looks, sounds and feels nicer than first gen. the arena is especially much better this time around - both in terms of raven personalities and the fights themselves. missions are pretty standard and overall unmemorable though. holding higher hopes for another age on that front
klein's a cool antagonist with some interesting implications, but not a whole lot happens with him. final boss was a fucking joke. gave me intense stinger flashbacks
shout outs to hustler two and count one tho. they're real af
klein's a cool antagonist with some interesting implications, but not a whole lot happens with him. final boss was a fucking joke. gave me intense stinger flashbacks
shout outs to hustler two and count one tho. they're real af
It seems everyone's playing that shiny new Armored Core VI. I would be too, but my computer isn't all that great and can't really run it. You know what my PC can run though?
A PS2 Emulator.
So here we are. It may be called Armored Core 2, but it's really the fourth game in the series. With the '2' though, one may expect a little more than we got from Project Phantasma and Master of Arena. Did we get more?
Well, before we find out, I feel the need to disclose something. Anyone who has played the earlier Armored Core games know about Human+. Basically, getting deep in debt results in the player getting a permanent upgrade with the tradeoff that they restart the game. You can repeat this process several times to get more upgrades. It's a neat part of the game, and I decided to purposefully get all of the upgrades on purpose by grinding debt for an hour, simply to see what it's like. This probably made the game a decent amount easier for me than many others. The game wasn't really that hard, and while there are other reasons for that I'll get into later, it's almost certain that Human+ is part of what made the game easy.
With that out of the way, what's new to this game? The game definitely sticks close to the PS1 games, but there's a decent amount of new stuff and improvements. First, let's talk about the player's new moves and options. For me, the overboost is one of the best new improvements. Not only does it provide a quick movement option that makes duels really fun while also being another reason to carefully manage energy, but it also means that backtracking takes less time. You also activate it by pressing R3, which means you don't have to take your thumb off of the camera stick to activate it.
...Except the right stick isn't used for the camera. The left stick isn't used for movement either. The control scheme is the same as it was on the PS1. Look, I'm not against unconventional controls, but there's no logic behind the control scheme. Yeah, you can map the camera to the face buttons, but that doesn't compare to a stick. Ok, It was a PS2 launch title, I guess I can accept it. They better fix it with the next game though.
There are new part types here. For example, we have the radiator. Now, if you get hit a bunch by enemies, you begin to overheat, which drains your health. The radiator counteracts that. This is a fine mechanic, but it doesn't really add much. Not much is actually done with the radiator that a defense stat and defense optional part couldn't also accomplish from a design standpoint. This is unfortunate, because it became clear in the PS1 games each part type was unique and served a purpose, even ones you may not expect like the FCS.
There's also hover legs, which are very quick. They also hover on water, which helps for a few missions. The last big loadout additions are extensions and inside parts. These are anti-missile systems, light movement options, mines, anti-lockon systems, and other miscellaneous actions. These were neat, but I didn't use them that much because I was trying to keep my AC light. Still, there's some neat stuff here. For some reason, you have to access inside parts by pressing your 'change right weapon' button. Just a small thing, but I wish they had enough space to just have a button for it. Hmm, maybe if the camera control could be controlled with a stick or something...
So really, it's mostly the same old kind of stuff. This is fun, but I think there could've been a bit more done to improve on the customization.
Anyway, how are you going to afford these new parts? There's so much, and you don't have much disposable income when starting out. You could go do a mission, but you'll go in debt if you fail, so it might be a good idea to tackle the arena. In retrospect, while Master of Arena making the arena a focus was a good idea to differentiate it from the other PS1 games, Armored Core 2 cements the fact that it works best as a diversion that's mostly disconnected from the main game. Initially fought in the arena just to get more money without the risk of missions, but eventually I just got really engaged with it and got to Rank 1. The pacing of these missions is surprisingly good because many upcoming and defeated Ravens will taunt and encourage you respectively in mail, letting you know when a boss is coming up. Dare I say, the arena is better than the main missions here. It was really challenging and I had to consider all of my parts and the map I chose to fight on. It also led to me being super rich by the end of the game, so I could afford pretty much every part I wanted.
So what about the story missions? They're good. The level design is generally less confusing than that of the PS1 games, the missions feel varied, they're a good length, etc... Levels are overall more consistent, but I can't help but feel they're still basically the same kind of stuff as those of the PS1 games, especially since some of the missions are just remakes of missions from those games. Isn't it a bit early to be doing that guys? The game takes place on Mars, but they don't take advantage of that very often. Make a low-gravity or space mission, maybe have a big sandstorm or something, I dunno. There's a lot of missed potential.
Then there's the story. Once again, it's mostly the same kind of stuff. There is a bit more characterization when it comes to some side characters and the main villain, but it's the same main framework as previous games, except now all a lot of the more covert stuff isn't present. When I saw that the first mission in the original Armored Core tasked the player with attacking protesters, it conveyed the world of the game well. Many missions felt like they create mini-storylines too. However, that's not nearly as pronounced in this game. Apparently the Ravens are slaves or something, but this wasn't really explained well in any capacity. I was really hoping for a bit more here.
So overall, while Armored Core 2 is a pretty good game, it's just a little too similar to its predecessors for me to call it great. If you liked the PS1 games, you will probably like this, and vice versa. 7/10. I'm tackling these in order, so Another Age is next. See you then.
A PS2 Emulator.
So here we are. It may be called Armored Core 2, but it's really the fourth game in the series. With the '2' though, one may expect a little more than we got from Project Phantasma and Master of Arena. Did we get more?
Well, before we find out, I feel the need to disclose something. Anyone who has played the earlier Armored Core games know about Human+. Basically, getting deep in debt results in the player getting a permanent upgrade with the tradeoff that they restart the game. You can repeat this process several times to get more upgrades. It's a neat part of the game, and I decided to purposefully get all of the upgrades on purpose by grinding debt for an hour, simply to see what it's like. This probably made the game a decent amount easier for me than many others. The game wasn't really that hard, and while there are other reasons for that I'll get into later, it's almost certain that Human+ is part of what made the game easy.
