Pen
The elements which initially seem impressive in this game end up either tapering off or expose themselves for their lack of depth the more a playthrough goes one.
Combat which initially feels exciting with a variety of different combos and mechanics ends up boiling down almost entirely to using the perfect counter. Moreover the combat system makes it clear that it's designed around 1v1 encounters and that facing multiple opponents is a poor idea, yet constantly puts you up against several enemies at a time.
The story does a good job of grabbing your initial interest, but many of the plot threads which are set up in the beginning fail to conclude or amount to anything meaningful by the game's end.
Quest design occasionally offers unique scenarios with multiple resolutions based on your character build. More often though quest are linear and full of busywork that involves running back and forth between NPCs with little actual choice or decision-making.
The simulation and survival elements which initially draw you into the world quickly devolve into tedious upkeep. Resources are rarely strained due to just how readily they're given out.
This isn't to say the game is all bad, I generally enjoyed my time with it and if I had reviewed it at the 20 hour mark I probably would have given it a 4 star rating. Yet I found myself having less and less fun as I went into the second half of my playthrough and by the end I was thankful for it to be over.
Combat which initially feels exciting with a variety of different combos and mechanics ends up boiling down almost entirely to using the perfect counter. Moreover the combat system makes it clear that it's designed around 1v1 encounters and that facing multiple opponents is a poor idea, yet constantly puts you up against several enemies at a time.
The story does a good job of grabbing your initial interest, but many of the plot threads which are set up in the beginning fail to conclude or amount to anything meaningful by the game's end.
Quest design occasionally offers unique scenarios with multiple resolutions based on your character build. More often though quest are linear and full of busywork that involves running back and forth between NPCs with little actual choice or decision-making.
The simulation and survival elements which initially draw you into the world quickly devolve into tedious upkeep. Resources are rarely strained due to just how readily they're given out.
This isn't to say the game is all bad, I generally enjoyed my time with it and if I had reviewed it at the 20 hour mark I probably would have given it a 4 star rating. Yet I found myself having less and less fun as I went into the second half of my playthrough and by the end I was thankful for it to be over.
This is the ideal version of this game, maintaining the charming NES visuals while fixing up the game's countless bugs, offering genuine quality of life improvements like the option to buy potions in bulk, rebalancing and smoothing over the progression curve and even adding in some postgame content as a nice little treat.
Highly recommend checking it out: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/522595-final-fantasy/78701259
Highly recommend checking it out: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/522595-final-fantasy/78701259
Cookie Clicker for your Super Nintendo
2024
The first Alone in the Dark title since the original that can be called, without caveats, a good game. Lacking some polish but on normal difficulty I never found the combat to be frustrating. Puzzles are straightforward, but well executed and signposted enough that I highly recommend playing on the "old-school" mode without hints.
Environments are richly detailed and more importantly, varied as it takes us through a number of well-executed southern gothic locales as well as some unexpected twists in the late-game. There's a strong ambience and the game keeps introducing new things at a fast enough pace that exploration doesn't get boring. The art direction of these environments is definitely the game's best facet and what most kept me going through to the end.
This is also the first Alone in the Dark since the original to recognize the franchise's cosmic horror roots. The game is maybe too keenly aware of this and never makes an attempt to venture out of the territory of being a Lovecraft pulp-pastiche. Given how few well-done versions of this exist in games perhaps sticking to that mold and not being overly-ambitious was precisely what it needed to do. Still it's definitely going to feel rote if you're familiar with the types of stories the game is directly copying.
Monster design is perhaps the most disappointing aspect. I'm not sure why when writing for a mythos with such a rich history of public domain creatures to pull from you'd stick with barely-distinguishable blob monsters.
Good enough, albeit not great pulp horror game. If you're interested pick it up when it's cheap, play through it in an evening or two and probably never think about it again.
Environments are richly detailed and more importantly, varied as it takes us through a number of well-executed southern gothic locales as well as some unexpected twists in the late-game. There's a strong ambience and the game keeps introducing new things at a fast enough pace that exploration doesn't get boring. The art direction of these environments is definitely the game's best facet and what most kept me going through to the end.
This is also the first Alone in the Dark since the original to recognize the franchise's cosmic horror roots. The game is maybe too keenly aware of this and never makes an attempt to venture out of the territory of being a Lovecraft pulp-pastiche. Given how few well-done versions of this exist in games perhaps sticking to that mold and not being overly-ambitious was precisely what it needed to do. Still it's definitely going to feel rote if you're familiar with the types of stories the game is directly copying.
Monster design is perhaps the most disappointing aspect. I'm not sure why when writing for a mythos with such a rich history of public domain creatures to pull from you'd stick with barely-distinguishable blob monsters.
Good enough, albeit not great pulp horror game. If you're interested pick it up when it's cheap, play through it in an evening or two and probably never think about it again.
Solidly enjoyable sci-fi gold box rpg and a pretty good console port (albeit with some things simplified/cut for space). The short run time of around 10 or so hours ensures it doesn't wear out its welcome. Has a straightforward plot that takes you across various planets and a number of optional sidequests.
It can be easy to land yourself in a bad spot so keeping a backup save from before the start of a mission is advised. The game boasts a pretty good number of decisions and skill-checks that can alter how scenarios play out, mostly in the form of granting you rewards for passing checks or making the "right" choice, but occasionally with some brief divergent gameplay paths.
Like many older rpgs there are a handful of skills with limited use (looking at you 'library use' and 'rocket repair') and others that are practically mandatory, but your 6-man party offers enough flexibility you should be able to easily cover everything you need and then some.
Combat is simplistic early on due to the mostly ranged nature of combat minimizing the effectiveness of positioning, though this becomes more necessary later on as aoe explosion attacks become more and more prevalent among enemy types. Plus there's a variety of different grenade types with varying effects.
Not an all time great, but a game that's easy to enjoy and could easily serve as a great introduction to older crpgs for those curious but that struggle with some of the more complex or esoteric games in the genre.
It can be easy to land yourself in a bad spot so keeping a backup save from before the start of a mission is advised. The game boasts a pretty good number of decisions and skill-checks that can alter how scenarios play out, mostly in the form of granting you rewards for passing checks or making the "right" choice, but occasionally with some brief divergent gameplay paths.
Like many older rpgs there are a handful of skills with limited use (looking at you 'library use' and 'rocket repair') and others that are practically mandatory, but your 6-man party offers enough flexibility you should be able to easily cover everything you need and then some.
Combat is simplistic early on due to the mostly ranged nature of combat minimizing the effectiveness of positioning, though this becomes more necessary later on as aoe explosion attacks become more and more prevalent among enemy types. Plus there's a variety of different grenade types with varying effects.
Not an all time great, but a game that's easy to enjoy and could easily serve as a great introduction to older crpgs for those curious but that struggle with some of the more complex or esoteric games in the genre.
2006
Coming just a year and a half after 2005's Last Raven, Armored Core 4 marks a turning point in the franchise. The classic AC gameplay had been pushed as far as it could feasibly go on the PS2, tweaked and refined and elevated in difficulty and tuning until it produced a marvelous diamond. To continue tinkering with a style of game they had worked on across more than ten games would have felt redundant.
AC4 took advantage of the new technology available to try and offer a new style of play. The bones of Armored Core as we knew it are still there, but what's been built on top of them is the most radical departure from the old formula yet.
The tiny arenas that featured prominently in the last few games have been replaced by gigantic maps that you traverse in lightning fast ACs that glide across the ground and zip over the skies. Building a machine that could maintain flight for a long time took careful fine-tuning in previous titles, but here it's more or less compulsory. Bunny-hopping as an abstract, player-driven technique for dodging has been replaced with the button activated quick boost.
In a fun bit of continuity From incorporates the incredible power of the new NEXT ACs into the story by pitting you up against the classic Cores of old games (simply called Normals) and letting you destroy them with ease. Those bulky, reliable machines that you spent nearly a decade piloting have been made totally obsolete by the passage of time and advancing tech. A simple swing of your sword will tear apart a whole group of them with ease now.
For as fun as its new gameplay is there's undoubtedly something a bit off feeling about Armored Core 4 and you can tell that it's their first go-around with this style of gameplay. I played with the updated 1.6 Regulations and even so there were times where maneuvering my AC to do things like get up a small gap felt more cumbersome than they out to for such slick, lightning fast machines. Still though it's doubtless that this game puts speed and maneuverability in the player's hands much more easily than before.
