Armored Core 2: Project Phantasma

by Ascii

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002SU8H
• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: October 7, 1998
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,978 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

GameSpot Review

Instead of being a full-blown sequel, From Software's Armored Core: Project Phantasma is the closest thing to an add-on pack the Sony PlayStation has ever seen. On the PC side, add-on packs are fairly popular because folks can get new missions, enemies, and options for their favorite games, without having to wait out the basic one- to two-year development cycle. Sure, the graphics, controls, and gameplay are basically the same, but add-ons provide what everyone essentially wants from a good game: more.

And that's what AC: PP is all about. You're still a member of a mercenary organization of mech robot pilots know as Ravens, who hire out their services to the highest bidder. You can still configure your mech by choosing which head, core, arms, legs, generator, FCS (the computer brain of the rig), arm and back weapons, and optional parts you want it to have. And you still need to accomplish a number of high-risk missions to be able to afford the choicer ones among them. There are just more missions and parts to be found now.

The original Armored Core saw players taking on such tasks as clearing squatters out of buildings, testing out experimental robots in battle, guarding trains, and destroying computer mainframes. There were nearly 50 missions in all, and branching pathways varied the storyline a bit and increased its replayability (at least if you gave up and started over before beating the game, since everything opened up once you finished it). In Armored Core: Project Phantasma, things are a little different. There are only 17 missions total, which doesn't leave a lot of room for branching at all. In fact, there are only two areas where the game forks off, making the title's missions a much more linear experience than its predecessor's missions. However, the tasks can be pretty interesting and include escorting captured Raven to safety, wiping out a convoy, sneaking into a base to arrest an official, or working with a partner to wipe out enemy installations. These are a little deeper than some of the previous game's objectives, requiring more thought than merely "Destroy!" And with one false move, watch out, you don't get paid.

Besides the new missions, an arena mode has been added to the game. In the first Armored Core, the player had to work his way up the ranks of the top ten rated Ravens by either coming up against them while on assignment or achieving a high success ratio. Now, it's much more straightforward: You can simply call out the mech who ranks above you for a duel in one of 13 different environments of your choice. There's a decent amount of variety among the whopping 49 different Ravens, and they most assuredly get really tough towards the end. But it's all good since cash and/or parts are awarded to the winner, and repair costs are waived either way. A replay mode is also provided, from which you can watch the preceding battle from your perspective, the computer player's, or from a third-person view above both. While it sounds like a minor gimmick, it sometimes helps to see just how your opponent took you down, so it doesn't get a chance to do it again. And if you still have your save-game data from the first Armored Core, loading it up will allow you to shoot your way up the ranks much faster. Unfortunately, whether from a save or from scratch, this mode can get rather repetitive after a while.

While the missions are fun and there's still something to be said for the duels, Armored Core: Project Phantasma can be beaten within the space of two or three days, meaning there simply isn't quite enough here to justify the cost of purchase. Hardcore AC fans might want to pick it up, but others should be able to get by with a rental. --Joe Fielder
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Product Description

This is the game Armored Core: Project Phantasma for the Playstation 1. This game may not come with the original case and instructions. We stand by our products and offer a 60 day guarantee. If a game does not work within 60 days from the time you receive it we will gladly exchange it for you.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great game!, December 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Armored Core 2: Project Phantasma (Video Game)

This is a great game. You control a robot, or armored core (AC) via third-perspective in 50 arena levels or 20 single missions. When you win a battle in the arena, you earn money which can be used to upgrade your AC. You can customize your AC with a laundry list of components: shoulder weapons, hand weapons, legs, arms, torso, motor, booster, radar, and head. The hard part is finding the right balance of equipment that your AC can handle, in terms of weight and energy usage

For example, an AC with skinny legs and small body will have extra speed, but can't handle the weight of a bazooka or large motor. Or a heavy AC with giant armored legs and carry a @#%!load of stuff, but handles like a Sherman tank. At first, it's seems a daunting task to just customizing your robot. But after playing the game for a while, you'll develop a knack for balancing out and you'll just have to worry about surviving the missions and arenas. The first 20 or so arenas consist of easy-to-destroy opponents, but once you hit #30, you'd better hope you don't run out of ammo.

AC: Project Phantasma is a game for those who enjoy third-person fighting games, giant robots ala Robotech, or anyone who likes to fiddle and customize their equipment.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best in the series, IMO, March 25, 2011

By 

PRJ since1990 - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Armored Core 2: Project Phantasma (Video Game)

ACPP was my number one fav game on PS1. I would strongly recommend this title, as it features my favorite nemesis in the series: Stinger. He doesn't like annoyances. And he likes to remind you of that. Check this one out if you have played the original.

4.0 out of 5 stars One word of warning:, February 1, 2010

By 

captainspankypants - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Armored Core 2: Project Phantasma (Video Game)

This is a great game, and one of the best in the Armored Core series. It has a great story, unlike many games in the series, and it's the first time the arena shows up in the series. Some of the new weapons are super-powerful and over the top, and they don't even try to achieve balance. Equip the "finger" machine gun on your mech, and you'd have to be an idiot to lose. It makes for a really FUN game as opposed to a really REALISTIC game.

That said, I would hesitate to get this if you don't have the original Armored Core game. There are a variety of hidden parts (like the awesome moonlight laser blade and Karasawa laser rifle) in the original that don't appear in Project Phantasma unless you import a save file. You also can't do the "human plus" cheat without importing a save file.

You can certainly play the game and have lots of fun without a save file from the original, but as you go through the arena, you might find yourself wondering where the computer opponents got all these awesome weapons and how come they can fire back cannons on the move while you can't. You need AC1 for that, so keep it in mind.