With that out of the way, what's new to this game? The game definitely sticks close to the PS1 games, but there's a decent amount of new stuff and improvements. First, let's talk about the player's new moves and options. For me, the overboost is one of the best new improvements. Not only does it provide a quick movement option that makes duels really fun while also being another reason to carefully manage energy, but it also means that backtracking takes less time. You also activate it by pressing R3, which means you don't have to take your thumb off of the camera stick to activate it.
...Except the right stick isn't used for the camera. The left stick isn't used for movement either. The control scheme is the same as it was on the PS1. Look, I'm not against unconventional controls, but there's no logic behind the control scheme. Yeah, you can map the camera to the face buttons, but that doesn't compare to a stick. Ok, It was a PS2 launch title, I guess I can accept it. They better fix it with the next game though.
There are new part types here. For example, we have the radiator. Now, if you get hit a bunch by enemies, you begin to overheat, which drains your health. The radiator counteracts that. This is a fine mechanic, but it doesn't really add much. Not much is actually done with the radiator that a defense stat and defense optional part couldn't also accomplish from a design standpoint. This is unfortunate, because it became clear in the PS1 games each part type was unique and served a purpose, even ones you may not expect like the FCS.
There's also hover legs, which are very quick. They also hover on water, which helps for a few missions. The last big loadout additions are extensions and inside parts. These are anti-missile systems, light movement options, mines, anti-lockon systems, and other miscellaneous actions. These were neat, but I didn't use them that much because I was trying to keep my AC light. Still, there's some neat stuff here. For some reason, you have to access inside parts by pressing your 'change right weapon' button. Just a small thing, but I wish they had enough space to just have a button for it. Hmm, maybe if the camera control could be controlled with a stick or something...
So really, it's mostly the same old kind of stuff. This is fun, but I think there could've been a bit more done to improve on the customization.
Anyway, how are you going to afford these new parts? There's so much, and you don't have much disposable income when starting out. You could go do a mission, but you'll go in debt if you fail, so it might be a good idea to tackle the arena. In retrospect, while Master of Arena making the arena a focus was a good idea to differentiate it from the other PS1 games, Armored Core 2 cements the fact that it works best as a diversion that's mostly disconnected from the main game. Initially fought in the arena just to get more money without the risk of missions, but eventually I just got really engaged with it and got to Rank 1. The pacing of these missions is surprisingly good because many upcoming and defeated Ravens will taunt and encourage you respectively in mail, letting you know when a boss is coming up. Dare I say, the arena is better than the main missions here. It was really challenging and I had to consider all of my parts and the map I chose to fight on. It also led to me being super rich by the end of the game, so I could afford pretty much every part I wanted.
So what about the story missions? They're good. The level design is generally less confusing than that of the PS1 games, the missions feel varied, they're a good length, etc... Levels are overall more consistent, but I can't help but feel they're still basically the same kind of stuff as those of the PS1 games, especially since some of the missions are just remakes of missions from those games. Isn't it a bit early to be doing that guys? The game takes place on Mars, but they don't take advantage of that very often. Make a low-gravity or space mission, maybe have a big sandstorm or something, I dunno. There's a lot of missed potential.
Then there's the story. Once again, it's mostly the same kind of stuff. There is a bit more characterization when it comes to some side characters and the main villain, but it's the same main framework as previous games, except now all a lot of the more covert stuff isn't present. When I saw that the first mission in the original Armored Core tasked the player with attacking protesters, it conveyed the world of the game well. Many missions felt like they create mini-storylines too. However, that's not nearly as pronounced in this game. Apparently the Ravens are slaves or something, but this wasn't really explained well in any capacity. I was really hoping for a bit more here.
So overall, while Armored Core 2 is a pretty good game, it's just a little too similar to its predecessors for me to call it great. If you liked the PS1 games, you will probably like this, and vice versa. 7/10. I'm tackling these in order, so Another Age is next. See you then.
Leaving combat zone...
Mission failed
Mission failed
I can't imagine what 'Armored Core 2' would be like for someone who skipped the expansions to the first game, but speaking as someone who didn't, this is about as standard as sequels come. If we are to assess this game without the 1997 and 1999 instalments in mind, it's a fantastic and thrilling breakthrough, but if this is not the case then it is merely a more polished more of 1999s 'Master of Arena'. Lucky it is, then, that I found FromSoftware's exit piece for the Playstation so moreish, because I felt no more provoked by this game than I have any of the previous, which is maybe why I sound so down on it in the introduction, so let us lighten up a little.
'Armored Core 2' has just as well a compellingly pulpy set up as any other entry, a mission to Mars! The new human solution to the industrial consequences which trapped all underground previously is a new colony setup on the red planet. Lax on regulation as an emerging setup is to be, this is where the Ravens come back into the picture, working on the corp offering the carrots each passing hour—you, no different in structural entrapment to any other forcefully integrated into the economic cesspit, a hopeless vulture with no agency. The brutal, nihilistic corvid. What proceeds is, in terms of levels, an almost remake of the first generation games, with many sections operating as straight up remastering down to the cutscenes, moving, say, the desert train mission of 'Armored Core'—where planes crudely nipped at you from angels that jank had refused elegance—to a personal favourite. But such good spirits had the understated tingle of a game running out of ideas, which is the real shame, for half of the levels in 'Armored Core 2' are far in away the best the series could offer by the turn of the millennium, but the other half are simply half hearted or seen before too recently. Mechanically, the game is stronger than it has ever been, with overheating adding a new layer to the carefully formed tapestry of AC building first weaved in those focused Playstation titles, the addition is just as considered, but so little of it's company is. Customisation has more here than ever, and yet, the game never challenged enough nor felt long enough to warrant such investigation on anything that hadn't been present in the prior generation anyway. A waste of good metal, since the effort here might be the strongest innovation setting this sequel apart from what came before.
On difficulty, as was perhaps illuminated earlier, '2' is a strange mecha duck. Still challenging yes, but also quite easy up until the abrupt shift in the second half which felt like the game coming back up to speed with the adversity felt in 'Master of Arena'. Now, here's a funny thought, have I really gotten that much better at 'Armored Core' between 'Project Phantasma' and '2', or is my almost immediate abandonment of tetrapods going into the first hour of this sequel and sharp dedication to a light sniping mech with little resistance or major effort from me compared to the last entries all the way through to the end maybe a sign that the balancing in this one wasn't amazing? This adversity I sought had nested itself very comfortably in the Arena mode of course, for what was an excellent but truly brutal experience. Of course it, like 'Phantasma' before it is loaded with small potatoes, quite literally small in the case of the child you murder in the first 10 placements, but when you get stuck on an Arena fight in the top half of the list it can be a real fabric chewer.
