The original Armored Core fulfills the mech-mercenary fantasy/simulation better than any of its successors. As I played I found myself really thinking about how I could best optimize my machine and playstyle for optimal payout. Which jobs were worth taking? Which parts could get the job done with minimal cost and risk? After all even if you can equip the strongest parts it's hardly worth it if it means you're going to be blowing more money on repairs and ammo than you make during a mission.
There are no risk-free ways of making money or arena to accrue massive amounts of cash. Every mission you go on has a long-term impact on your situation. AC1 even has a completely diegetic game over/easy mode that'll kick in if you lose too much money (carried on only into AC2 and dropped thereafter).
It's in this respect that Armored Core 1 remains worth playing, as while many of its sequels are still great, even arguably better games, none of them provide quite this same gameplay loop. Only Armored Core 2: Another Age even attempted to do so (a factor totally lost if you bother to import a save from AC2), but its mission design lacks in comparison to AC1.
Speaking of there are some truly inventive stages here and never once did I feel like I was playing through 'filler.' AC1 has a uniquely eerie atmosphere particularly punctuated by certain levels like the trek into a seemingly alien insect hive, or as you venture deep into an underground facility while a disturbing radio broadcast plays. You can also easily see how From Software drew from their experience creating dungeon crawlers like King's Field when creating the labyrinthine indoor bases.
Mission briefings and emails tell the bulk of AC's paranoia-driven, dystopian story full of shady groups and backstabs. These little snippets tell you all you need to know about the kind of world the game takes place in indirectly. The interesting feature in which taking missions for certain groups may open up or close a particular branching path to you had a great debut here. It's a great system but one that also begs to be built upon further.
While later games in the series may have mechanics or features you prefer I think this Armored Core is well worth coming back to for anyone because of the purity with which it delivers on that original concept. Later games would drag the franchise into all manner of different directions, but only AC1 let you experience that original concept in its most raw form. It also simply remains a fun game full of inventive design and appealing core gameplay even all these years later. Don't pass it up under the premise its sequels are everything it is and more. Armored Core stands as a unique, singular experience within its franchise.
There are no risk-free ways of making money or arena to accrue massive amounts of cash. Every mission you go on has a long-term impact on your situation. AC1 even has a completely diegetic game over/easy mode that'll kick in if you lose too much money (carried on only into AC2 and dropped thereafter).
It's in this respect that Armored Core 1 remains worth playing, as while many of its sequels are still great, even arguably better games, none of them provide quite this same gameplay loop. Only Armored Core 2: Another Age even attempted to do so (a factor totally lost if you bother to import a save from AC2), but its mission design lacks in comparison to AC1.
Speaking of there are some truly inventive stages here and never once did I feel like I was playing through 'filler.' AC1 has a uniquely eerie atmosphere particularly punctuated by certain levels like the trek into a seemingly alien insect hive, or as you venture deep into an underground facility while a disturbing radio broadcast plays. You can also easily see how From Software drew from their experience creating dungeon crawlers like King's Field when creating the labyrinthine indoor bases.
Mission briefings and emails tell the bulk of AC's paranoia-driven, dystopian story full of shady groups and backstabs. These little snippets tell you all you need to know about the kind of world the game takes place in indirectly. The interesting feature in which taking missions for certain groups may open up or close a particular branching path to you had a great debut here. It's a great system but one that also begs to be built upon further.
While later games in the series may have mechanics or features you prefer I think this Armored Core is well worth coming back to for anyone because of the purity with which it delivers on that original concept. Later games would drag the franchise into all manner of different directions, but only AC1 let you experience that original concept in its most raw form. It also simply remains a fun game full of inventive design and appealing core gameplay even all these years later. Don't pass it up under the premise its sequels are everything it is and more. Armored Core stands as a unique, singular experience within its franchise.