Customer Reviews

Armored Core 4

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Armored Core 4 - Circa 2007

(Special note: If you never played an Armored Core game before and don't care much for huge battling mechs with endless menus of customization drop this score down to a one star. Also if you have Xbox Live and want to try this game you can download a demo for it over XBL Marketplace)

GOOD:
- Armored Core finally comes Xbox ... well Xbox 360.
- Online Play with up to 8 Players online (at once) and be able to trade schematics (your mechs blue prints) online with other gamers.
- The Graphics in this title are pretty good and a step above the previous generation of Armored Core titles on PS2 with most levels having sweeping vistas and energy blades looking like glowing pillars of light. Although on a bit of a sour note the landscapes are as barren as ever with most levels taking place in abandoned cities and deserts.
- More of the same great Armored Core action that fans of the series have come to expect (sorry fans this title seems to not have Nine-Ball thought). Over all, like in every Armored Core title the missions are a mixed-bag with some pretty lame missions mixed in with the over the top missions (so you can never expect what will come next).

BAD:
- The Story is very confusing even to long time Armored Core fans. In this title companies own countries and well after that most people will quickly get lost as well as stop caring.
- The store-garage section of the game has been redesigned as well from previous Armored Core games. Now you build your mech from a pool of available parts and after equipping you have the option to buy said parts before leaving the store-garage menu and going back to the main game. In this way the Shop and garage is now one place, and the effect is that it's all pretty confusing for both Armored Core fans and people new to the franchise.
- The contrast in this game was odd sometimes, now for most missions you can see clearly, but in some missions it is so dark you can't see more then a few spaces in front of you, but in other levels it was so bright that your screen will look almost completely white.

IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- While in concept this game plays very much like Steel Battalion or Chromhounds the game play is much faster in pace.
- Tons of customization options for your mech, think of this game like the Grand Turismo of mech games. For those who have never have played this series before it can be pretty overwhelming.
- Paint your Mech (or any individual part/weapon) any color you want and have the option to have lots of different cameo styles too. On top of that you can even make your own patch/logo (using a bunch of clipart and such) and add this patch to any part of your mech as many times as you like (yes you can make your mech covered in logos and look like a Nascar if you wanted). Also, emblems or Patches that appeared in From Software's other mech game Chromehounds are also carried over into this game.
- Have up to five different mechs in your garage as well as schematics for lots of mech you have beaten in combat (during the single player game).
- With about 70 missions this Armored Core game is a bit shorted the previous ones, all missions have a normal and hard setting, unlock hard setting after you beaten the game.
- This game comes with two controller options and one custom option (setting up your own custom option is most likely your best bet).
- This Armored Core now has a totally redesigned HUD that has a minimalist look and takes up little space on your screen
- All mech come with an energy field called Primal Armor (or PA), which is a protective energy barrier that cuts down on damage taken, Over Boosting (think nitro's for mechs) or prolonged normal boosting can and will drain the effectiveness of this energy barrier (although it can and will recharge).
- The lockbox that is normally found in previous Armored Core games (which worked more like a gun sight) is now removed from the HUD all together; the game will now automatically try to lock on to enemies when in range. Holding down the lock button over an enemy (by default clicking in the Left analog) keeps the lock stuck on that target and makes a small window appear in the left corner of the screen with a zoomed up image of that target.
- You can now fight on water (hover just above the water line) unlike past AC games where you would fall straight to the bottom if contact were made with the water. If the player stops boosting, they will sink into the water but they are still able to get out to the surface if they boost. The only way to sink now is to let your mech go to far (underwater) and not boost out of the water. It should also be noted that in the games options you could set you mech to auto-boost over water so you don't have to hold the button and never have to worry about sinking.
- Boosting along the ground (slide boosting) no longer takes energy, now it will do the opposite and cause your energy bar to refill although more slowly the just standing still.
- Stabilizers have been added, these are parts that shift the balance of your mech (in a few areas), and they also serve to add an aesthetic looks to your mech.

GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Armored Core (PS1)
- Steel Battalion (Xbox)
- Chromhounds (360)

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- This game is also on PS3
- Like I stated above if you have an Xbox-360 and Xbox Live (you don't even need a gold membership a sliver membership which is free will do) and want to try this game you can download the demo for it on Xbox Live Marketplace. It's a three missions long demo.
- The Moon Light Laser blade is in this title (but it's a hidden part)
- In this Xbox 360 version of the game you not only get achievements for beating chapters (6 in all) but also for beating certain mission on hard mode (usually the mission where you have to fight rival mechs) and for beating simulation packs which work as this games version of the Ranker Ladder that was found in previous Armored Core games.