Now, while the missions of the game didn't take nearly as much focus as the previous, '2' still has a fair few pretty thrilling moments. So as Mars develops, authority makes itself known. The Frighteners work as an effectively intimating force ludically at first, with the Fortner's handing you off a guaranteed failure on a sortie and later an excellent 2 on 1 fight, but Klein, while loaded with some very daunt dialogue that does him a lot of favours, is a complete pushover. The final encounter itself is great for sure, with his final design being something truly otherworldly, but he stands no chance and could've definitely been a more gritty challenge, no matter how appreciable his noble end is.
With the end of the independent attempts at controlling Mars, whether they be some earnest attempt to end the libertarian dystopia or some grotesque market warfare, the red planet bleeds and it was all upon your hand as a Raven. Klein asks a sly question in "what is it that you wish for?", as the brutality of the status quo came back again and again to those who systematically helped enforce it. Victims too are the Ravens when it comes to the making of fate, the fence-guard of capital and its inherent material and psychological nature leaves them, cruelly, unable to wish. The bird flees change not because of anything genuine enough to be called visceral or cerebral, it flees because it does not know anything else.
'Armored Core 2' has just as well a compellingly pulpy set up as any other entry, a mission to Mars! The new human solution to the industrial consequences which trapped all underground previously is a new colony setup on the red planet. Lax on regulation as an emerging setup is to be, this is where the Ravens come back into the picture, working on the corp offering the carrots each passing hour—you, no different in structural entrapment to any other forcefully integrated into the economic cesspit, a hopeless vulture with no agency. The brutal, nihilistic corvid. What proceeds is, in terms of levels, an almost remake of the first generation games, with many sections operating as straight up remastering down to the cutscenes, moving, say, the desert train mission of 'Armored Core'—where planes crudely nipped at you from angels that jank had refused elegance—to a personal favourite. But such good spirits had the understated tingle of a game running out of ideas, which is the real shame, for half of the levels in 'Armored Core 2' are far in away the best the series could offer by the turn of the millennium, but the other half are simply half hearted or seen before too recently. Mechanically, the game is stronger than it has ever been, with overheating adding a new layer to the carefully formed tapestry of AC building first weaved in those focused Playstation titles, the addition is just as considered, but so little of it's company is. Customisation has more here than ever, and yet, the game never challenged enough nor felt long enough to warrant such investigation on anything that hadn't been present in the prior generation anyway. A waste of good metal, since the effort here might be the strongest innovation setting this sequel apart from what came before.
On difficulty, as was perhaps illuminated earlier, '2' is a strange mecha duck. Still challenging yes, but also quite easy up until the abrupt shift in the second half which felt like the game coming back up to speed with the adversity felt in 'Master of Arena'. Now, here's a funny thought, have I really gotten that much better at 'Armored Core' between 'Project Phantasma' and '2', or is my almost immediate abandonment of tetrapods going into the first hour of this sequel and sharp dedication to a light sniping mech with little resistance or major effort from me compared to the last entries all the way through to the end maybe a sign that the balancing in this one wasn't amazing? This adversity I sought had nested itself very comfortably in the Arena mode of course, for what was an excellent but truly brutal experience. Of course it, like 'Phantasma' before it is loaded with small potatoes, quite literally small in the case of the child you murder in the first 10 placements, but when you get stuck on an Arena fight in the top half of the list it can be a real fabric chewer.
Now, while the missions of the game didn't take nearly as much focus as the previous, '2' still has a fair few pretty thrilling moments. So as Mars develops, authority makes itself known. The Frighteners work as an effectively intimating force ludically at first, with the Fortner's handing you off a guaranteed failure on a sortie and later an excellent 2 on 1 fight, but Klein, while loaded with some very daunt dialogue that does him a lot of favours, is a complete pushover. The final encounter itself is great for sure, with his final design being something truly otherworldly, but he stands no chance and could've definitely been a more gritty challenge, no matter how appreciable his noble end is.
With the end of the independent attempts at controlling Mars, whether they be some earnest attempt to end the libertarian dystopia or some grotesque market warfare, the red planet bleeds and it was all upon your hand as a Raven. Klein asks a sly question in "what is it that you wish for?", as the brutality of the status quo came back again and again to those who systematically helped enforce it. Victims too are the Ravens when it comes to the making of fate, the fence-guard of capital and its inherent material and psychological nature leaves them, cruelly, unable to wish. The bird flees change not because of anything genuine enough to be called visceral or cerebral, it flees because it does not know anything else.
Grinding through arena and slowly realizing the perfect counters to every enemy play is so much fucking fun, and in general this is full of marked improvements over the first game.
But GOSH the story missions blow. Doesn't help they ALL open with like a minute long unskippable cutscene where it's just the camera moving and a slowly read mission briefing.
But GOSH the story missions blow. Doesn't help they ALL open with like a minute long unskippable cutscene where it's just the camera moving and a slowly read mission briefing.
not a review, PSA for AC2AA: buy whatever expensive stuff u got your eyes on before transferring your save because my $$$ dropped from like 2.5 mil to 300k
maybe one day I'll have the patience to learn how to play this game by reading through 8 forklift certifications and also having a lobotomy
Steady improvements seen here compared to 1st Gen. It introduced critical mechanics like Overboosting, a new type of specialized leg type in Hovers, and Heat management. The Arena is much more fun to get through this time around, and every complaint I had with the FoV and Draw Distance in 1st Gen seems to have banished.
I didn't like how the game speed seems to have been reduced from 1st Gen (maybe that's why Overboosting is a thing now?). The speed has been more standardized across leg types which is something I liked, since light builds reign supreme in Gen 1 and using tank threads in those games is suicide. I also didn't really like Hover Legs, they felt like shittier quad legs you'd only use in water missions.
The presentation didn't take that big of a leap aside from steady 60 fps all around, it looks more like a Dreamcast game if anything. At least the music in this game is just as stellar as it was on PS1.
