Project Phantasma feels more like an expansion to the original Armored Core as opposed to a full-on sequel, with the major changes being new missions, more parts in the shop, and a new Arena mode. That might sound like a negative, but it's actually really cool, as one of my favorite things about this game is the fact that you can import your AC from the previous game, allowing you to customize and optimize it even further. The game has about half of the total missions that AC1 had, but these missions are noticeably more diverse in objectives and overall have better level design.

As I mentioned earlier, the big addition to the game is the Arena, which allows you to climb the ranks by beating 49 other Ravens. These one-on-one fights are a lot of fun, and they really put your AC building and piloting abilities to the test. The fights get brutal as you climb higher, pitting you against Human Plus enemy ACs; dodging their 3k+ damage sword waves really gets the blood pumping.