An excellent expansion, with it's only major flaw being a lack of innovation. Perhaps that is a little harsh, but, while I did enjoy my time with this, by the end I've now tired a little of the standard combat in the PlayStation 'Armored Core' games. 'Project Phantasma' is easily more enjoyable than it's jumping off point though, and if you wanted more it will deliver greatly with a much more consistent array of levels, each more structurally interesting and layered than most of which consisted the original 'Armored Core'.

The narrative as well is far more put together, with better established, endearingly one dimensional characters like Sumika and Stinger, the latter of whom makes for some excellent boss encounters. It's still the same campy fun, though this time more coherent and dressed with more interesting missions. There is some very funny dialogue which gave me a nice giggle but I feel like it'll be a while before the plot and characters of these games really become appealing to me beyond this very 'video gamey' acknowledgment. Still, nothing wrong with that at all, but the almost eerie desolation of FromSoftware's environment work here does a sound enough job of putting me on level with the series' 'corporate death-valley' world concept that I find oddly intriguing in ways that make me feel as if it's a idea worthy of more than this.

The greatest success of 'Project Phantasma' is most definitely the inclusion of 'Arena' mode. Fighting other ACs was by far the most fun of the first entry and having a dedicated mode where you can contend with a hefty, diverse playlist of enemy AC fights in maps of your choosing which wont punish you for failure is not only great fun in a vacuum, but is bolstered by a satisfying leaderboard vertical progression climb and economic incentive, which makes it easier to have a stable means to getting new parts for your mech, encouraging experimentation. I didn't look up any recommendations for parts this time and while I stuck stubbornly with my tetrapods crawlies because I am bloody terrible at these games, I changed up my weapons and arms significantly more because the Arena not only demanded I do so, but lovingly handed me the wares I wished for.

On a final note, by no means is this review to suggest that 'Project Phantasma' is lazy. Not at all, even if it is mostly more of the same, additions like the Arena on the macro scale gives a change in pace and structure that does the game many favours even if it all still plays the same. On the micro scale, little things like how there's a small commitment to even the Arena maps having little gimmicks like being able to blow up warehouses that act as cover show that 'Project Phantasma' is made from great passions and learned experience from 'Armored Core', however it isn't an essential development. I have great confidence in recommending this to those who enjoyed the other 1997 game, but otherwise this doesn't do all that much. Good fun! Excited for Generation 2 :)

I don't know if I needed more Armored Core 1, but this is just that! Everything good I said about that game still applies here, except for the story.

This game's story is a lot more direct. You follow a linear mission structure with little room for variance and the plot plays out in a much more standard manner. You have a companion for a majority of the runtime, there's an antagonistic rival who shows up to taunt you throughout and all in all, it was all a tad trite. There was a peculiar morality to Armored Core 1; you were a mercenary for hire, which meant being given some unsavoury jobs. I personally chose to ignore those in favour of other missions, which actually ended up skipping them entirely. It was simple but effective and I enjoyed being in that role a lot. In this, you're an action hero. There's no ambiguity, you are the good guy and while that's fine, I wasn't at all hooked.

The game's balance also feels a little off. Levels are generally longer and will whittle down your resources constantly. I'd fail a mission realising what I really needed to do was just ignore all the enemies. I just didn't like the objectives as much this time round, nothing stood out as particularly obnoxious, but in that same regard nothing was as special to me as some of the levels in the original. The final boss was a pain though, I tried for a while with the build that had decimated the rest of the game(s) only to unload all of my ammunition into that boss only for it not to end. I switched to a rocket weapon from the shop and annihilated him in 30 seconds, which came off rather limp. I know these kinds of fights are probably a staple of the series, but the core gameplay on the PS1 just doesn't really facilitate the faster pace as much as I'd like.

I enjoyed it enough. It's Armored Core at its core, but Project Phantasma doesn't bring enough new to the table to warrant its own existence. I didn't even mention the arena mode because I fought one enemy and knew I wouldn't get much out of it. Again, in a title that controls better, these 1-on-1 encounters might shine bright, but they're far too dull here.

This is more of an expansion for AC1 and it's pretty solid by having an actual story going on with a bit of rivarly, it also introduces the arena mode in which you work your way to the top by 1v1 up to 50 opponents with scaling difficulty, this mode gives some neat rewards in the virtue of mech parts and credits.

overall this is was a solid 4 hour experience that had probably one of the hardest final boss I've seen which is surprising because the rest of the game isn't as brutal as I thought it would be.

8/10 become one with Phantasma.

é tipo uma DLC do primeiro, todos os menus e visual do jogo são a mesma coisa, ele usa a mesma OST também (eu ACHO que com algumas tracks novas?). História mais linear e com mais diálogos, achei um downgrade comparado com a do AC1 mas não é ruim, os personagens são bem legais. O design das missões é diferente, adorei as várias lutas contra o Stinger, principalmente as 3 últimas, uma coisa q eu posso dizer desse é que a última missão é melhor que a última missão do primeiro, com de fato uma boss fight legal pra encerrar.

Just beating out Verdict Day in the vote for Armored Core With Most Awkward to Abbreviate Subtitle, Project Phantasma is the second game in the series and it is... middle of the road. It's not the AC game that most could have been an email, but it probably could have been an email. In fact it would absolutely be DLC today, with only a handful of new parts added and a story clocking in at maybe three hours (not that most other games in the series get far past the 8-12 range, counting just the main story).