The story was whatever. Apparently Klein is the MoA protagonist who ended up following Nine Ball's ideals but I don't feel anything for the guy. I did like how you met a lot of the arena contestants in missions, makes them feel more connected to the plot.
Overall, a worthy successor. The series is starting to form its own identity instead of throwing everything at the wall and see what sticks.
I didn't like how the game speed seems to have been reduced from 1st Gen (maybe that's why Overboosting is a thing now?). The speed has been more standardized across leg types which is something I liked, since light builds reign supreme in Gen 1 and using tank threads in those games is suicide. I also didn't really like Hover Legs, they felt like shittier quad legs you'd only use in water missions.
The presentation didn't take that big of a leap aside from steady 60 fps all around, it looks more like a Dreamcast game if anything. At least the music in this game is just as stellar as it was on PS1.
The story was whatever. Apparently Klein is the MoA protagonist who ended up following Nine Ball's ideals but I don't feel anything for the guy. I did like how you met a lot of the arena contestants in missions, makes them feel more connected to the plot.
Overall, a worthy successor. The series is starting to form its own identity instead of throwing everything at the wall and see what sticks.
Master of Arena but with more annoying missions. Was kind of hoping for more substantial improvements over the ps1 games but it's more or less just the same thing.
I'm not sure I can adequately explain how a game that is mechanically almost identical to several much better games can feel this bad to play. I mean, it's not a complicated problem. That almost is the problem. AC2 does not do much to stand out, nor does it excel at any of the safe, series-standard beats. It radiates "skip me" energy, so of course I didn't.
I think it ails from being a launch title, albeit not in the usual launch title ways. It's built too closely on the gen 1 Armored Core games to really have problems with bugs or untested core mechanics, and the graphics are pretty decent for 2000. (Granted, it's easier to make robots look good than humans, which Armored Core famously never shows.) Rather, the rushed feeling comes from how, just... dull it can be.
Mission design is basic and repetitive; I'm hard pressed to cite examples because I honestly don't remember more than a very small handful of the missions. At time of writing, I started my playthrough of this game about a month ago. I do recall quite a few of of them consisting of "there's a huge number of annoying airplanes flying in circles around the area, shoot them all" or "there's a huge number of annoying bug aliens crawling around the area, shoot them all."
I cannot overstate "huge number" or "annoying" here. Look. Armored Core, for the most part, is hard. Famous for it. I've played a lot of games in this series so far, and I've had a great time with some really hard ones. I've liked games harder than AC2 a lot better than AC2. So please understand me when I say that AC2 is too fucking hard. It's not like it's the hardest game in the series, the problem is it's just not interestingly hard; there are too many goddamn enemies in every goddamn mission and they do too much damage and have too much HP. These are not cool, exciting fights; the average mission in this game is just an overstuffed, overlong battle of attrition against moderately overtuned versions of enemies that would be one-shottable trash mobs in a normal game. The major refrain of this game is me going "there's no way that wasn't the last wavegod DAMMIT that's SO MANY MORE." I feel like the high-ranking arena opponents also cheat more than usual, but I wouldn't swear to that; the arena being ridiculous in old gen is almost a feature.
It's not all bad; the story has a pretty solid hook, at least if you have the context of having played Master of Arena (I hadn't when I first played this). It's also one of the funnier games in the series, partly because of the arena opponent blurbs but mostly because of the voice acting (we should revoke every Oscar ever awarded and give them to Emeraude Briefings Guy, who invented acting, accents, and the concept of rolling one's R's. thank you, Emeraude Briefings Guy). The last mission is also quite a decent finale, although that ties in to the story again.
All in all, AC2 isn't the worst game ever or anything, but the odds I revisit it are remote. The admittedly formulaic nature of the first, like... seven games in the series really hurts it here; it's simply outdone in every possible way by several other games.
I think it ails from being a launch title, albeit not in the usual launch title ways. It's built too closely on the gen 1 Armored Core games to really have problems with bugs or untested core mechanics, and the graphics are pretty decent for 2000. (Granted, it's easier to make robots look good than humans, which Armored Core famously never shows.) Rather, the rushed feeling comes from how, just... dull it can be.
Mission design is basic and repetitive; I'm hard pressed to cite examples because I honestly don't remember more than a very small handful of the missions. At time of writing, I started my playthrough of this game about a month ago. I do recall quite a few of of them consisting of "there's a huge number of annoying airplanes flying in circles around the area, shoot them all" or "there's a huge number of annoying bug aliens crawling around the area, shoot them all."
I cannot overstate "huge number" or "annoying" here. Look. Armored Core, for the most part, is hard. Famous for it. I've played a lot of games in this series so far, and I've had a great time with some really hard ones. I've liked games harder than AC2 a lot better than AC2. So please understand me when I say that AC2 is too fucking hard. It's not like it's the hardest game in the series, the problem is it's just not interestingly hard; there are too many goddamn enemies in every goddamn mission and they do too much damage and have too much HP. These are not cool, exciting fights; the average mission in this game is just an overstuffed, overlong battle of attrition against moderately overtuned versions of enemies that would be one-shottable trash mobs in a normal game. The major refrain of this game is me going "there's no way that wasn't the last wavegod DAMMIT that's SO MANY MORE." I feel like the high-ranking arena opponents also cheat more than usual, but I wouldn't swear to that; the arena being ridiculous in old gen is almost a feature.
It's not all bad; the story has a pretty solid hook, at least if you have the context of having played Master of Arena (I hadn't when I first played this). It's also one of the funnier games in the series, partly because of the arena opponent blurbs but mostly because of the voice acting (we should revoke every Oscar ever awarded and give them to Emeraude Briefings Guy, who invented acting, accents, and the concept of rolling one's R's. thank you, Emeraude Briefings Guy). The last mission is also quite a decent finale, although that ties in to the story again.
All in all, AC2 isn't the worst game ever or anything, but the odds I revisit it are remote. The admittedly formulaic nature of the first, like... seven games in the series really hurts it here; it's simply outdone in every possible way by several other games.
