On my other list, I've spoken at length about how much I admire this game's bosses. Bosses aside, the gameplay loop is really solid (ha). Not perfect; I think flying enemies and certain elite enemies like the gorilla guys could've been balance better, and my GOD is the camera janky as hell. I swear, I could get dropkicked by a gorilla cyborg and suddenly the camera is face flat on Raiden's ass. That aside, it's so, so satisfying to master MGR's gameplay loop, with the Zanmatsu being a perfect way to incentivize aggression and high level play. It makes for an obscenely nutty gameplay loop when you're able to execute, probably the most satisfying in any game I've ever played.

Includes Torna

Definitely recency bias but goddamn is this game such a blast. If I had to criticize anything, it'd be how most of the game's regular missions are incredibly forgettable and mostly walks in the park with fragile enemies. That being said, having S-ranked every mission and getting the platinum, I've not only developed a newfound appreciation for a lot of what would be the more mundane missions on a normal playthrough, but I also think it's the most fun I've had completing a game. The NPC fights aren't super hard most of the time, but they're speedy, frantic, and usually provide insightful characterization, always making them a blast. The highlights are definitely the bosses and big, important story missions. Defeating many of the former and S-ranking many of the latter were just pure bliss. I also feel like I've only scratched the surface of this game's mechanics, using typically lightweight parts and relying on machine guns+melee. Once I get back to this after playing previous AC games and understanding the two-decade long synthesis, I just know it'll be just as enjoyable as when I first played.

On the complete opposite end of Sekiro, which is great mostly for combat alone, Last Raven shines in just how mechanically broad it all is. The combat is obviously great and the best iteration of oldgen, but everything surrounding that combat, from the mission pathing to the breadth of the customization to tense level design just give this game that little push it needed to be this high. Not without some tedium and maybe a couple of bad missions (fuck you Rim Fire), but it is Armored Core perfected.