Said story is considered sort of... an oddity. It has more... it's more of an... it has A Character. Like a persistent supporting one who's relevant to the plot. That's more than the other very early games, or at least the others never really show up on screen. Sumika is another Raven, though, and you occasionally co-op with her. That said, the main impression the story gave me was of something more... Saturday Morning than the usual Armored Core fare. It's a very straightforward, self-contained conflict against a single antagonist, who is also probably the most Generic Cartoon Supervillain character in the series. He even has kind of a catchphrase, which is pretty annoying. (Ha ha, get it? It's like the thing!) But hey, the voice actor is having fun with it. It's just not exactly the darkly camp political commentary or high-melodrama real robot anime tropes the rest of the series might get you used to: a bad man wants to build a scary robot to take over the world, so you shoot at him until he dies, and also, a lady is there. (I'm not marking this as spoilers.)

It must be said that by far Project Phantasma's biggest contribution to the series, if not exactly a unique draw, was the Arena. Basically just a series of standalone, optional AC duels in which you climb a rankings ladder one opponent at a time, it's an instant-staple game mode that didn't exist in AC1; the concept of Ravens being officially ranked was just there for narrative flavor, despite the rankings getting an entire main menu option. It honestly feels a little wrong that the Arena started here. Not, like, morally wrong, it just sounds Incorrect. I mean, the very next game is the one that's actually about the Arena. PP doesn't mention it in the story at all, as far as I can remember; it's kind of such a random Thing Off to the Side you could be forgiven for assuming it's nondiegetic, up until you play Master of Arena.

I will also point out that the reward for beating the final arena opponent is one of the funniest weapons in the series--the FINGER, a hand-shaped five-barreled machine gun with absolutely obscene DPS that also burns through ammo faster than any weapon in the game. That might almost balance itself out if not for the ammo capacity being 3000. Yeah, Fromsoft wasn't really big on constant balance tweaks yet at this point, but this thing got nerfed into fucking oblivion for the next game.

Mission design is... fairly solid, for the early series. I'd call it more even than AC1, if not necessarily better; it's possibly debatable which game has higher peaks, although I'm leaning 1, but 1 for sure has lower valleys. PP is a very Safe kind of game compared to the two it's sandwiched between. I don't recommend skipping it, but neither do I really recommend not skipping it; it's just, Some More. Take it or leave it.

Anyway, the next game pops the fuck off.

it's more armored core. same controls, same ac customization, same premise for blowing shit up. it's just as thrilling as its predecessor with the greatest addition being arena mode. a fun side mode to gain loads of cash and glory. while it does remove the constant fear of financial obliteration that the original game holds, it's still such a fun side mode to feel like the youre top dog. another benefit this game has over the original is ACTUAL storytelling. fromsoft is known for their esoteric storytelling via the environment, npc interactions, and item descriptions. the first armored core really only does its storytelling through mission debriefings and was lacking in getting the player to feel that they have a bigger role in the plot until the very end. not necessarily bad writing, just kinda missing the mark that they subsequently perfected with later games (but had somehow already done better with the first king's field??). this game lets you know the stakes and your significance in the plot from the beginning. but that's all it does better. its characters, mysteries, and overall writing arent as captivating or compelling as the first game. there's some cool ass yet janky in-game cutscenes, though. a neat expansion. moving on to master of arena now.

Better paced than Armored Core, and the difficulty introduced by the latter half of the arena fights encourages experimentation and reveals the systems' depth and variety in a way that game never really managed. It sacrifices a lot of style by shifting to a conventional narrative, but there is something funny about your client being a pitch-perfect hardboiled fiction girl-in-need while exclusively appearing in her mech. Highlight of the game was all fifty arena participants having unique logos and single-sentence bios.

more of the same for better or worse

the new arena mode is decent fun, but I find the plot significantly weaker and lacking the darker tone AC1 had going on, felt a lot safer and more generic

a Lot less missions, entirely linear and lacks the more open ended mission structure AC1 had, and the missions are generally dull and forgettable, a few were decent

overall an Okay prequel that's kinda forgettable and one-upped in every single way by MoA and the original game minus some small additions

Hmm... a generally positive time, but a mixed bag. I started with this one because it's technically a prequel to Armored Core 1, and that was silly. It was fine, but it was silly.

Controls are... crusty. To say the least. Even for PS1. I was able to adapt given a few hours, but even once firing while boost-strafing in circles starts to feel "normal" it never feels smooth. Interacting with consoles and doors and such feels pretty consistently bad. This lack of fine motor control also made me prefer standard outdoor brawls to anything that involved going into a confined space. Missions in general are hit and miss. Some feel very slapdash.

The arena is a highlight, and it's great, both as fairly interesting content and as a way for a player to "grind" and power up their builds in order to get through the next mission. Looking forward to more.

This is essentially the Opposing Force for Half Life as this is to AC1. Missions are much better, though in shorter quantity. Story is a lot more concise and actually pretty entertaining, too. All the new parts introduced are kind of awesome, especially the final part acquired from the Arena which is just a complete melter to anything it touches.

Speaking of Arena, Arena! This is the first time it appeared in true form and its quite good! Very basic, but the fights are fun, the maps are varied, and some fights are completely fucking bullshit! (Pale Rider is quite literally just insane)

Good entry!