Armored Core 2 expands the Armored Core formula and greatly improves upon it with smoother gameplay, greatly improved graphics and performance, new music tracks, and new mechanics and features to enrich the experience of playing. The story is also interesting, with various corporations and factions fighting for dominance on Mars, with your character playing all sides in the conflict up to a more linear set of missions near the end. The game also calls back to the PS1 AC trilogy a lot in both the arena and main missions, which is fun to see. The Arena and missions in general have seen a lot of balancing done to make them more friendly, although I'm sure the Hard mode available at the start makes it all as tough as it ever was. Not sure since I played on Normal.
This is probably the most bland review I've ever written. There's nothing all that weird about the game (other than its slightly abrupt and confusing ending, which I won't delve into), so there's not much to comment specifically on. It's a continuation of the PS1 series into a new generation. Not much to say, but it sure is good!
This is probably the most bland review I've ever written. There's nothing all that weird about the game (other than its slightly abrupt and confusing ending, which I won't delve into), so there's not much to comment specifically on. It's a continuation of the PS1 series into a new generation. Not much to say, but it sure is good!
Great graphical jump from the ps1 games to this. Really shows like they put in work.
Missions sucked though, and I felt like most weapons got nerfed and ammo counts slashed for some reason. Story wasn't as good as the last games, either. Some of the emails you got were comical, in an unintended way.
Missions sucked though, and I felt like most weapons got nerfed and ammo counts slashed for some reason. Story wasn't as good as the last games, either. Some of the emails you got were comical, in an unintended way.
It's armored core 1 again but with better graphics, a couple new features, and runs at 60 fps. For some reason though the game feels kind of off still and I can't really explain why, which keeps it from being a real upgrade. I had more fun with the first, and this feels like a weird bridging point from the ps1 to ps2
Armored Core 2 is one of the rare games where it does everything and more compared to its predecessor. Better world building, more plot, more AC customization, and the arena.
Without spoiling too much of the plot, the story is basically Char's Counterattack, but with all the mistakes in the movie fixed.
Fighting for corporations and the earth government has never been more fun, and with that comes the arena, a place where you can take on other pilots one-on-one for some extra cash to either upgrade your armored core early or keep yourself out of debt. Every pilot in the arena is fleshed out with a backstory, and you can see their personality even in the way they fight. At 60fps, combat is just perfect. On top of allowing you to rebind buttons, it makes for a fun and intense combat system lifted from the first.
If you couldn't get into Armored Core 1, go ahead and give this game a shot. With the improvements above and the added arena, this is definitely the easier entry to get into. I also see that most people who try Armored Core 1 don't know about the plus system. Once you hit 50k debt, your handler sends you off for upgrades, and it restarts your game. This allows for the game to be a bit easier, and each time you hit 50k debt, you get another upgrade and restart.
Although with the additional arena, debt isn't as much of a worry, and most should be able to get through the game fairly easily on the normal difficulty without the plus program.
Overall, this is a perfect mecha action game and one I highly recommend.
Without spoiling too much of the plot, the story is basically Char's Counterattack, but with all the mistakes in the movie fixed.
Fighting for corporations and the earth government has never been more fun, and with that comes the arena, a place where you can take on other pilots one-on-one for some extra cash to either upgrade your armored core early or keep yourself out of debt. Every pilot in the arena is fleshed out with a backstory, and you can see their personality even in the way they fight. At 60fps, combat is just perfect. On top of allowing you to rebind buttons, it makes for a fun and intense combat system lifted from the first.
If you couldn't get into Armored Core 1, go ahead and give this game a shot. With the improvements above and the added arena, this is definitely the easier entry to get into. I also see that most people who try Armored Core 1 don't know about the plus system. Once you hit 50k debt, your handler sends you off for upgrades, and it restarts your game. This allows for the game to be a bit easier, and each time you hit 50k debt, you get another upgrade and restart.
Although with the additional arena, debt isn't as much of a worry, and most should be able to get through the game fairly easily on the normal difficulty without the plus program.
Overall, this is a perfect mecha action game and one I highly recommend.
This game makes me feel miserable.
The first official sequel to the first Armored Core game and it's pretty much the same as how it always was with the exception of having nicer graphics. So what's so awful if it's supposed to be the same as its predecessor and especially when I liked the original, alright so what made me enjoy the original was that its a pretty neat mech game from the PS1 era so seeing the same thing pulled out 3 years later and also with the yearly released spinoffs of the PS1 games which all were standalone expansions of the original game therefore also being the same thing.
But you know what's bad? When you copy your predecessor but fail to be as good as it used to be, this game has horrible missions which are either frustrating or just too hard, the quality control in this game is inexistent, and I keep seeing people defend the arena game mode and I respect them enjoying it but all I'm seeing is that I'm battling against dogshit ai that just jumps around and the only difficulty comes from them spamming op bullets at me, there is no strategy it's just a competition of who bought the best upgrade and whose gonna last the longest alive.
This game did not age well and I'm already terrified to check out the sequels. Should you play it? Not really, I'm pretty sure there are better entries that come after, or so I've heard, and sincerely hope.
The first official sequel to the first Armored Core game and it's pretty much the same as how it always was with the exception of having nicer graphics. So what's so awful if it's supposed to be the same as its predecessor and especially when I liked the original, alright so what made me enjoy the original was that its a pretty neat mech game from the PS1 era so seeing the same thing pulled out 3 years later and also with the yearly released spinoffs of the PS1 games which all were standalone expansions of the original game therefore also being the same thing.
But you know what's bad? When you copy your predecessor but fail to be as good as it used to be, this game has horrible missions which are either frustrating or just too hard, the quality control in this game is inexistent, and I keep seeing people defend the arena game mode and I respect them enjoying it but all I'm seeing is that I'm battling against dogshit ai that just jumps around and the only difficulty comes from them spamming op bullets at me, there is no strategy it's just a competition of who bought the best upgrade and whose gonna last the longest alive.
This game did not age well and I'm already terrified to check out the sequels. Should you play it? Not really, I'm pretty sure there are better entries that come after, or so I've heard, and sincerely hope.
Klein was right
Leos Klein watching the four pursuit cluster missiles i launched from above at his alien god mecha: https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/040/775/cover3.jpg
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
rmored core 2 is powerfully infuriating. I rarely left missions with any ammo remaining in both early and late game. I had to use specific, exact set of tools for certain missions because the game mechanics do not work well with the actual enemy design.