This game boasts more varied mission design compared to Last Raven, focusing less on AC duels and more on giving a variety of objectives. There are maybe a few too many stages, especially in the game's early chapters, that focus on simply taking out a small number of weak enemy troops. But as you progress most stages have some type of unique factor or element to them. From racing down a narrow trench full of enemies to take out a giant cannon, to a competition with another AC to take out the most foes first, to having to play through a stage without your NEXT's enhanced armor. It's a nice level of variety and I found myself liking most of them even if (as usual) there were a few not to my tastes.
When you jump into the Arena (awkwardly buried in the game's menus) it does become evident why the game doesn't feature many AC vs AC battles. And that's because the enemy AI feels utterly unequipped to deal with an even mildly competent player. The game seems unsure of what to do with all the power given to players through the new speed and a part of me started missing the older movement mechanics as I lazily blasted my way through the Arena's entire roster of ACs without ever once changing up my build. This is definitely one of the easiest games in the series yet and although I didn't personally mind this (especially coming from the very challenging Last Raven) I would have liked for the game to up the ante a little in some places.
In addition to being one of the easier games to get through a single playthrough AC4 is probably the shortest non-expansion game yet too. The cost of HD development, an issue for many developers, can be felt here as the game ends surprisingly fast. These games have always had short runtimes but this title pushes that even further and it's not hard to imagine some players feeling disappointed in the brief playtime for a full-priced title on their expensive new machine in 2006.
An area in which the game is more mixed is the visual department. There's a certain barren quality to many of the levels in AC4. Often the monochrome gray levels and the lack of geometry on ACs can make the game feel less detailed and textured than previous games. At times in certain stages though the game's art direction truly comes together in fascinatingly beautiful ways. The first time I noticed this was in the mission "Desert Wolf" in which the backdrop of a smoking, war-torn city against the dusky orange sky evoked an incredibly powerful mood, enhanced all the more that this was the game's first fight against another NEXT.
Other standout stages include "Break the White Lance" which sees you chasing down the sunset as you race through a naval blockade to take out their leader and "Firefly" in which you traverse a city at night, illuminated by flares and gunfire. It was fascinating to me how the game could look so bland at times and yet so powerfully beautiful at others and I think I ultimately came away from AC4 appreciating its unique art direction more than I disliked it. The drab gray world punctuated by moments of beauty is certainly in fitting with the tone of the series and is a match for this game's story in particular.
Speaking of story this game does away with the branching story paths, a feature of the series going all the way back to AC1 and whose absence is sorely missed. While it does make use of this change to tell an arguably more personal story than past titles (our pilot, unlike previous protagonists, has very specific allegiances and goals) it also ultimately doesn't do enough with this premise to make it worth it. It's hard not to feel like this was simply a concession toward the game's development costs.
The blow from this is softened however by the inclusion of hard mode versions of missions, a first for the series. These aren't simple number tweaks but instead change up levels by altering objectives and enemy placements to create more difficult challenges. Not only this but they go the extra mile of in some cases adding entirely new elements to the story of missions. These can totally recontextualize some plot elements and make replaying stages on hard mode a real treat and also does a little to alleviate the game's overall low difficulty level. It is hard not to feel like some of these things should have been part of the story in the first run through though and were held back for hard mode.
My feelings toward this game were really mixed as I played through it, but after playing it I came away feeling that it was a refreshing and ultimately solid entry. I respect that it tried to do something new with AC gameplay and even if it didn't perfect it on the first try the effort was far from a bad one. Armored Core 4 is absolutely a worthwhile entry in the series and an important step in its evolution. I'd encourage players not to skip it in favor of For Answer as it has charms all its own in mission design and visuals which that game doesn't always replicate.
AC4 took advantage of the new technology available to try and offer a new style of play. The bones of Armored Core as we knew it are still there, but what's been built on top of them is the most radical departure from the old formula yet.
The tiny arenas that featured prominently in the last few games have been replaced by gigantic maps that you traverse in lightning fast ACs that glide across the ground and zip over the skies. Building a machine that could maintain flight for a long time took careful fine-tuning in previous titles, but here it's more or less compulsory. Bunny-hopping as an abstract, player-driven technique for dodging has been replaced with the button activated quick boost.
In a fun bit of continuity From incorporates the incredible power of the new NEXT ACs into the story by pitting you up against the classic Cores of old games (simply called Normals) and letting you destroy them with ease. Those bulky, reliable machines that you spent nearly a decade piloting have been made totally obsolete by the passage of time and advancing tech. A simple swing of your sword will tear apart a whole group of them with ease now.
For as fun as its new gameplay is there's undoubtedly something a bit off feeling about Armored Core 4 and you can tell that it's their first go-around with this style of gameplay. I played with the updated 1.6 Regulations and even so there were times where maneuvering my AC to do things like get up a small gap felt more cumbersome than they out to for such slick, lightning fast machines. Still though it's doubtless that this game puts speed and maneuverability in the player's hands much more easily than before.
This game boasts more varied mission design compared to Last Raven, focusing less on AC duels and more on giving a variety of objectives. There are maybe a few too many stages, especially in the game's early chapters, that focus on simply taking out a small number of weak enemy troops. But as you progress most stages have some type of unique factor or element to them. From racing down a narrow trench full of enemies to take out a giant cannon, to a competition with another AC to take out the most foes first, to having to play through a stage without your NEXT's enhanced armor. It's a nice level of variety and I found myself liking most of them even if (as usual) there were a few not to my tastes.
When you jump into the Arena (awkwardly buried in the game's menus) it does become evident why the game doesn't feature many AC vs AC battles. And that's because the enemy AI feels utterly unequipped to deal with an even mildly competent player. The game seems unsure of what to do with all the power given to players through the new speed and a part of me started missing the older movement mechanics as I lazily blasted my way through the Arena's entire roster of ACs without ever once changing up my build. This is definitely one of the easiest games in the series yet and although I didn't personally mind this (especially coming from the very challenging Last Raven) I would have liked for the game to up the ante a little in some places.
In addition to being one of the easier games to get through a single playthrough AC4 is probably the shortest non-expansion game yet too. The cost of HD development, an issue for many developers, can be felt here as the game ends surprisingly fast. These games have always had short runtimes but this title pushes that even further and it's not hard to imagine some players feeling disappointed in the brief playtime for a full-priced title on their expensive new machine in 2006.
An area in which the game is more mixed is the visual department. There's a certain barren quality to many of the levels in AC4. Often the monochrome gray levels and the lack of geometry on ACs can make the game feel less detailed and textured than previous games. At times in certain stages though the game's art direction truly comes together in fascinatingly beautiful ways. The first time I noticed this was in the mission "Desert Wolf" in which the backdrop of a smoking, war-torn city against the dusky orange sky evoked an incredibly powerful mood, enhanced all the more that this was the game's first fight against another NEXT.
Other standout stages include "Break the White Lance" which sees you chasing down the sunset as you race through a naval blockade to take out their leader and "Firefly" in which you traverse a city at night, illuminated by flares and gunfire. It was fascinating to me how the game could look so bland at times and yet so powerfully beautiful at others and I think I ultimately came away from AC4 appreciating its unique art direction more than I disliked it. The drab gray world punctuated by moments of beauty is certainly in fitting with the tone of the series and is a match for this game's story in particular.
Speaking of story this game does away with the branching story paths, a feature of the series going all the way back to AC1 and whose absence is sorely missed. While it does make use of this change to tell an arguably more personal story than past titles (our pilot, unlike previous protagonists, has very specific allegiances and goals) it also ultimately doesn't do enough with this premise to make it worth it. It's hard not to feel like this was simply a concession toward the game's development costs.
The blow from this is softened however by the inclusion of hard mode versions of missions, a first for the series. These aren't simple number tweaks but instead change up levels by altering objectives and enemy placements to create more difficult challenges. Not only this but they go the extra mile of in some cases adding entirely new elements to the story of missions. These can totally recontextualize some plot elements and make replaying stages on hard mode a real treat and also does a little to alleviate the game's overall low difficulty level. It is hard not to feel like some of these things should have been part of the story in the first run through though and were held back for hard mode.
My feelings toward this game were really mixed as I played through it, but after playing it I came away feeling that it was a refreshing and ultimately solid entry. I respect that it tried to do something new with AC gameplay and even if it didn't perfect it on the first try the effort was far from a bad one. Armored Core 4 is absolutely a worthwhile entry in the series and an important step in its evolution. I'd encourage players not to skip it in favor of For Answer as it has charms all its own in mission design and visuals which that game doesn't always replicate.
1990
Studies have shown that people who liked this more than Super Mario Bros. 3 as a kid were statistically more likely to steal money from their mom's purse.
