In their latest attempt to maintain a lock on the Japanese giant robot genre, From Software have wasted no time in getting their piece of the pie from the Xbox library, which is already poised to be littered with 'mech games by next year, including Capcom's heady simulator, Steel Battalion.

Nevertheless, Murakumo, a breakneck mech shooter with a heavy emphasis on speed, is in Japanese stores as of last Thursday, and while no official statement has been made, it's relatively safe to assume that you'll find Murakumo nestled somewhere in the US Xbox software catalog at some point, judging by its appearance at this year's E3.

Murakumo ("Air Slash," for the Japanese impaired) takes place in a future where the massive Lugnal Company has budgeted enough cash to build its own city, Oliver Port. As Oliver Port prospers, word gets out that one of Lugnal's key innovations, the Artificial Reflective Kineticoids (ARKs), have gone haywire, causing pandemonium in various parts of the world. To combat the malfunctioning ARKs, a group of elite pilots is assembled, collectively known as "Murakumo."

Each pilot controls a different ARK, each one suited to a different purpose. Cloud One flies a versatile, all-purpose ARK. Cloud Two has the advantage of very high mobility at the expense of defensive capabilities and firepower. Cloud Three lumbers along in an ARK loaded with devastating weaponry. The armor on Cloud Four's ARK is hard to penetrate, but it's a slow vehicle with less than stellar firepower. And finally, Cloud Five's ARK is made specially for close combat situations, with massive blades on each arm.

The one thing that's immediately apparent to those who've played or even just seen Murakumo is its amazing sense of speed. Although the game does seem to have its share of shooter tendencies, Murakumo is for the most part a race against time as you speed your way through urban jungles and other environments trying to catch up with and destroy a certain target. Waves of stepping stones in the form of enemy ARKs will be dropped in your path en route to the target, and it'll be up to you to clear them out of the way.

Snazzy looking vehicles and blazing velocity aside, Murakumo doesn't exactly stand out as one of the better looking Xbox games. There's a distinct lack of detail in the environments, and the texturing is subpar compared to what we're used to seeing from the Xbox. But when this much speed is involved, the absence of picturesque scenery is probably forgivable.

As far as lesser-known Xbox games go, Murakumo isn't too likely to make much of a splash, but don't let it drop off your radar just yet. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for further announcements regarding this sound barrier-busting 'mech title as they come.

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