Every single time an enemy AC jumps or dashes, you just lose. You get an extremely short window to lock on, so that automatically makes 80% of the weapons not viable after a little bit. I don't believe you can beat the final boss using anything other than missiles, I tried for hours but I just couldn't do it. Not to mention the arena opponents, the last few I cheesed by forcing the AI to leave the designated battle area and winning by forfeit.
I cannot even begin to describe how infuriating it is to be thrown around like a toy by some of this game's enemies and their weapons, while also turning slower than a pregnant turtle, while also having the turning interrupted by an undodgable enemy shot, while also having an enemy move in hyperspeed behind you and blade you to death!
Was some of this present in the PS1 games? Yes! But it was much more manageable. For the arena, you were provided with a location specifically to counter the jumping fucks, ones with a low ceiling. The boosts would only propel them in one direction, not around you. Why push this system even further? It worked, and now it doesn't.
Are there some cool missions? Absolutely. A bunch of fantastic designs too, the robots have never looked cooler. The final boss looks so good, ohmigoodness. So many cool new parts. But the memories of pure frustration prevail. Moments where I had to stop playing from sheer anger, from the game continously removing my ability to do anything. I don't even rage at games, this is the first in years. The feeling of hopelessness, not knowing what you did wrong, what can you do to fix it, what opportunities you missed. All to be met with "just build this mech, otherwise you won't win." Just bad vibes.
rmored core 2 is powerfully infuriating. I rarely left missions with any ammo remaining in both early and late game. I had to use specific, exact set of tools for certain missions because the game mechanics do not work well with the actual enemy design.
Every single time an enemy AC jumps or dashes, you just lose. You get an extremely short window to lock on, so that automatically makes 80% of the weapons not viable after a little bit. I don't believe you can beat the final boss using anything other than missiles, I tried for hours but I just couldn't do it. Not to mention the arena opponents, the last few I cheesed by forcing the AI to leave the designated battle area and winning by forfeit.
I cannot even begin to describe how infuriating it is to be thrown around like a toy by some of this game's enemies and their weapons, while also turning slower than a pregnant turtle, while also having the turning interrupted by an undodgable enemy shot, while also having an enemy move in hyperspeed behind you and blade you to death!
Was some of this present in the PS1 games? Yes! But it was much more manageable. For the arena, you were provided with a location specifically to counter the jumping fucks, ones with a low ceiling. The boosts would only propel them in one direction, not around you. Why push this system even further? It worked, and now it doesn't.
Are there some cool missions? Absolutely. A bunch of fantastic designs too, the robots have never looked cooler. The final boss looks so good, ohmigoodness. So many cool new parts. But the memories of pure frustration prevail. Moments where I had to stop playing from sheer anger, from the game continously removing my ability to do anything. I don't even rage at games, this is the first in years. The feeling of hopelessness, not knowing what you did wrong, what can you do to fix it, what opportunities you missed. All to be met with "just build this mech, otherwise you won't win." Just bad vibes.
After three great games on the PS1 and the advent of the PS2, Fromsoft decided it was time to take AC to the next generation. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, however, they opted to refine AC1's ideas and introduce some new ones. There's a lot more mechanics to play around with this time around; you've got to manage your heat levels now to prevent overheating damage, you can now , you can overboost around at high speeds (if you manage your energy), which adds a bit more depth to AC fights, and there's a bunch of new part types. Of course, we're creatures of habit, so I was perfectly content replicating and upgrading my AC from the PS1 games, and calling it "Gravity Mk. II" (which made me feel pretty cool).
LEOS KLEIN CHUDMAXINNNNN while ayre simps gets gassed for family issues
This game is sick. Classic PS2 title, lots of memorable moments, pretty difficult. As much as I like Armored Core 3 and its sequels they're 30 fps and this game is 60. Played this a bunch as a kid.
Armored Core 2 brings the series into the next generation, but does little more than that in my eyes. It doesn't quite capture the atmosphere of the original, nor the excellent pacing of Master of Arena, and otherwise doesn't bring much in the way of mechanical advancement. In fact, I'm actually quite shocked by how similarly this played to the Gen 1 games. The addition of new part types, "Inside" and "Extension", didn't do much for me; they just felt bolted on to the Gen 1 framework, rather than something which could give Gen 2 its own identity.
A minor disappointment then, but still a good enough time. The arena was cool, even if I found some of the maps ripe for AI cheese, and the general Armored Core gameplay was fun and engaging enough to keep me through so the end. Armored Core casually strolled into the next generation, but I wish it had taken that full leap.
A minor disappointment then, but still a good enough time. The arena was cool, even if I found some of the maps ripe for AI cheese, and the general Armored Core gameplay was fun and engaging enough to keep me through so the end. Armored Core casually strolled into the next generation, but I wish it had taken that full leap.
The 1st Armored Core title on the ps2, is a very early installment ps2 as well so keep this in mind for this review. Let’s start off with the setting of the game, Mars, a big red rock planet with heavy weather. This leads to many of the missions and areas in the game being indoors, meaning many areas are laboratories or factories. While it can feel like a bummer to some people as the many open areas are found in the ps1 games. Here it checks out since the missions that DO have you outside, the weather is often rough like being at Mar’s poles, having to search and operate in a snowstorm. I find the areas overall good and fit with the setting, while there’s nothing to write home about for a gen 6 game.
Now let’s talk about the feature everyone loves dearly, the arena! I would sink in hours on end in the arena, going from rank 50 to 1 nearly all at the beginning of the game as there were no restrictions from stopping me. I feel rather conflicted about this game’s arena. On one hand, with the arena areas to choose from, I found myself swapping between them more often than I did with any AC title I’ve played as each has its own pros and cons. I love going to Falna Craters to give a large, almost flat arena to battle a fellow AC for example.