Just food for thought.
Just food for thought.
You couldn't ask for much better as a finale for the PS2 Armored Core games, at least from a mechanical perspective anyway. Last Raven takes the heavy rebalancing done from Nexus and rebalances it all yet again, making the overheating system a little more lenient and once again adjusting old and adding new parts to try and retool things one last time. Is it the perfect iteration of AC balance? Honestly no idea, I'll leave that discussion up to the hardcore multiplayer guys.
Beyond the additions though this game features vastly improved enemy AI, easily the most aggressive and dangerous the series has seen so far. Mission design is eager to show this off too as the stages here are among the most challenging From has put together for the series, with numerous multi-AC fights, surprise ambushes and other tricks up their sleeve. If you managed to fumble your way through the previous games by the skin of your teeth then Last Raven will absolutely humble you. It's a game that demands you understand these mechanics on more than just a surface level if you want to survive (either that or look up the cheesiest builds online and pray you get lucky).
Coming from the very breezy Nexus this is a huge jump in what it asks and it took me some time to adjust, but ultimately I found the challenge to be refreshing. It encouraged me to try out a variety of different builds and strategies, to finally master bunny-hopping and boost jumping on more than just a surface level, and to all around just put everything I had learned from playing the series so far to the test. It was a great time. And if From Software knew this would be their final game in this style then it absolutely made sense to push the game mechanics to their limit.
Even when stages don't involve fighting enemy ACs they usually offer some degree of challenge. There's almost no filler here, something that the previous game Nexus, for as much as I liked it, was full of. The game's high level of challenge can also be taxing too, so maybe be smarter than me and don't do an entire playthrough in one sitting if you start to get frustrated.
While Last Raven has the usual assortment of missions which diverge based on which jobs you take (and in some cases even how well you complete them) the way they're presented marks a huge tonal shift. The game takes place in just a single day as Alliance (comprised of the major organizations from the previous few games) and Vertex, an organized terrorist force, prepare to go to war with one another. With each mission you complete the clock ticks down slowly toward the final battle. This constant reminder of the impending end really helps to sell the darker tone that Last Raven goes for.
There's no levity here, something the game makes clear from its intro. There is no retreat of friendly duels with other pilots as most missions see you eliminating your fellow Ravens in brutal fashion. Probably more than half of the total missions here are hit jobs against other pilots. And while the arena is back in form (after the less than stellar version in Nexus) it is now relegated to a VR sim, enforcing that there's now time for leisure or pleasantries as the clock counts down.
The branching path system that originated all the way back in Armored Core 1 finally sees innovation in this game. Last Raven sports several endings depending on which choices you make over the course of the game. These decisions will open or close various paths and do so in a (mostly) natural feeling way, although there are some well-hidden branches. As someone who had been hoping to see this feature expanded upon since the very first game it was great to finally see the series evolve.
The only real weakness of this approach is that not all of these endings are made equal. The first one I got was extremely disappointing from a climactic perspective, with the second making for a far more fitting finale. Like most AC titles this is a very short game so replaying to see different endings doesn't take too long.
While Last Raven is great at selling its tone I do think it comes at a cost. The soundtrack is far weaker than usual, which was really disappointing after the absolutely incredible variety and use of music in Nexus. And while there is mission variety it does ultimately come down to mostly fighting other ACs for most stages. As great as these fights are I think I ultimately prefer a larger variety of stages.
Still, Last Raven marks itself as one of the best entries in the series and an extremely fitting way to send off the "classic" style of Armored Core game before moving on to the next generation. It's a title that builds upon everything that came before it and asks much of you as a player, but rewards just as much in return.
Beyond the additions though this game features vastly improved enemy AI, easily the most aggressive and dangerous the series has seen so far. Mission design is eager to show this off too as the stages here are among the most challenging From has put together for the series, with numerous multi-AC fights, surprise ambushes and other tricks up their sleeve. If you managed to fumble your way through the previous games by the skin of your teeth then Last Raven will absolutely humble you. It's a game that demands you understand these mechanics on more than just a surface level if you want to survive (either that or look up the cheesiest builds online and pray you get lucky).
Coming from the very breezy Nexus this is a huge jump in what it asks and it took me some time to adjust, but ultimately I found the challenge to be refreshing. It encouraged me to try out a variety of different builds and strategies, to finally master bunny-hopping and boost jumping on more than just a surface level, and to all around just put everything I had learned from playing the series so far to the test. It was a great time. And if From Software knew this would be their final game in this style then it absolutely made sense to push the game mechanics to their limit.
Even when stages don't involve fighting enemy ACs they usually offer some degree of challenge. There's almost no filler here, something that the previous game Nexus, for as much as I liked it, was full of. The game's high level of challenge can also be taxing too, so maybe be smarter than me and don't do an entire playthrough in one sitting if you start to get frustrated.
While Last Raven has the usual assortment of missions which diverge based on which jobs you take (and in some cases even how well you complete them) the way they're presented marks a huge tonal shift. The game takes place in just a single day as Alliance (comprised of the major organizations from the previous few games) and Vertex, an organized terrorist force, prepare to go to war with one another. With each mission you complete the clock ticks down slowly toward the final battle. This constant reminder of the impending end really helps to sell the darker tone that Last Raven goes for.
There's no levity here, something the game makes clear from its intro. There is no retreat of friendly duels with other pilots as most missions see you eliminating your fellow Ravens in brutal fashion. Probably more than half of the total missions here are hit jobs against other pilots. And while the arena is back in form (after the less than stellar version in Nexus) it is now relegated to a VR sim, enforcing that there's now time for leisure or pleasantries as the clock counts down.
The branching path system that originated all the way back in Armored Core 1 finally sees innovation in this game. Last Raven sports several endings depending on which choices you make over the course of the game. These decisions will open or close various paths and do so in a (mostly) natural feeling way, although there are some well-hidden branches. As someone who had been hoping to see this feature expanded upon since the very first game it was great to finally see the series evolve.
The only real weakness of this approach is that not all of these endings are made equal. The first one I got was extremely disappointing from a climactic perspective, with the second making for a far more fitting finale. Like most AC titles this is a very short game so replaying to see different endings doesn't take too long.
While Last Raven is great at selling its tone I do think it comes at a cost. The soundtrack is far weaker than usual, which was really disappointing after the absolutely incredible variety and use of music in Nexus. And while there is mission variety it does ultimately come down to mostly fighting other ACs for most stages. As great as these fights are I think I ultimately prefer a larger variety of stages.
Still, Last Raven marks itself as one of the best entries in the series and an extremely fitting way to send off the "classic" style of Armored Core game before moving on to the next generation. It's a title that builds upon everything that came before it and asks much of you as a player, but rewards just as much in return.
2004
At a glance Nexus looks like just another PS2 Armored Core game, but beneath the surface it's probably the most willing to change things up that any AC game has done since the PS1. This is a fact that speaks more to just how conservative these games have been to this point rather than positing Nexus as some grand revolution. It's still ultimately a very similar game to its predecessors, but the winds of change are starting to blow for Armored Core.
The mission structure has changed and with it the voiced mission briefings from previous games are gone. You get only a brief summary of the mission objective before being thrown in. In their place the emails you receive are more detailed and alongside them there's a news bulletin where you can follow the events of the world happening, including how the results of your missions alter them. While some may miss the lavish production of previous games I thought this very thematically fitting. As a mercenary you feel more detached from the missions than you did before and it's only by carefully paying attention to world events that you can truly get a grasp on just what kind of impact your decisions are having, and maybe in doing so choose which jobs you want to take or not. Or you can be like me and just reject all defensive missions and accept anything else.
In place of the voiced mission briefings missions now feature considerably more elaborate in-engine cutscenes. These were extremely rare in prior titles but now feature frequently and while they're not incredible or anything some of them feature some pretty cool camera shots and even unique animations for the intros. This probably sounds pretty standard to anyone not familiar with the franchise, but rest assured that From Software have been extremely frugal about this sort of thing up to now, so seeing them in action actually shocked me the first time it happened. It's a real nice update to add some liveliness to the story sequences in game.
I've been pretty lax when it comes to discussing soundtracks in these titles as I don't consider myself very skilled at criticizing music. I do however know what sounds good to my ears and Nexus easily has the best soundtrack featured in any Armored Core game yet. Beyond that though it also features the best use of music in-game, with great track selection and variety throughout the missions.
