Character interactions will be shown via dialogue boxes shown above.
The plot will be staggering compared with other 3D shooters. Just watch Neon Genesis Evangelion for an example of a complex plot underneath the basic premise of teens in giant robot suits combating evil. The back story concerns the activities of the United Corporate Authority (a conglomeration of corporations, of which Shogo is one of the more powerful ones), and its opponents, a terrorist group known simply as "The Fallen." You are cast as Sanjuro Makabe, a young commander within the United Corporate Authority Security Force. As with many anime titles, the game revolves around the lives of a select group of teens within the UCASF. In addition to Sanjuro, there's his brother, Toshiro, his former girlfriend, Kura Akkaraju, his current girlfriend, Katharyn Akkaraju, his best friend, Baku Ogata, and his commander, Admiral Nathaniel Akkaraju. These other characters act as your mission commanders, your allies in battle, and your mission goals.
If you decide to fire on your friends at home, expect to incur the wrath of these fellows right here.
The basic plot is that The Fallen, under the leadership of a man named Gabriel, is winning the war against the UCA. During a routine mission, Sanjuro, after seeing Toshiro, Kura, and Baku acting oddly, is knocked unconscious. He awakes to find his friends missing and presumed dead. After undergoing therapy, Sanjuro is put back on his feet and tasked to investigate The Fallen.
At certain points of the game, you'll gain allies to help you out in the levels.
One thing Shogo will have that hasn't been seen in other shooter games is branching missions. The game will feature a total of about 40 levels, but you will only see about 30 of these. Some of the missions will branch, a la the Wing Commander games. In those cases, your decisions in the current mission will determine what your next mission will be. One good example of this is a flashback sequence in which you play a younger version of Sanjuro. Here, you can help either Baku or Katharyn. If you help Katharyn, she'll remember this in the actual game, but Baku will be sore, and thus less effective a teammate. Help Baku, and your relationship with Katharyn will be strained. Other branches include various methods of bypassing security in a city declared under martial law or different ways of escaping a research base.