Now on the other hand… the AI in this game is dumb, I mean REALLY dumb. While yes, the difficulty curve for the arena is excellent in its own right. The AI placed in the areas given just doesn’t mix well. As you may know, areas are limited and if you leave the area borders, you fail. This same logic applies to the enemies, so you can beat ALL of the arenas by not shooting a single thing at an opponent. Can totally cheese by ringing out the opponents. The easiest to do this is by playing Abandon Highway. I say to give this a try as it’s hilarious, but the idea of being able to ring out even rank 1 AC by doing this is mind-boggling. This applies to the missions too, I personally have gotten an enemy AC trapped on my head in a corner and we’ll have an awkward moment together. While this is a clear flaw in game design, it being a solo experience makes the flaw not as bad if this problem existed in modern gaming.
Gameplay? It’s literally the same as the ps1 games but with better graphics. Don’t fix what isn’t broken I guess.
Music! The music in this title is good, full techno vibe for this title and great remakes of the 1’s ost. My favorite menu/garage theme without a doubt!
The story in this title is great and far better told than the previous entries. This time, the antagonists feel like a genuine threat and like you’re the only hope for the people on Mars, that feeling of being at a disadvantage the whole way through. Each mission has actual relevance to the story, unlike past and later titles where the plot only happens near the last half. Pleasant story and worth checking out for it alone.
Overall, this being my 1st AC game I tried it out years ago and gave up on it as it was too hard. Now back with 4 AC games under my belt and knowledge now going back into this game. This game is really really fun and what more can you ask from a video game?
Now let’s talk about the feature everyone loves dearly, the arena! I would sink in hours on end in the arena, going from rank 50 to 1 nearly all at the beginning of the game as there were no restrictions from stopping me. I feel rather conflicted about this game’s arena. On one hand, with the arena areas to choose from, I found myself swapping between them more often than I did with any AC title I’ve played as each has its own pros and cons. I love going to Falna Craters to give a large, almost flat arena to battle a fellow AC for example.
Now on the other hand… the AI in this game is dumb, I mean REALLY dumb. While yes, the difficulty curve for the arena is excellent in its own right. The AI placed in the areas given just doesn’t mix well. As you may know, areas are limited and if you leave the area borders, you fail. This same logic applies to the enemies, so you can beat ALL of the arenas by not shooting a single thing at an opponent. Can totally cheese by ringing out the opponents. The easiest to do this is by playing Abandon Highway. I say to give this a try as it’s hilarious, but the idea of being able to ring out even rank 1 AC by doing this is mind-boggling. This applies to the missions too, I personally have gotten an enemy AC trapped on my head in a corner and we’ll have an awkward moment together. While this is a clear flaw in game design, it being a solo experience makes the flaw not as bad if this problem existed in modern gaming.
Gameplay? It’s literally the same as the ps1 games but with better graphics. Don’t fix what isn’t broken I guess.
Music! The music in this title is good, full techno vibe for this title and great remakes of the 1’s ost. My favorite menu/garage theme without a doubt!
The story in this title is great and far better told than the previous entries. This time, the antagonists feel like a genuine threat and like you’re the only hope for the people on Mars, that feeling of being at a disadvantage the whole way through. Each mission has actual relevance to the story, unlike past and later titles where the plot only happens near the last half. Pleasant story and worth checking out for it alone.
Overall, this being my 1st AC game I tried it out years ago and gave up on it as it was too hard. Now back with 4 AC games under my belt and knowledge now going back into this game. This game is really really fun and what more can you ask from a video game?
Fyi newcomers, don't get your hopes up with analogue stick aiming in AC2. Nope, the analogue stick doesn't do anything. Genius!
Practically more AC1, but worse apart from the graphics. Somehow even clunkier, thanks to the awful hit boxes and annoying lockbox snapping into enemies constantly. Very little improvements, slower pacing, awful quality control, bland ass missions, and even COPY PASTED worse version of missions from AC1. All of that combined makes the experience not really worthwhile.
I'd straight up skip this one, unless you REALLY want more of AC1 or maybe focus solely on the Arena. The implication of who the main antagonist is, and some encounters and characterizations of the Arena mode are the only good things about this sequel.
★★ – Bad, but playable ❌
Practically more AC1, but worse apart from the graphics. Somehow even clunkier, thanks to the awful hit boxes and annoying lockbox snapping into enemies constantly. Very little improvements, slower pacing, awful quality control, bland ass missions, and even COPY PASTED worse version of missions from AC1. All of that combined makes the experience not really worthwhile.
I'd straight up skip this one, unless you REALLY want more of AC1 or maybe focus solely on the Arena. The implication of who the main antagonist is, and some encounters and characterizations of the Arena mode are the only good things about this sequel.
★★ – Bad, but playable ❌
Setting em marte maneiro, evolução técnica perceptível, customização continua daora agora com mais partes, mais opções de cores. A arena também é incrivel, muito mapa bom, muita música boa, oponentes muito legais. Em tudo isso é melhor que os que vem antes, porem oq me faz nao gostar tanto desse quanto os de ps1 é a historia, que é bem inconsistente, uma hora ta bem legal e interessante com missoes legais, e outra hora ta chata e com missões que são um porre
I recently replayed the game, and wow what a shock after playing the Playstation games right before. This game is such a massive improvement it showcases everything you want in a full fledged sequel.
The game is massively larger than the previous ones, far more missions and the arena while not perfect is far better balanced and challenging. There's of course an increase in parts for your AC, and types of parts too. The missions are a fair amount more varied than the PS1 games. The scope is much bigger too. Just about everything is improved.
I was worried about the visuals coming back to the game, and coming off fresh from the originals, which have a distinctive and well aged aesthetic, but boy was I wrong. AC2 is peak early 6th gen visuals, totally soulful. In fact, looking at this as a generational leap makes you realize how much diminishing returns (or worse, negative returns) have been a standard since 6th gen. It's a game with a 4x resolution increase, a 3x increase in framerate, incredible texture work, incredible lighting, massively improved controls and camera, and so much more. What happened to gaming where not only did stuff like this happen, but was expected? That aside, really, the only thing worse is IMO the music, but still very fitting and listenable, and I generally prefer the new sound effects. The story also holds up, but the original Armored Core is a masterpiece of paranoia sci-fi so what can you do?
With the generational leap this game takes place on Mars, a world that's a frontier, in contrast with the Earth of the previous games, where the only place to build was down. This game features much bigger wider areas, as opposed to Earth's endless corridors, taking advantage of the superior hardware. Along with the clearer, better visuals it makes the game feel grander. The story is on a much larger level too, a very fitting follow up to the original game, tying back into it in various ways. It's impressive too that despite everything being much bigger and grandiose, it never loses sight of the original tight vision that you are a mercenary, a single person, not a hero, in a web of much larger forces than yourself when it very easily could have.