Gameplay has been changed up in both subtle and more overt ways. This is easily the largest number of parts we've seen in a non-expansion AC game, though it did have the foundation of 3 and Silent Line to build from. Everything has been rebalanced however, for better or worse. The movement mechanics have also been changed up leaving Nexus feeling just a bit slower than either AC3 game. The heat mechanic has been changed too to require the player to more carefully manage their heat as just about everything generates it now.
I expected to dislike this going in, but ultimately found it to be a pretty enjoyable system, choosing your radiator and parts based on cooling is actually something I paid close attention to when I never had before and in general I felt like I was more mindful of my build in this game than previous entries in which I would just slap on whatever parts sounded good and jump in. Your mileage may vary though about whether this is good or bad.
Everything sounds pretty good so far right? What's the catch? Probably the biggest one is that this game is the easiest title in the series yet, but more than that has the biggest disparity in quality between missions. I ultimately didn't mind Nexus being on the easy side as it's not like every previous game was super-difficult. AC3 was only a little harder than this game and I didn't mind it. The missions are more of an issue however. While there's plenty that are fun and worth playing there's also a notably high number of extremely short levels offering little or no challenge here. Missions where you shoot down a small handful of weak MTs, and most notoriously of all the huge abundance of 'test' missions in which you do some lab work for what is basically a free payout with no risk.
Speaking of risk From seems to have given up balancing the economy at all anymore. It was never much of a factor since the introduction of the arena in Project Phantasma, but at least it was still possible to lose money during missions so you could pretend you were trying to go for high payouts if you ignored the absurd arena bonuses. Now though mission payouts are so generous you'll usually make a profit even if you fail a sortie. And as far as the previously mentioned arena goes this is definitely the worst implementation of it yet. I was personally never a big fan of the arena so this bothered me relatively little, but it could be a big sticking point for those who loved that feature.
Ultimately the good still outweighs the bad as there are plenty of missions worth playing here, but it's easily the game's biggest failing and the one that prevents it from being an incredible game instead of merely a very good one. Of course this is all in reference to Disc 1: Evolution. But what really elevates Nexus is the presence of Disc 2: Revolution.
Nexus' second disc features a remake of a large assortment of missions from Armored Core 1, Project Phantasma and Master of Arena. These are lovingly recreated with fully voiced mission briefings and play great in the new engine. It's strange how the production quality on these can often feel higher budget than those of the supposed 'main game.' If anything the exception selection of old missions highlights just how uneven disc 1's quality could be.
It doesn't stop at just remaking sorties though, as they also feature optional extensions of these missions as well as the opportunity to play them from the opposite side. These were fantastic additions that build upon the stories of these old levels by adding in new background details. It's always a risk to add in new story elements to old works, but I always found these to be respectful and fitting in tone with the source material. On top of that there's a ton of remixes of classic Armored Core tracks all throughout, taking what was already the best soundtrack in the series and elevating so far above everything else it's not even a contest anymore.
You can feel the love for these classic games pouring out in every single aspect of the Revolution Disc. AC1 was 7 years old by the time Nexus had released and From Software treat it with the utmost respect and adoration here. As someone who loved the PS1 Armored Core games this was a huge treat and the quality of these missions (amounting to nearly 40 total sorties when including the original missions and their extensions) injected some much-needed oomph into Nexus. It's a labor of love that emphasizes Nexus' as a marriage of new and old ideas and when combined with the uniqueness of Disc 1 leaves it as the most refreshing title AC has had in a long while.
The mission structure has changed and with it the voiced mission briefings from previous games are gone. You get only a brief summary of the mission objective before being thrown in. In their place the emails you receive are more detailed and alongside them there's a news bulletin where you can follow the events of the world happening, including how the results of your missions alter them. While some may miss the lavish production of previous games I thought this very thematically fitting. As a mercenary you feel more detached from the missions than you did before and it's only by carefully paying attention to world events that you can truly get a grasp on just what kind of impact your decisions are having, and maybe in doing so choose which jobs you want to take or not. Or you can be like me and just reject all defensive missions and accept anything else.
In place of the voiced mission briefings missions now feature considerably more elaborate in-engine cutscenes. These were extremely rare in prior titles but now feature frequently and while they're not incredible or anything some of them feature some pretty cool camera shots and even unique animations for the intros. This probably sounds pretty standard to anyone not familiar with the franchise, but rest assured that From Software have been extremely frugal about this sort of thing up to now, so seeing them in action actually shocked me the first time it happened. It's a real nice update to add some liveliness to the story sequences in game.
I've been pretty lax when it comes to discussing soundtracks in these titles as I don't consider myself very skilled at criticizing music. I do however know what sounds good to my ears and Nexus easily has the best soundtrack featured in any Armored Core game yet. Beyond that though it also features the best use of music in-game, with great track selection and variety throughout the missions.
Gameplay has been changed up in both subtle and more overt ways. This is easily the largest number of parts we've seen in a non-expansion AC game, though it did have the foundation of 3 and Silent Line to build from. Everything has been rebalanced however, for better or worse. The movement mechanics have also been changed up leaving Nexus feeling just a bit slower than either AC3 game. The heat mechanic has been changed too to require the player to more carefully manage their heat as just about everything generates it now.
I expected to dislike this going in, but ultimately found it to be a pretty enjoyable system, choosing your radiator and parts based on cooling is actually something I paid close attention to when I never had before and in general I felt like I was more mindful of my build in this game than previous entries in which I would just slap on whatever parts sounded good and jump in. Your mileage may vary though about whether this is good or bad.
Everything sounds pretty good so far right? What's the catch? Probably the biggest one is that this game is the easiest title in the series yet, but more than that has the biggest disparity in quality between missions. I ultimately didn't mind Nexus being on the easy side as it's not like every previous game was super-difficult. AC3 was only a little harder than this game and I didn't mind it. The missions are more of an issue however. While there's plenty that are fun and worth playing there's also a notably high number of extremely short levels offering little or no challenge here. Missions where you shoot down a small handful of weak MTs, and most notoriously of all the huge abundance of 'test' missions in which you do some lab work for what is basically a free payout with no risk.
Speaking of risk From seems to have given up balancing the economy at all anymore. It was never much of a factor since the introduction of the arena in Project Phantasma, but at least it was still possible to lose money during missions so you could pretend you were trying to go for high payouts if you ignored the absurd arena bonuses. Now though mission payouts are so generous you'll usually make a profit even if you fail a sortie. And as far as the previously mentioned arena goes this is definitely the worst implementation of it yet. I was personally never a big fan of the arena so this bothered me relatively little, but it could be a big sticking point for those who loved that feature.
Ultimately the good still outweighs the bad as there are plenty of missions worth playing here, but it's easily the game's biggest failing and the one that prevents it from being an incredible game instead of merely a very good one. Of course this is all in reference to Disc 1: Evolution. But what really elevates Nexus is the presence of Disc 2: Revolution.
Nexus' second disc features a remake of a large assortment of missions from Armored Core 1, Project Phantasma and Master of Arena. These are lovingly recreated with fully voiced mission briefings and play great in the new engine. It's strange how the production quality on these can often feel higher budget than those of the supposed 'main game.' If anything the exception selection of old missions highlights just how uneven disc 1's quality could be.
It doesn't stop at just remaking sorties though, as they also feature optional extensions of these missions as well as the opportunity to play them from the opposite side. These were fantastic additions that build upon the stories of these old levels by adding in new background details. It's always a risk to add in new story elements to old works, but I always found these to be respectful and fitting in tone with the source material. On top of that there's a ton of remixes of classic Armored Core tracks all throughout, taking what was already the best soundtrack in the series and elevating so far above everything else it's not even a contest anymore.
You can feel the love for these classic games pouring out in every single aspect of the Revolution Disc. AC1 was 7 years old by the time Nexus had released and From Software treat it with the utmost respect and adoration here. As someone who loved the PS1 Armored Core games this was a huge treat and the quality of these missions (amounting to nearly 40 total sorties when including the original missions and their extensions) injected some much-needed oomph into Nexus. It's a labor of love that emphasizes Nexus' as a marriage of new and old ideas and when combined with the uniqueness of Disc 1 leaves it as the most refreshing title AC has had in a long while.
Silent Line plays out as a direct follow-up to the events of Armored Core 3, something that pleased me as it's territory these expansions haven't really touched on yet. Even 1999's Master of Arena felt more like it was taking place in parallel with AC1 rather than after it. Unfortunately it doesn't really do much interesting with this narrative potential and we find ourselves doing a whole lot of the same thing for the same big corps from the previous game. Maybe that's the point though? For as dramatic as the ending of AC3 was our character's actions ultimately didn't 'change the world,' but only gave the powers that be a new frontier to conquer and ruin in the very same way they had the old world.
