Replay

G5 Iguazu my beloved.

I'm going to be honest: this game's biggest problem is the OST. If it was even as good as 3's or Nexus', this game would be higher.

But like... wow. Genuine masterclass in game design that perfect a near-decade long philosophy. Need games in this day and age that are as fulfilling as this.

Definitely the most emotionally charged Armored Core game. Narratively a lot closer to something like Dark Souls, unsurprisingly. Mission design isn't the best in the series, but the movement mechanics, NEXT duels, and AF fights are a sight to behold and make this game more than worthwhile. Out of all the AC games, also the one I think deserves a remake most along with 4. Great as 4th gen gameplay is, I don't think it reached the its full potential the way oldgen did with Last Raven. Polish up some of their rough edges, make longer and more interesting missions, and double the length of the campaign, and it'd be a strong contender for favorite AC game.

Replay

If you dislike this game you are a boring person. MGR fucking rules idrk what to say.

Fromsoft really caught lightning in a bottle here. For what it lacks in length it makes up for with some of the most refined design of the PS1 trilogy. Great mission design while not managing to feel like an afterthought in the way PP was. Where the game really manages to stick out from its predecessors is the titular arena. I was never compelled to do PP's arena so I can't really compare them, but MoA's arena is some of the most thoughtful encounter design I've seen despite the relatively short length of these one-on-one bouts. It manages to test both your skills and knowledge of the game's controls whilst simultaneously forcing to solve the puzzle that is the enemy AI's preferred strategy, both of which make for some of the most compelling duel design I've seen in the company's history. Story is good and easily the best of the PS1 trilogy, with Nineball Seraph being an incredibly memorable antagonist and rival.

I saw someone once say that DD is a 10/10 game disguised as a 6/10 game, but it's more like 6/10ths of a 10/10 game. So much ambition and passion on Itsuno's part, but ultimately unfulfilled and hollow by the end. Bitterblack is pretty cool tho.

A bold entry in a franchise where just about every entry is fairly bold, to mixed success. A ton of good things but bogged down by mediocrity every hour or so. Still, the good stuff is quite good and made the game a net positive experience overall, even if it could've been so much more.

Where Kojima had begun to find his footing beyond the military and spy aesthetics of Metal Gear. Still barebones by the series' standards in regards to what it has to say, but the narrative foundations and storytelling are there. Gray Fox has my heart.

Amazing gameplay and a good indicator of Rebirth's eventual quality.

Some of the midgame missions are genuinely atrocious, but starting from around the 17-20 or so sortie mark, it starts becoming weirdly... good? Idk, but the narrative stakes increasing, level design getting incrementality more polished each level, the atmosphere getting more tense, and gameplay options opening up just made that last stretch quite enjoyable. Also, more so than the first gen, I really got deep into some build experimentation here. Both 2 and 3 really forced me to get intimate with the customization this series has to offer, and for that, I am grateful.

Wasn't quite feeling it but Rebirth made me see the vision. Very dated in terms of both narrative and gameplay, but Zack, Cloud, and Sephiroth are all wonderful and that ending is superb.

Not a bad game by any means but definitely my least favorite of the year. Kojima hadn't quite found his footing yet beyond the spy and military aesthetics. Cool how many mechanical foundations were intact way back when. Definitely a Metal Gear game.