Armored Core 2 brings the series into the next generation, but does little more than that in my eyes. It doesn't quite capture the atmosphere of the original, nor the excellent pacing of Master of Arena, and otherwise doesn't bring much in the way of mechanical advancement. In fact, I'm actually quite shocked by how similarly this played to the Gen 1 games. The addition of new part types, "Inside" and "Extension", didn't do much for me; they just felt bolted on to the Gen 1 framework, rather than something which could give Gen 2 its own identity.

A minor disappointment then, but still a good enough time. The arena was cool, even if I found some of the maps ripe for AI cheese, and the general Armored Core gameplay was fun and engaging enough to keep me through so the end. Armored Core casually strolled into the next generation, but I wish it had taken that full leap.