The amount of new parts added to mech customization are great and give you a whole new level of freedom to fine-tune your build. The arena is back yet again and once again nearly identical in execution. And there's a whole host of new missions boasting a higher challenge level than the pretty easy AC3. If you loved what that game was offering and were hungry for more than Silent Line will serve you well.
While the mission design here is inventive and probably a step above its predecessor, I also found myself worn down by the abundance of (often mandatory) defensive missions. This is about as personal as complaints can get but I really don't care for these types of missions much and I think the overload of them kept me from enjoying this expansion as much as I hoped that I would. It's still good, arguably the best PS2 Armored Core to this point, but I feel like it just never quite reached the heights it could have.
The amount of new parts added to mech customization are great and give you a whole new level of freedom to fine-tune your build. The arena is back yet again and once again nearly identical in execution. And there's a whole host of new missions boasting a higher challenge level than the pretty easy AC3. If you loved what that game was offering and were hungry for more than Silent Line will serve you well.
While the mission design here is inventive and probably a step above its predecessor, I also found myself worn down by the abundance of (often mandatory) defensive missions. This is about as personal as complaints can get but I really don't care for these types of missions much and I think the overload of them kept me from enjoying this expansion as much as I hoped that I would. It's still good, arguably the best PS2 Armored Core to this point, but I feel like it just never quite reached the heights it could have.
2002
Armored Core 3 comes across as a remarkably safe game. It's absolutely an improvement over the underwhelming AC2, but doesn't really push the series forward in any real ways. It's hard not to feel as if From Software are simply spinning their wheels at this point.
Movement and control here is probably the best that it's been and mission design is solid. The stages do end up feeling rather short, with only a few levels of comparable length to some of the large levels we saw way back on the PS1. Still there are a lot more cool mission ideas here and far less reuse of assets than we've typically seen in these games so far. The art direction is also far easier on the eyes than AC2.
Improvements to the Armored Core formula are generally small here. We have some interesting additions like the option to hire added help for certain missions, or to take on optional emergency tasks that extend the length of mission by adding new objectives. These are all fun things but don't revolutionize the story in any way. Adding some more options for left arm parts as well as the new exceed orbit cores also give the player more offensive options in combat and increase build variety.
Aside from this we get a story that yet again hews incredibly closely to the formula set all the way back in AC1. It's even closer to that game in blueprint than AC2 was, bordering on being a retelling that's more effective in some places, but has less punch in others.
The Arena continues to dampen the effectiveness of the tight economy the game would seem to make you think it wants to have, as the payouts are ludicrously large with no risk. And this is probably the easiest game in the series so far, though I don't think it's to the point that it seriously diminishes the experience.
My review probably comes across harsher than I intended, but in truth AC3 is a good game. I'd probably recommend it to those starting the series who thought the PS1 games were just a bit too cumbersome. Still, all the things it does great were the things AC1 did great many years earlier and it feels as if it has little identity of its own as a result. It doesn't push the envelope or advance the series in any meaningful way, only polishes and tinkers with what came before. For some who are simply hungry for more AC gameplay this might be enough, but I'd love to see future games take more risks.
Movement and control here is probably the best that it's been and mission design is solid. The stages do end up feeling rather short, with only a few levels of comparable length to some of the large levels we saw way back on the PS1. Still there are a lot more cool mission ideas here and far less reuse of assets than we've typically seen in these games so far. The art direction is also far easier on the eyes than AC2.
Improvements to the Armored Core formula are generally small here. We have some interesting additions like the option to hire added help for certain missions, or to take on optional emergency tasks that extend the length of mission by adding new objectives. These are all fun things but don't revolutionize the story in any way. Adding some more options for left arm parts as well as the new exceed orbit cores also give the player more offensive options in combat and increase build variety.
Aside from this we get a story that yet again hews incredibly closely to the formula set all the way back in AC1. It's even closer to that game in blueprint than AC2 was, bordering on being a retelling that's more effective in some places, but has less punch in others.
The Arena continues to dampen the effectiveness of the tight economy the game would seem to make you think it wants to have, as the payouts are ludicrously large with no risk. And this is probably the easiest game in the series so far, though I don't think it's to the point that it seriously diminishes the experience.
My review probably comes across harsher than I intended, but in truth AC3 is a good game. I'd probably recommend it to those starting the series who thought the PS1 games were just a bit too cumbersome. Still, all the things it does great were the things AC1 did great many years earlier and it feels as if it has little identity of its own as a result. It doesn't push the envelope or advance the series in any meaningful way, only polishes and tinkers with what came before. For some who are simply hungry for more AC gameplay this might be enough, but I'd love to see future games take more risks.
1997
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.
2000
It sounds hyperbolic when I say it, but I don't think there's a single thing this game does that I didn't enjoy more in the PS1 trio of Armored Core games. The one thing it unquestionably does have over them though is that the game runs at a smooth 60fps which feels very nice coming from the low-framerate PS1 titles. Outside of that though the quality of this sequel is extremely dubious.
Gameplay feels more sluggish in general than in the first generation AC games. Even the faster core parts don't seem to have the responsiveness of the prior title. Any sense of arcade-like speed and action is dulled down. The one major movement mechanic added is the overboost, a high speed dash that drains your meter quickly. Outside of Arena matches though its uses are relatively few as it's an unwieldy maneuver and many stages take place in cramped quarters where its utility is limited.
While the jump from the PS1 to PS2 hardware is impressive and AC2 is probably one of the better looking launch titles I still can't help but prefer the art direction in the prior game. It's a shame since moving from Earth to Mars seemed like an opportunity for all sorts of beautiful colors, but this is rarely taken advantage of. AC1 had bold, strong color choices that helped to accentuate the game's atmosphere, whereas 2 has far more muted tones that turn many missions into a muddy soup of grey and brown colors. There's nothing here that wowed me like the Moon Arena stage from the previous generation of titles. It's an unremarkable-looking game.
Mission design is probably where Armored Core 2 suffers most compared to its predecessor. Many stages feel drawn out and involve fighting waves of weak enemies that filter into the map slowly. It feels as though there's less creativity and variety, with more defense missions taking place over smaller maps. There's nothing as interesting as venturing into an insect hive to destroy the queen, or the trek through a base full of corrosive acid to disable it. The stage bounds felt very restrictive and arbitrary as well, as I found myself accidentally moving out of bounds a number of times, something that was never a problem in the original three games.
The arena from AC1's expansions return and is probably the least compromised aspect of the game. I had the most fun with this. Some of the high-ranking arena ACs are absolute monsters and it feels great when you finally beat their cheating asses. This is probably the most fun I had with AC2.
The plot of this one follows AC1's blueprint nearly beat-for-beat. It's a conspiracy laden plot about a dystopian post-war future full of evil corporations, power hungry players, backstabbing and the like. The storytelling is still mostly done by mail and mission briefings, though with more funny 6th gen voice acting. It feels less subdued here though. AC1 didn't need to have characters say things like "you only exists because of corporations" to get that same point across.
I feel a bit bad for being so harsh on the game. I don't think it's an outright bad game, but it's also hard to justify playing when it's directly inferior to its predecessor and does so little new. It feels like a game you can easily skip playing and not miss much.
Gameplay feels more sluggish in general than in the first generation AC games. Even the faster core parts don't seem to have the responsiveness of the prior title. Any sense of arcade-like speed and action is dulled down. The one major movement mechanic added is the overboost, a high speed dash that drains your meter quickly. Outside of Arena matches though its uses are relatively few as it's an unwieldy maneuver and many stages take place in cramped quarters where its utility is limited.
While the jump from the PS1 to PS2 hardware is impressive and AC2 is probably one of the better looking launch titles I still can't help but prefer the art direction in the prior game. It's a shame since moving from Earth to Mars seemed like an opportunity for all sorts of beautiful colors, but this is rarely taken advantage of. AC1 had bold, strong color choices that helped to accentuate the game's atmosphere, whereas 2 has far more muted tones that turn many missions into a muddy soup of grey and brown colors. There's nothing here that wowed me like the Moon Arena stage from the previous generation of titles. It's an unremarkable-looking game.
Mission design is probably where Armored Core 2 suffers most compared to its predecessor. Many stages feel drawn out and involve fighting waves of weak enemies that filter into the map slowly. It feels as though there's less creativity and variety, with more defense missions taking place over smaller maps. There's nothing as interesting as venturing into an insect hive to destroy the queen, or the trek through a base full of corrosive acid to disable it. The stage bounds felt very restrictive and arbitrary as well, as I found myself accidentally moving out of bounds a number of times, something that was never a problem in the original three games.