This game is beyond epic, but its hard sometimes, the sites and action on the game are so stunning and fun, it lets you design a mech, every piece, top to bottom, and even put a custom paint job any were on the mech (and yes the paintjob includes emblems that are more custom design then halo), theres even another mode were you can fight 1 on 1 mech battles! This is perfect for mech fans!

This is probably one of the most exciting to play Armored Core game in the series. Not only does the opening just get your blood boiling with anticipation, but once you got the controls down, and you were really able to get your hands on the action yourself, it gets very exciting! No more having to boost/strafe/jump like on the past armored core games, quick boosting changes all of that and makes the game a lot quicker. For a From Software title, the graphics are quite amazing, the explosions are better, your mech looks awesome all of the time, and despite what other reviews say, the environment looks great! (especially when compared to older Armored Core titles) However, I still wish you could see your mechs reflection in the buildings windows, but at least you can shoot them and actually watch the glass break.

The customization on this game is just as good or even better than the previous titles. Lots of weapons, but not as many body parts, kind of leaves the game feeling a little small, but then again, there are no useless parts, like which are found in previous AC games. But more parts could always be added, I love having a larger variety to choose from, and to make my mech look the best it can.

Some missions are ridiculously short, while some are moderate. I really appreciate the extremely long adventurous missions found in Armored Core: Silent Line. The missions could be improved, and there could be a lot more of them. Then again, I just wanted to get through with the game so I could finish up my mech and go battle it online.

Multiplayer is great, finally true online Armored Core. It's quite fun, but at the same time, there could be a lot more stages. And a lot of people like to build their heavyweight Surius cannon AC's and be able to blast down most ACs in two shots, or use the Kojima weapons to 1 shot an apponent who is busy trying to take care of someone else. I guess they are there for that reason though, so you can't complain.

Armored Core 4 is a great next gen game, however more could still be added, especially from previous Armored Core games. Custom cockpits, and maybe night vision, or a replay for multiplayer or the simulator (and the replay save system that was on Last Raven.) AC4 is a great start for next gen armored core, and the sequel will probably be much more promising and satisfy everyones hunger for what they want.

Armored Core 4 the last addition to the Armored Core Series and what a game it is, what a game. Awesome job by Sega. It's out on the XBOX360 and PS3. This game and these consoles were a match made in gaming heaven. The graphics and the sound are what is gonna do it for you complimented with awesome gameplay. You just cannot go wrong with AC4.

Stop and imagine this for a while. You work for a corporation and with you mechanical warrior of doom and destruction you fight against other corporations. You can run, fly glide and the arsenal you have at your disposal. If you like blowing things up you're just gonna love this. Missiles, lasers, machine guns and even swords. Have you ever heard of a big mech being super agile? Well they are in this game and then some. Armored Core 4 delivers to the mech gaming world where all others have failed. Think of this is your last hope, if this does not satisfy you nothing will and I have every confident that this one will. Yes....... It is that good of a game. Don't miss out on this guys Armored Core 4 is ready for you. The question is....... Are you ready for Armored Core????

Arrrggg! I really wanted to like this game, but after playing it for a few days, I have to admit, it's a very frustrating experience.

First, the good. The ACs are amazingly customizable. As if the various combinations of parts wasn't enough, you can alter your stabilizer set up and you have FPS memory (points you can use to boost about 40 different stats). After playing a while, your AC will be truly unique. The "garage" where you set up your AC is fairly intuitive, and the "test" and "simulation" modes are well implemented. If you like to tinker (and I do), this part of the game is very cool.

Now the bad. The actual single player missions are poorly implemented. You will probably spend 15 minutes in the garage, only to play a mission for 30-90 seconds -IF you get it right. Most often, the objectives are so vague that you will wander around looking for your objective. This isn't aided by the fact that your radar shows no distinction between primary targets and meaningless data - like missiles (even your own!). The "mission briefings" will become a source of great aggravation. They are narrated by a woman who starts EVERY mission off with the same words, "Lets confirm the mission - `sigh'". The sigh is hers, not mine. She then proceeds to give vague information that presumably advances the "plot", but does a really bad idea of telling you what to expect. This would be bad enough, but to add insult to injury, she narrates your mission. You will grow to hate the sound of her voice after the third replay trying to find an objective she seems to know all about, but can't articulate to you.