As other reviewers have pointed out, this game is markedly more difficult than the previous ones. Maybe to its own detriment. But, I really do think the difficulty is appropriate especially if you're already experienced. The game does in fact expect you to make different ACs for different missions, but that's fine because selling parts gives you the exact money you get from buying them, it's almost like needing to respec stats than managing finances for a build. This game does not hold your hand and expects you to keep up. The beginning is a fairly big spike in difficulty, and then it ramps up much more in the last third of the game. The game never quits, and it's one of the few games where the story is that people actively want to kill you, and then ACTUALLY try to kill you. It's rare at first when an enemy AC appears unprompted in a mission, but at the end of the game it becomes standard that multiple ACs will swarm you. It's such a satisfying difficulty increase that looking back I'm impressed with my 10 year old self beating this game.
Overall, it's everything you want from a sequel and then some. A generational leap, truly. This game's contemporaries are landmark 6th gen titles like Final Fantasy X, F-Zero GX, Gran Turismo 3, it is exactly like in line with these huge games in how big of a jump it is. Looking back on this game it's actually surprising it is niche, though perhaps the difficulty is the reason why. If you want to get prepared for ACVI (or want to go back to the old games after playing it in the future from this review) play this one, provided you are willing to sweat through it. I would recommend this game to any gamer wanting a challenge and a game with robots.
The game is massively larger than the previous ones, far more missions and the arena while not perfect is far better balanced and challenging. There's of course an increase in parts for your AC, and types of parts too. The missions are a fair amount more varied than the PS1 games. The scope is much bigger too. Just about everything is improved.
I was worried about the visuals coming back to the game, and coming off fresh from the originals, which have a distinctive and well aged aesthetic, but boy was I wrong. AC2 is peak early 6th gen visuals, totally soulful. In fact, looking at this as a generational leap makes you realize how much diminishing returns (or worse, negative returns) have been a standard since 6th gen. It's a game with a 4x resolution increase, a 3x increase in framerate, incredible texture work, incredible lighting, massively improved controls and camera, and so much more. What happened to gaming where not only did stuff like this happen, but was expected? That aside, really, the only thing worse is IMO the music, but still very fitting and listenable, and I generally prefer the new sound effects. The story also holds up, but the original Armored Core is a masterpiece of paranoia sci-fi so what can you do?
With the generational leap this game takes place on Mars, a world that's a frontier, in contrast with the Earth of the previous games, where the only place to build was down. This game features much bigger wider areas, as opposed to Earth's endless corridors, taking advantage of the superior hardware. Along with the clearer, better visuals it makes the game feel grander. The story is on a much larger level too, a very fitting follow up to the original game, tying back into it in various ways. It's impressive too that despite everything being much bigger and grandiose, it never loses sight of the original tight vision that you are a mercenary, a single person, not a hero, in a web of much larger forces than yourself when it very easily could have.
As other reviewers have pointed out, this game is markedly more difficult than the previous ones. Maybe to its own detriment. But, I really do think the difficulty is appropriate especially if you're already experienced. The game does in fact expect you to make different ACs for different missions, but that's fine because selling parts gives you the exact money you get from buying them, it's almost like needing to respec stats than managing finances for a build. This game does not hold your hand and expects you to keep up. The beginning is a fairly big spike in difficulty, and then it ramps up much more in the last third of the game. The game never quits, and it's one of the few games where the story is that people actively want to kill you, and then ACTUALLY try to kill you. It's rare at first when an enemy AC appears unprompted in a mission, but at the end of the game it becomes standard that multiple ACs will swarm you. It's such a satisfying difficulty increase that looking back I'm impressed with my 10 year old self beating this game.
Overall, it's everything you want from a sequel and then some. A generational leap, truly. This game's contemporaries are landmark 6th gen titles like Final Fantasy X, F-Zero GX, Gran Turismo 3, it is exactly like in line with these huge games in how big of a jump it is. Looking back on this game it's actually surprising it is niche, though perhaps the difficulty is the reason why. If you want to get prepared for ACVI (or want to go back to the old games after playing it in the future from this review) play this one, provided you are willing to sweat through it. I would recommend this game to any gamer wanting a challenge and a game with robots.
Meu setting favorito da franquia, tem algo muito foda em ser em marte e fugir um pouco da terra, arena super divertida e no geral a evolução natural do que se iniciou la no playstation 1
Not only was this my first Armored Core game, this was also my first Fromsoft game. We're talking first Moonlight Blade of any kind. We're talking first Karasawa. Strange that I didnt really register the difficulty curve - but I also thought Human Plus was sick as hell so maybe I iced over it.
I went into this quite excited, really dug Gen 1 in just about every regard, even if AC1 was the peak.
However, I feel like this game fell kinda flat. The arena and gameplay is a total improvement, music's pretty nice too. Although from an aesthetic/story perspective I can't really consider AC2 better than Project Phantasma or Master of Arena, I found most of the missions to be unmemorable save for a key few. Leos Klein is kind of neat from a conceptual standpoint, but could've used a bit more fleshing out, then again you're not gonna top Nine-Ball.
The ending genuinely goes hard though.
Raven? Where will you? What will you do?
Uhhh I'm going to play Another Age
However, I feel like this game fell kinda flat. The arena and gameplay is a total improvement, music's pretty nice too. Although from an aesthetic/story perspective I can't really consider AC2 better than Project Phantasma or Master of Arena, I found most of the missions to be unmemorable save for a key few. Leos Klein is kind of neat from a conceptual standpoint, but could've used a bit more fleshing out, then again you're not gonna top Nine-Ball.
The ending genuinely goes hard though.
Raven? Where will you? What will you do?
Uhhh I'm going to play Another Age
Armored Core now with more mechanics, better customization, better graphics, better soundtrack, and better performance. Tbh just a complete upgrade for the PS1 trilogy to me, so I liked it quite a bit. Easier overall, though, other than some difficulty spikes here and there. Arena was particularly unchallenging save like 5 out of 50 fights.