The arena from AC1's expansions return and is probably the least compromised aspect of the game. I had the most fun with this. Some of the high-ranking arena ACs are absolute monsters and it feels great when you finally beat their cheating asses. This is probably the most fun I had with AC2.
The plot of this one follows AC1's blueprint nearly beat-for-beat. It's a conspiracy laden plot about a dystopian post-war future full of evil corporations, power hungry players, backstabbing and the like. The storytelling is still mostly done by mail and mission briefings, though with more funny 6th gen voice acting. It feels less subdued here though. AC1 didn't need to have characters say things like "you only exists because of corporations" to get that same point across.
I feel a bit bad for being so harsh on the game. I don't think it's an outright bad game, but it's also hard to justify playing when it's directly inferior to its predecessor and does so little new. It feels like a game you can easily skip playing and not miss much.
The credits for the original release of Pokemon Red lists just 23 names, for Silver this was bumped up slightly to 28. By contrast Pokemon Sapphire features more than 60 developers in its credits. The transition from the Gameboy Color to GBA was apparently a difficult one for Game Freak as recounted in interviews, with this also being the first title in which Masuda took over as full time Director.
Despite the apparent internal difficulties I would say it doesn't show much in the final product, as Sapphire comes across as an extremely polished and good-looking GBA game. The spritework both on the overworld and in battle has taken a considerable leap in detail. The use of negative space is pared back as all battles and tiles on the overworld now feature full-colored backgrounds.
This all works to give the game a vibrant, colorful feeling that suits the tone of adventure and exploring a completely new place that's set up by the intro of our character moving to a new town. There's none of the melancholy of Gen 2 here, with Hoenn portrayed as a distinctly lively and energetic place full of adventure.
This game also marks the point at which more overt fantasy elements started to become introduced into the world. Obviously the Pokemon themselves were always fantastical creatures, but outside of this the world of Red/Blue felt more like an analogue to our own modern day world with the presence of Pokemon being the key distinguishing factor. Even the most powerful legendary Pokemon was a product of science rather than divine intervention. Silver/Gold took us to a more rural setting and introduced more elements of mythology to the world, but largely left the veracity of these elements as mysteries for the player to speculate on.
Sapphire (and its sister game Ruby) are the first time we see Pokemon displaying god-like, world changing powers outside of random Pokedex entries that have no bearing on the actual gameplay. It's also the first time in which legendary Pokemon feature prominently in the plot (as despite their presence on the box art the legendaries remained optional sidequests in Gold/Silver). Now they both define the plot as well as dictate progress through the game more so than the traditional league championship story does. The environments we travel also end up feeling more fantastical and divorced from our own world than those in Gold and Silver were, with Sootopolis and Fortree being notable examples.
Technically some of these elements were first introduced in Crystal, which leaves that particular title as a sort of bridge between the storytelling of the first two generations and this one. While attempting to do something new isn't a bad thing, the overall plot is very sparse and a little bit nonsensical even for a lighthearted adventure. I ultimately preferred the more proactive storylines of Red and Silver, but a better execution of what Sapphire goes for wouldn't necessarily be bad.
Some big mechanical shakeups are introduced in this generation with the addition of Natures and Abilities for Pokemon. Abilities add a nice bit of battle flavor to each Pokemon beyond just their stats and learnsets, and while they do increase the burden of knowledge on the player I think it's ultimately well worth it. I was impressed with how conservative the abilities in this game are as well, with very few absurdly powerful ones (though some like intimidate are clearly a cut above the rest).
I'm slightly more mixed on the inclusion of Natures, which determine which of a Pokemon's core stats will be increased and decreased. While nice for adding variety on paper, there's no doubt that some Natures simply mesh better with certain Pokemon. As such it can be disappointing to catch something you wanted and realize it has a Nature that is almost entirely detrimental to it. Most Pokemon will have around 4-8 of the 25 Natures that benefit their playstyle. This means they're far more likely to have a suboptimal one, and while they may still be perfectly usable for completing the game that fact will always nag at the back of your mind once you understand the system.
On another gameplay front Game Freak did make efforts to improve Pokemon learnsets in this game. While they're still fairly conservative most Pokemon continue to gain better moves as they level up now, with very few 'garbage' moves at higher levels as they once had. Access to coverage moves (particularly by TMs) has increased somewhat too, and while still restrictive enough to keep teambuilding interesting it does somewhat move Pokemon further away from the rock-paper-scissors dynamic that defined Red/Blue and mostly remained true in Silver/Gold. Switching to make better use of type advantage is ultimately less effective when many Pokemon will have sneaky moves unrelated to their type in their arsenal.
This especially hurts Pokemon with lots of weaknesses and specific defensive roles like Aggron. We're not quite at the point where it's easy to have an individual Pokemon that can cover all its own weaknesses, but we do inch ever closer to that potential future. There's at least little/no power creep visible in this game and if anything many of the Hoenn Pokemon aside from some obvious contenders feel a bit weak compared to their Kanto/Johto counterparts.
While Sapphire is still a comfortably easy game to play through it does contain more advanced enemy trainer AI and better team composition than any of the Gameboy games. Trainers are more likely to have evolved Pokemon later into the game and to make more effective use of their moves, some even employing niche strategies. A random Milotic-carrying NPC toward the mid-late game even managed to surprise me with their defensive strategy that nearly managed to take my team out.
Sapphire notably cuts back on the more immersive elements introduced in Gold/Silver. There's no more day/night cycle or phone and while the real-time clock still exists its only major use is for growing berries. Events based upon days of the week are a thing of the past and ultimately the game returns to the more focused, adventure-based structure of Red and Blue. It is also even more linear than both previous games with few points in which the player can get badges out of order (and virtually no reason to when they can). This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it leads to a more focused gameplay experience and Ruby/Sapphire come with their own additional gameplay elements in the form of secret bases, and more notably contests.
Contests provide a method of progression and gameplay for raising Pokemon that doesn't involve battle, which makes them a fantastic introduction to the overall gameplay structure. I do wish there was slightly more to them, as it'd be great if contests had their own alternate 'endgame' like the battling side of the equation, but even without that they're still a nice feature. Secret bases are more limited in scope and basically expand on the room decorating element of Gold and Silver, but with far more decoration options as well as the ability for the player to choose where in the overworld they want their base. There's not ultimately much you can really do with them, but it is a fun little side feature for those that want to keep on playing.
It's very difficult for me to find faults with Sapphire as it's a polished game with lots of fun features and content. It's admirable how well Game Freak were able to make their transition to the GBA seem effortless despite the apparent internal struggles with this title. This easily ranks up there among the better games on a platform with a whole lot of good titles.
Despite the apparent internal difficulties I would say it doesn't show much in the final product, as Sapphire comes across as an extremely polished and good-looking GBA game. The spritework both on the overworld and in battle has taken a considerable leap in detail. The use of negative space is pared back as all battles and tiles on the overworld now feature full-colored backgrounds.
This all works to give the game a vibrant, colorful feeling that suits the tone of adventure and exploring a completely new place that's set up by the intro of our character moving to a new town. There's none of the melancholy of Gen 2 here, with Hoenn portrayed as a distinctly lively and energetic place full of adventure.
This game also marks the point at which more overt fantasy elements started to become introduced into the world. Obviously the Pokemon themselves were always fantastical creatures, but outside of this the world of Red/Blue felt more like an analogue to our own modern day world with the presence of Pokemon being the key distinguishing factor. Even the most powerful legendary Pokemon was a product of science rather than divine intervention. Silver/Gold took us to a more rural setting and introduced more elements of mythology to the world, but largely left the veracity of these elements as mysteries for the player to speculate on.
Sapphire (and its sister game Ruby) are the first time we see Pokemon displaying god-like, world changing powers outside of random Pokedex entries that have no bearing on the actual gameplay. It's also the first time in which legendary Pokemon feature prominently in the plot (as despite their presence on the box art the legendaries remained optional sidequests in Gold/Silver). Now they both define the plot as well as dictate progress through the game more so than the traditional league championship story does. The environments we travel also end up feeling more fantastical and divorced from our own world than those in Gold and Silver were, with Sootopolis and Fortree being notable examples.
Technically some of these elements were first introduced in Crystal, which leaves that particular title as a sort of bridge between the storytelling of the first two generations and this one. While attempting to do something new isn't a bad thing, the overall plot is very sparse and a little bit nonsensical even for a lighthearted adventure. I ultimately preferred the more proactive storylines of Red and Silver, but a better execution of what Sapphire goes for wouldn't necessarily be bad.
