I'm not a big fan of the series, but as far as I've been able to tell, the Armored Core series has always been about using big mechs to blow things up. The above screenshot for Ubisoft's just-announced Armored Core For Answer for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 seems to confirm my suspicions.

The From Software developed title with the curious name will be introducing gigantic boss battles for the first time in the series, allowing players to pilot their mechs into gigantic battle stations to destroy them from the inside out. From Answer will also feature more than 30 cooperative mission which can be played online, as well as an eight-player multiplayer game with more than 80 battlefields.

I've tried to play the games a few times, and always walked away scratching my head by what I felt were complicated controls; From Answer is said to feature two control schemes, one re-worked for beginners. I'm a bit slow, I suppose, and when the game ships this September, maybe it'll be the first Armored Core game I can wrap my tiny brain around.

Press release and more game details (including some story about a rebel resistance and a polluted planet) after the jump.

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES ARMORED CORE FOR ANSWER(TM) VIDEO GAME

SAN FRANCISCO – July 30, 2008 – Today Ubisoft announced it will publish Armored Core for Answer(TM), the newest addition to From Software's mech-based combat franchise, Armored Core. The thirteenth installment in the series, Armored Core for Answer is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system in September 2008.

About Armored Core for Answer
In the distant future, massive urban development and pollution have critically damaged the planet. There is widespread fear that the end of the world is approaching. The League corporations, a military superpower, control the planet's infrastructure and have forced most of the world's population to live in huge aerial communities, called Cradles, to avoid the contamination. The ORCA, a rebel resistance still residing on the surface of the polluted planet, have amassed a formidable arsenal and are mobilizing to attack The League's bases to put an end to their iron grip on the planet. As a mercenary armed with cutting-edge military robot technology, choose your side and defeat the other factions by harnessing the power of the deadliest and most gigantic weapons ever created by mankind. Armored Core for Answer is rated "T” for Teen with Mild Language, Violence.

Game features include:

• EPIC BOSS BATTLES – For the first time in the series, cut your way inside colossal mobile battle stations and destroy them from their very core. Identify and exploit the weaknesses of 10 uniquely designed GIANT mobile battle stations to defeat them.
• PLAY WITH A FRIEND IN SEAMLESS CO-OP MODE OR FACE SEVERAL FRIENDS IN MULTIPLAYER MODES - Cooperate online with a friend in more than 30 missions or face up to 7 other players online in more than 80 different battlefields.
• CUSTOMIZE YOUR MECH WITH HUNDREDS OF PARTS AND WEAPONS - Find the right combination of weapons and armor that will help you take down colossal enemies. With more than 130 new parts and 400 parts total, enhance your mech to take on increasingly deadlier mobile battle stations. Create the perfect mech design to defeat a powerful enemy and share it with your friends online.
• SWITCH FACTIONS AND MAKE DECISIONS THAT CHANGE BOTH THE STORYLINE AND YOUR COMBAT EXPERIENCE - Choose your side among different factions including The League, The ORCA and the independent city states, each one having their own sets of giant mobile battle stations, mechs and characteristics, allowing for unique battle experiences. The decisions you make during your adventures will result in one of 3 different possible endings to the war.
• FIGHT GIGANTIC MILITARY VEHICLES IN BEAUTIFUL, EXPANSIVE ENVIRONMENTS - Experience high-velocity daylight combat or low-visibility night battles as changing weather and time modify the atmosphere of more than 40 battlefields including snow field, desert, ocean, underground and city. Fully destructible environments will bring even more sensational realism to your epic battles.
• 2 DIFFERENT CONTROL SCHEMES FOR BEGINNERS AND VETERAN PLAYERS - New intuitive controls will allow beginners to skilfully operate your mech in no time. If you are a veteran player, enjoy the full range of controls available in previous Armored Core installments