A few months ago, I bought Pokemon Scarlet. I thought that maybe despite what I had heard about it, the game would bring me back to my childhood when I liked those games. I wasn't in the best place in my life when I bought it, and I was hoping this would make me feel better, even though I knew that it would only be a distraction. Even with that, it was a bad distraction, and I think the Armored Core series would've... helped (?) more.

This series has quickly become one of my favorite to the point where objectivity is hard, despite how aware I am of the flaws. One of the missions is a nigh innavigable maze (although you don't have to play the mission to beat the game). In terms of audio, while the music is great, the actual dialogue occasionally seems delivered unnaturally fast, as if to save on file space. Some of the enemy AI isn't super great, and while I did think the story was pretty good, combining the best of the previous two games' structures, your player characters' motivations aren't explored at all.

However, none of these things stopped me from loving Armored Core: Master of Arena. The customization is better than ever, and moreso than the previous games, I felt challenged to actually adapt my AC to each battle. There were tons of great weapons and parts that I used and loved, and all of them are well-balanced. I think the game was well paced and I liked the focus on the arena. I was afraid that the game would feel bad doing several arena matches in a row, but those matches are broken up by story-pertinent missions. I do wish that you could still do optional missions late-game, but it's not a huge deal and makes sense story-wise.

But the real reason I compared this to Pokemon is because of the ability to transfer the AC to each subsequent game. By the end of this one, my AC (Which I named Wyvearn for some reason) felt truly powerful, and it felt like it really was something I made. Just like in Pokemon, you can really make your own powerhouse through morally questionable means. Even more than something like Shin Megami Tensei, Armored Core: Master of Arena is the closest I've felt to playing Pokemon for adults.

There's also the EX arenas, which I haven't gotten into that much, but it's pretty neat. You can the ACs of the developers and winners of an AC tournament. You can even duel your own AC in it, and this mode really does justify the title 'Master of Arena'.

So yes, I loved this game, despite its flaws. It's the best of the PS1 trilogy and a great finale to it. 9/10