Some big mechanical shakeups are introduced in this generation with the addition of Natures and Abilities for Pokemon. Abilities add a nice bit of battle flavor to each Pokemon beyond just their stats and learnsets, and while they do increase the burden of knowledge on the player I think it's ultimately well worth it. I was impressed with how conservative the abilities in this game are as well, with very few absurdly powerful ones (though some like intimidate are clearly a cut above the rest).
I'm slightly more mixed on the inclusion of Natures, which determine which of a Pokemon's core stats will be increased and decreased. While nice for adding variety on paper, there's no doubt that some Natures simply mesh better with certain Pokemon. As such it can be disappointing to catch something you wanted and realize it has a Nature that is almost entirely detrimental to it. Most Pokemon will have around 4-8 of the 25 Natures that benefit their playstyle. This means they're far more likely to have a suboptimal one, and while they may still be perfectly usable for completing the game that fact will always nag at the back of your mind once you understand the system.
On another gameplay front Game Freak did make efforts to improve Pokemon learnsets in this game. While they're still fairly conservative most Pokemon continue to gain better moves as they level up now, with very few 'garbage' moves at higher levels as they once had. Access to coverage moves (particularly by TMs) has increased somewhat too, and while still restrictive enough to keep teambuilding interesting it does somewhat move Pokemon further away from the rock-paper-scissors dynamic that defined Red/Blue and mostly remained true in Silver/Gold. Switching to make better use of type advantage is ultimately less effective when many Pokemon will have sneaky moves unrelated to their type in their arsenal.
This especially hurts Pokemon with lots of weaknesses and specific defensive roles like Aggron. We're not quite at the point where it's easy to have an individual Pokemon that can cover all its own weaknesses, but we do inch ever closer to that potential future. There's at least little/no power creep visible in this game and if anything many of the Hoenn Pokemon aside from some obvious contenders feel a bit weak compared to their Kanto/Johto counterparts.
While Sapphire is still a comfortably easy game to play through it does contain more advanced enemy trainer AI and better team composition than any of the Gameboy games. Trainers are more likely to have evolved Pokemon later into the game and to make more effective use of their moves, some even employing niche strategies. A random Milotic-carrying NPC toward the mid-late game even managed to surprise me with their defensive strategy that nearly managed to take my team out.
Sapphire notably cuts back on the more immersive elements introduced in Gold/Silver. There's no more day/night cycle or phone and while the real-time clock still exists its only major use is for growing berries. Events based upon days of the week are a thing of the past and ultimately the game returns to the more focused, adventure-based structure of Red and Blue. It is also even more linear than both previous games with few points in which the player can get badges out of order (and virtually no reason to when they can). This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it leads to a more focused gameplay experience and Ruby/Sapphire come with their own additional gameplay elements in the form of secret bases, and more notably contests.
Contests provide a method of progression and gameplay for raising Pokemon that doesn't involve battle, which makes them a fantastic introduction to the overall gameplay structure. I do wish there was slightly more to them, as it'd be great if contests had their own alternate 'endgame' like the battling side of the equation, but even without that they're still a nice feature. Secret bases are more limited in scope and basically expand on the room decorating element of Gold and Silver, but with far more decoration options as well as the ability for the player to choose where in the overworld they want their base. There's not ultimately much you can really do with them, but it is a fun little side feature for those that want to keep on playing.
It's very difficult for me to find faults with Sapphire as it's a polished game with lots of fun features and content. It's admirable how well Game Freak were able to make their transition to the GBA seem effortless despite the apparent internal struggles with this title. This easily ranks up there among the better games on a platform with a whole lot of good titles.
Two years may as well be a lifetime in the eyes of an eight year old boy. The two I spent between the release of Pokemon Red and Silver were full of countless new experiences, memories, friends made and lessons learned. Two years older and wiser and yet just as much of an unrepentantly dorky child who was just as Pokemon-obsessed, if not more so. I was unsurprisingly eager to get my hands on the newest game. Some of my most cherished childhood memories were spent staying up late with my father as we watched cartoons or old horror films and played and traded and battled with one another.
How's the game now though?
Game Freak must have been at a crossroads after the massive success of the first Pokemon games as there was a still-incomplete, but very far in-progress demo of Gold and Silver in 1997 that was largely scrapped. Some ideas from that game remain in the final product, but less than you would expect. Silver and Gold went through a long process of iteration and development was delayed.
There were some easy wins when it came to polishing up aspects of the engine and mechanics that basically everyone could agree were flawed in Red and Blue. Fixing various bugs, adding some new types and moves to rebalance the chart a little, adding bag slots for improved inventory organization, splitting special attack and defense into two stats and of course a hundred new Pokemon to play around with. The addition of items to battle adds a new element of pre-fight strategy, choice and synergy that gives battles just a little extra spice (even if nearly everybody would just default to using Leftovers if they could). The enemy trainer AI is also a huge improvement, at least for major battles anyway.
Most of these were good changes with no, or comparably small downsides. The awesome Gen 1 Hyper Beam was never quite as cool again once they fixed its recharge turn in this game, the formerly competent ice types were really left in the dust by the addition of new weaknesses and resistances, and the addition of many new items made dealing with the slightly larger but still limited inventory space just a bit more annoying than before. But these are little nitpicks in the grand scheme of things.
Outside of mechanical changes to existing systems though what particular stuck out to me in Silver is how much effort the developers placed into elements that would add to the immersion of the world. The game now features time tracking and a day/night cycle that mirrors that of the real world, with various daily events or those tied to specific days of the week like the bug catching contest, a changing color palette and wild encounters depending on the time of day, berries that regrow over time, a phone system for rematching trainers, a radio to listen to, a vastly expanded postgame (more on that later), etc etc.
The design makes it clear that Pokemon is no longer just a game you play through but a world that players can inhabit and come back to visit and spend time in long after completion. It's a really impressive feat for the Gameboy and it's no wonder I can remember spending such a huge amount of hours playing this game as a child even once I had dried up all the content. Compare this to Red in which I would always simply start a new save file shortly after becoming champion.
Silver doesn't come without its downsides compared to its predecessor though. As nice as all these new elements are it feels that some of that adventure along the way was lost in return for them. Dungeons and routes which were once full of danger feel comparatively sparse and simple in navigation now. There's nothing quite as intricate or imposing as the tower Silph Co. building from the first game or the harrowing trek through the original Victory Road. Gen 2 isn't without meaningful dungeons entirely, but they definitely play a far less prominent role than in the previous game.
In addition to smaller, simpler maps it feels as though the trainers are also fewer in number and the wild encounters are notably low in level. This in particular presents a small problem when it comes to team building, as it means there's a lot less experience to go around for a large player party, while also meaning if you choose to add a new Pokemon to your party at any point in the game there's a decent chance it will be significantly underleveled. On top of this many of the roster additions are either awkwardly placed or feel underwhelming statistically compared to the original set of Pokemon, meaning there's arguably less team variety between playthroughs. The lack of access to elemental stones is really frustrating with how many Pokemon need them to evolve.
Like Red before it this game also opens up around the time you get your fourth badge and lets you tackle several gyms in any order. The game attempts to account for this though by making these areas all of comparable levels which has the effect of meaning whichever two you go for last will generally be a lot easier than the first. It would have been better to still give the player that same freedom while keeping a linear progression of difficulty. Those who go off the beaten path are generally doing so because they intentionally want to face harsher challenges and most players are smart enough to know that if they run up against a wall they should go try a different path if one is open to them. This fumbles something that was executed perfectly fine previously.
These elements compound to make the middle of the adventure feel boring as there's both little stakes and little progress in terms of team growth. This is all on top of the shortness of routes and few and small dungeons makes Johto feel like a smaller, less exciting place to traverse than Kanto in the previous game was. And all this while mirroring Kanto in ways that weren't really necessary, such as how HMs are found in a similar order and at similar progression points in the game. At times it feels like Game Freak were a little unwilling to step from the shadow of their previous success and try something more new and unique over repeating the same gym challenge again, even if in a less satisfying manner.
I don't mean for all this to sound as though the game is bad, since it's generally not and I still enjoyed my time traveling through Johto. Still, these lesser elements stood out to me as I was playing and it's impossible to avoid comparison to one's predecessor when so directly following it up and mirroring its layout. The trip to become champion isn't nearly as engaging or fun as Red/Blue and whether or not the newly added elements are enough to counterbalance that for you is going to vary from player to player. I personally preferred the more exciting pacing of Red. It's a shame though since there was ultimately nothing preventing Silver from achieving that too, it just seemed to fall to the wayside of the game's other pursuits.
