus must read this stuff. Ooo, next time ask for a pony!

Ladies and gentlemen, what you;re looking at here are new screens for what is sure to be the best damn strategy RPG available for the Xbox 360 in North America come late May, Spectral Force 3. Developed by Idea Factory and published in the states by Atlus, it will also be the only strategy RPG available for North America Xbox 360s (not counting Xbox Live Arcade), but that doesn't mean it won't be good. While I love a good PS2 SRPG, it's nice to see them moving on to the next generation, and looking damn fine doing it. This should hold me until Disgaea 3 for the PlayStation 3 quite nicely, yes.

Now that right there is some sexy box art. Last year Atlus released a quirky little DS title called Izuna: The Legend of the Unemployed Ninja, which combined nifty characters and a bizarre sense of humor with hardcore dungeon exploration for a game that - while possibly not for everyone - certainly offered a lot to players. Now Izuna and crew are back for Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns, and she's looking pretty good. The game features an all new TAG team system, that lets you bring any two characters into the dungeon, combining their power for special TAG attacks. The sequel promises more of everything - more dungeons, more monsters, more weapons, more characters, and of course, more Izuna. Check out the gallery for a few shots of the sexy ninja and friends in action, and hit the jump for a gameplay trailer that showcases the new TAG system. Izuna 2 is due out July 22.

All-female 2D fighters are nothing new. Back in the days of the original PlayStation and the Sega Saturn, games like Asuka 120% and the Variable Geo series were a common sight in Japanese game stores, offering up hot girl-on-girl fighting action, but generally just that. The games lacked depth, relying on the gimmick of their fully female roster rather than crafting compelling gameplay. Now Atlus brings Examu's PlayStation 2 girl fighter Arcana Heart to North America, featuring 11 classic moe girl archetypes fighting to save the world from a power-hungry nun seeking to merge our realm with that of the elemental Arcana that fight by their side. The game is full of promising elements, but it all comes down to one thing—is Arcana Heart a mediocre game trying to get by on sex appeal alone, or a solid fighting game whose characters just happen to lack Y chromosomes?

Style versus substance, red versus blue...

Trauma Center: Under the Knife delivered big time on its promise of all the fun of cutting into human flesh with none of the mess. Now Atlus has announced that the DS sequel, recently announced in Japan, is heading to North American shores July 1st! The game is a direct follow up to the original, with Dr. Derek Stiles and Nurse Angie Thompson returning to deal with the aftermath of the GUILT epidemic. The game features an all-new easy mode for Scrubs-level play, new tools, new procedures, and more than just a little satanic medical magic. Check out the gallery below for unnecessary breast shots, and in case you need something a bit more animated, you'll find the launch trailer tucked away after the jump!

Here's the first set of screenies for the upcoming sequel to Persona 3, the aptly named Persona 4. Between these and the trailers that popped up last week, it doesn't look like Atlus is straying too far from the formula that made P3 such a success. Just some subtle graphics tweaking and interface style changes, wrapped around a whole new story and 60-70 hours of gameplay goodness. I would have been satisfied with them simply adding bonus material to P3. Oh wait.

First Persona 4 Screens [Famitsu via Akayuki]