Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon should not exist. It's too perfect.
A series long forgotten by the masses and apart of a genre untouched for decades, it only makes sense that after Fromsoftware's third and biggest slam dunk in a row, Elden Ring, they would go off and make another Armored Core title.
If there is one thing that remains consistent with my favorite games, its giant robots. Metal Gear, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Titanfall, are all games that feature such. The issue, however, is that these giant robots are simply set pieces (sans Titanfall). Fires of Rubicon defies this, by letting you be the giant fucking robot, with total customization to boot.
Everything about this game bleeds pure action. Unlike the Souls genre, Armored Core does not ask you to sit and wait to I-Frame out of every move. Instead, you are pressing 6 buttons every frame, frantically dodging and weaving between intense storms of bullets and rockets, while returning your own fire, all at the same time. It's beyond exhilarating. In no other game would I have fathomed having my own personally customized gundam, fit with custom decals and it's own name. The number of builds are truly limitless and you can approach any boss any way you like, assuming you're good enough.
What makes Armored Core fun is that it is brutally hard. Not exactly soulsbourne hard, but it's tough. It's a bullethell with hitscan sized rounds, moving at a million miles an hour. It's a type of hard I haven't experienced in so long. I've become so used to Fromsofts formulaic "wait for it" difficulty that rides on making one perfectly timed hit that the idea of telling me to throw anything and everything at my enemy seems foreign. Boss's come at you with equally hectic attacks, from barrages of missiles to tracking laser drones to bullshit shielding. Losing is still fun, you always feel like you're engaging with the game, rather than waiting to get back to the point where you were.
So the combat is good. That's probably what most of you care about. If it is, stop now and go play it, no more words can describe how fun it is. It simply has to be experienced. But, there is more to AC6.
AC6 brings with it a fantastic and visually stunning story. Words do not express how good Rubicon-3 looks, and how equally cool it is to see your AC in all these exotic landscaping shots.
The narrative is branching, and it's good. The characters do everything the game needs you them to do, being very likeable or openly infuriating. Except, every character is equally likeable and dislikeable. It all works into this narrative about picking sides. As an independent mercenary, you end up seeing every side of the war, and are given the choice to pick based off your own true feelings. It's as engaging as it should be. You truly do start to feel like Raven, and the story feels like your own, rather than the same story everyone else witnessed.
However, this is where the one pain point comes from. AC6 has chosen to adapt NieR: Replicants way of storytelling, causing you to play through the campaign 3 times to see every ending. Though, it isn't as bad as it sounds. By the end of your first run, you barely get any time to play with your kitted out AC, and I found myself immediately jumping into NG+ to just play more. What's more exciting, is that with NG+ (and NG++) comes more content. New weapons, armor, missions, and a new ending become available to you in each run, leaving the experience to be refreshing. Despite replaying the same 20 some missions, they never get stale. The game is just that fun.
Never before have I played a game with such a comprehensive mecha system, and never before have I seen a non-human character creator this customizable. The game is outright fun, and the story is surprisingly meaningful. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon might be the ultimate videogame, and I highly recommend you play it if you're even on the fence.
Fromsoftware yet again proves that only they can fly high enough.
A series long forgotten by the masses and apart of a genre untouched for decades, it only makes sense that after Fromsoftware's third and biggest slam dunk in a row, Elden Ring, they would go off and make another Armored Core title.
If there is one thing that remains consistent with my favorite games, its giant robots. Metal Gear, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Titanfall, are all games that feature such. The issue, however, is that these giant robots are simply set pieces (sans Titanfall). Fires of Rubicon defies this, by letting you be the giant fucking robot, with total customization to boot.
Everything about this game bleeds pure action. Unlike the Souls genre, Armored Core does not ask you to sit and wait to I-Frame out of every move. Instead, you are pressing 6 buttons every frame, frantically dodging and weaving between intense storms of bullets and rockets, while returning your own fire, all at the same time. It's beyond exhilarating. In no other game would I have fathomed having my own personally customized gundam, fit with custom decals and it's own name. The number of builds are truly limitless and you can approach any boss any way you like, assuming you're good enough.
What makes Armored Core fun is that it is brutally hard. Not exactly soulsbourne hard, but it's tough. It's a bullethell with hitscan sized rounds, moving at a million miles an hour. It's a type of hard I haven't experienced in so long. I've become so used to Fromsofts formulaic "wait for it" difficulty that rides on making one perfectly timed hit that the idea of telling me to throw anything and everything at my enemy seems foreign. Boss's come at you with equally hectic attacks, from barrages of missiles to tracking laser drones to bullshit shielding. Losing is still fun, you always feel like you're engaging with the game, rather than waiting to get back to the point where you were.
So the combat is good. That's probably what most of you care about. If it is, stop now and go play it, no more words can describe how fun it is. It simply has to be experienced. But, there is more to AC6.
AC6 brings with it a fantastic and visually stunning story. Words do not express how good Rubicon-3 looks, and how equally cool it is to see your AC in all these exotic landscaping shots.
The narrative is branching, and it's good. The characters do everything the game needs you them to do, being very likeable or openly infuriating. Except, every character is equally likeable and dislikeable. It all works into this narrative about picking sides. As an independent mercenary, you end up seeing every side of the war, and are given the choice to pick based off your own true feelings. It's as engaging as it should be. You truly do start to feel like Raven, and the story feels like your own, rather than the same story everyone else witnessed.
However, this is where the one pain point comes from. AC6 has chosen to adapt NieR: Replicants way of storytelling, causing you to play through the campaign 3 times to see every ending. Though, it isn't as bad as it sounds. By the end of your first run, you barely get any time to play with your kitted out AC, and I found myself immediately jumping into NG+ to just play more. What's more exciting, is that with NG+ (and NG++) comes more content. New weapons, armor, missions, and a new ending become available to you in each run, leaving the experience to be refreshing. Despite replaying the same 20 some missions, they never get stale. The game is just that fun.
Never before have I played a game with such a comprehensive mecha system, and never before have I seen a non-human character creator this customizable. The game is outright fun, and the story is surprisingly meaningful. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon might be the ultimate videogame, and I highly recommend you play it if you're even on the fence.
Fromsoftware yet again proves that only they can fly high enough.