Perhaps what Generation 2 is most famous and infamous for is its postgame, in which after beating the champion again the player is able to return to the previous game's map and explore it all over again. This has been lauded for being a shocking twist and impressive feat for the gameboy as well as criticized for the cut down and simplified nature of Kanto needed in order to fit the game into Gold and Silver's development time.
After the initial excitement of returning to the familiar map from the first game wears off there's a distinct sense of hollowness to visiting Kanto. Viridian Forest has been cut down leaving only a tiny path in its wake, an eruption has destroyed Cinnabar Island save for a tiny pokecenter, the enormous mausoleum that was the Pokemon Tower has been stripped down and replaced with a radio tower, the Safari Zone is permanently closed after the warden suddenly took off, and our former player avatar from Red version has been missing for three years.
Past even these examples so many of the people and places we'd visited during our previous adventure feel like worn down versions of their former selves. Rampant urbanization (a theme already touched on lightly in Red/Blue) has taken its toll on Kanto. The vibrant forests of Satoshi Tajiri's childhood that inspired these games are no more. This stands in stark contrast with Johto which is steeped in tradition and ancient landmarks.
The postgame of Gold and Silver, whether by design intent, development limitations or a happy marriage between the two, manages to invoke the feeling of looking back upon a happy past that brings back good memories, but can ultimately never be returned to in the same way. Playing through Kanto in Gen 2 was the first time I'd ever felt this particular bittersweet nostalgia as a child and it's an even stronger sensation now in adulthood. In much the same way my modern playthroughs of this game will never quite be the same as those unforgettable memories, but it's still nice to reminisce every now and then.
For as melancholy as this all might sound it needn't be seen as a bad thing, perhaps best exemplified in the game's final challenge. On the top of Mt. Silver we face off against none other than our previous self, a ghost of the past who upon defeat wordlessly departs as we end the game with the knowledge that we've become a stronger, smarter and hopefully better version of what we once were.
How's the game now though?
Game Freak must have been at a crossroads after the massive success of the first Pokemon games as there was a still-incomplete, but very far in-progress demo of Gold and Silver in 1997 that was largely scrapped. Some ideas from that game remain in the final product, but less than you would expect. Silver and Gold went through a long process of iteration and development was delayed.
There were some easy wins when it came to polishing up aspects of the engine and mechanics that basically everyone could agree were flawed in Red and Blue. Fixing various bugs, adding some new types and moves to rebalance the chart a little, adding bag slots for improved inventory organization, splitting special attack and defense into two stats and of course a hundred new Pokemon to play around with. The addition of items to battle adds a new element of pre-fight strategy, choice and synergy that gives battles just a little extra spice (even if nearly everybody would just default to using Leftovers if they could). The enemy trainer AI is also a huge improvement, at least for major battles anyway.
Most of these were good changes with no, or comparably small downsides. The awesome Gen 1 Hyper Beam was never quite as cool again once they fixed its recharge turn in this game, the formerly competent ice types were really left in the dust by the addition of new weaknesses and resistances, and the addition of many new items made dealing with the slightly larger but still limited inventory space just a bit more annoying than before. But these are little nitpicks in the grand scheme of things.
Outside of mechanical changes to existing systems though what particular stuck out to me in Silver is how much effort the developers placed into elements that would add to the immersion of the world. The game now features time tracking and a day/night cycle that mirrors that of the real world, with various daily events or those tied to specific days of the week like the bug catching contest, a changing color palette and wild encounters depending on the time of day, berries that regrow over time, a phone system for rematching trainers, a radio to listen to, a vastly expanded postgame (more on that later), etc etc.
The design makes it clear that Pokemon is no longer just a game you play through but a world that players can inhabit and come back to visit and spend time in long after completion. It's a really impressive feat for the Gameboy and it's no wonder I can remember spending such a huge amount of hours playing this game as a child even once I had dried up all the content. Compare this to Red in which I would always simply start a new save file shortly after becoming champion.
Silver doesn't come without its downsides compared to its predecessor though. As nice as all these new elements are it feels that some of that adventure along the way was lost in return for them. Dungeons and routes which were once full of danger feel comparatively sparse and simple in navigation now. There's nothing quite as intricate or imposing as the tower Silph Co. building from the first game or the harrowing trek through the original Victory Road. Gen 2 isn't without meaningful dungeons entirely, but they definitely play a far less prominent role than in the previous game.
In addition to smaller, simpler maps it feels as though the trainers are also fewer in number and the wild encounters are notably low in level. This in particular presents a small problem when it comes to team building, as it means there's a lot less experience to go around for a large player party, while also meaning if you choose to add a new Pokemon to your party at any point in the game there's a decent chance it will be significantly underleveled. On top of this many of the roster additions are either awkwardly placed or feel underwhelming statistically compared to the original set of Pokemon, meaning there's arguably less team variety between playthroughs. The lack of access to elemental stones is really frustrating with how many Pokemon need them to evolve.
Like Red before it this game also opens up around the time you get your fourth badge and lets you tackle several gyms in any order. The game attempts to account for this though by making these areas all of comparable levels which has the effect of meaning whichever two you go for last will generally be a lot easier than the first. It would have been better to still give the player that same freedom while keeping a linear progression of difficulty. Those who go off the beaten path are generally doing so because they intentionally want to face harsher challenges and most players are smart enough to know that if they run up against a wall they should go try a different path if one is open to them. This fumbles something that was executed perfectly fine previously.
These elements compound to make the middle of the adventure feel boring as there's both little stakes and little progress in terms of team growth. This is all on top of the shortness of routes and few and small dungeons makes Johto feel like a smaller, less exciting place to traverse than Kanto in the previous game was. And all this while mirroring Kanto in ways that weren't really necessary, such as how HMs are found in a similar order and at similar progression points in the game. At times it feels like Game Freak were a little unwilling to step from the shadow of their previous success and try something more new and unique over repeating the same gym challenge again, even if in a less satisfying manner.
I don't mean for all this to sound as though the game is bad, since it's generally not and I still enjoyed my time traveling through Johto. Still, these lesser elements stood out to me as I was playing and it's impossible to avoid comparison to one's predecessor when so directly following it up and mirroring its layout. The trip to become champion isn't nearly as engaging or fun as Red/Blue and whether or not the newly added elements are enough to counterbalance that for you is going to vary from player to player. I personally preferred the more exciting pacing of Red. It's a shame though since there was ultimately nothing preventing Silver from achieving that too, it just seemed to fall to the wayside of the game's other pursuits.
Perhaps what Generation 2 is most famous and infamous for is its postgame, in which after beating the champion again the player is able to return to the previous game's map and explore it all over again. This has been lauded for being a shocking twist and impressive feat for the gameboy as well as criticized for the cut down and simplified nature of Kanto needed in order to fit the game into Gold and Silver's development time.
After the initial excitement of returning to the familiar map from the first game wears off there's a distinct sense of hollowness to visiting Kanto. Viridian Forest has been cut down leaving only a tiny path in its wake, an eruption has destroyed Cinnabar Island save for a tiny pokecenter, the enormous mausoleum that was the Pokemon Tower has been stripped down and replaced with a radio tower, the Safari Zone is permanently closed after the warden suddenly took off, and our former player avatar from Red version has been missing for three years.
Past even these examples so many of the people and places we'd visited during our previous adventure feel like worn down versions of their former selves. Rampant urbanization (a theme already touched on lightly in Red/Blue) has taken its toll on Kanto. The vibrant forests of Satoshi Tajiri's childhood that inspired these games are no more. This stands in stark contrast with Johto which is steeped in tradition and ancient landmarks.
The postgame of Gold and Silver, whether by design intent, development limitations or a happy marriage between the two, manages to invoke the feeling of looking back upon a happy past that brings back good memories, but can ultimately never be returned to in the same way. Playing through Kanto in Gen 2 was the first time I'd ever felt this particular bittersweet nostalgia as a child and it's an even stronger sensation now in adulthood. In much the same way my modern playthroughs of this game will never quite be the same as those unforgettable memories, but it's still nice to reminisce every now and then.
For as melancholy as this all might sound it needn't be seen as a bad thing, perhaps best exemplified in the game's final challenge. On the top of Mt. Silver we face off against none other than our previous self, a ghost of the past who upon defeat wordlessly departs as we end the game with the knowledge that we've become a stronger, smarter and hopefully better version of what we once were.