There is also the boundary system. The graphics are amazing, and you will battle it out in all kinds of spectacular environments - except you better not leave the invisible box you're in! To leave the box for more than a few seconds means instant mission failure - I actually failed one mission just by holding my boosters to long (it lifted me out of the box, and by the time I knew what was wrong, the game had failed the mission).

A minor point is the selling and equipping system. Each component area is treated differently. This means that if you have a missile launcher for your left back that you aren't using, you would have to sell it and buy one for your right back to equip it on the other side. There is no way, short of going through hundreds of screens to find out if you "own" equipment you aren't using. What makes this even more frustrating is that you will have "specs" for other ACs but in order to build them, you would either have to have enough money to build it from scratch, or sell off all your other components -one by one. It would have made more sense to have a "total value" system. This means if you have 1,000,000 credits (or parts), you could build any "spec" that has that value or less. As it is, changing ACs is a tremendously tedious experience.

This game will probably get updates to fix some of these problems, but as it stands now, it is a very mixed bag indeed.

Most professional game reviewers have three trends in their criticism of this game.

1. Missions are too short

Although some missions can be played in less time then it takes to load the mission, this is generally not the case. In past armored core games they had missions that would take long amounts of time to complete. This went against one of the main focuses of this game which was trial and error. Now instead of realizing half way through a 30 min. mission that you can not complete it cause you have run out of ammo, you won't have to commit 30 min. to trying the mission over again. This makes the game more approachable.

2. Bad story and Control scheme

Although the Controls are hard to master, its hard to imagine a different control setup if there were real Armored Cores scouring the planet. As for the story, it is pretty bad, but for mech games its not too bad.

3. Custimizing the Armored Cores is too complicated

For your first hour playing the game, yes it is too complicated. It won't be so baffling though that you'll give up.

4. Someone else told me that the game is too hard

TOO HARD? Not at all. I got through it with only restarting four missions over again.

Overall

The game play is amazing, the story is bad, the missions are A little too short, and the online component is fairly robust. Right now there is a lack of fast paced action games. Armored core 4 fills that gap even if it is just for the purpose of having fun and of corse blowing things up.

I had the chance to try out this title a couple of weeks ago. The last mech games I played were on the SNES--I can't even remember their names now, but they were good fun and I was looking for more of the same here. That is, unless you count Lost Planet as a mech game--which it is, but only to a degree. Most of the game takes place on foot. In Armored Core 4, all the action takes place in a six-story mech armed with weapons the size of tanks. Good times!

One thing I really liked about this game was the mobility of the mechs. They always felt cumbersome and unresponsive in every other mech game I've played, but not here. The jets you can use to "ski" along on the ground or fly through the air let you dodge incoming fire or skirt around a building to flank an enemy--and it looks cool as heck.

The action is intense--it's rare to have a moment where you're not being shot at in the missions. You must stay on the move, or you'll get hit with a volley that'll knock off half your AP (armor).

That said, I also found this game to be incredibly frustrating, play-wise.

For instance, you can click in a thumbstick to lock on a target...but rarely, if ever, do you lock onto the CORRECT target. You can have your crosshairs resting on an enemy, click to lock him in...and the game will lock on to a target a thousand feet behind you on the other side of a hill. It seems as if using that button locks you on to a completely random target in the level. Sometimes I would lock on, and not even be able to find the locked target. I would just proceed for the rest of the level without having the ability to use lock (since I couldn't figure out how, or even if, I could unlock the targets.)

The weapons feel underpowered. They aren't--they're devastating--but to fire a thirty-foot-long cannon and hear "PIP" as the sound effect and see a little yellow dot fly slowly toward the enemy--just doesn't do it justice. You can jet forward at almost the same pace as your rounds fly downrange. The refire rates are quite slow. The missiles are just streaks of gray smoke that may or may not hit the target (depending on the ones you're using--some do the trick nicely, others act like the Drunken Missile gun from Rise of the Triad). Sometimes your missiles will just fly into the ground. Reminds me of the old Vietnam-era Sparrow AAM that would just randomly decide whether or not it would stay locked on target.

And the controls--the controls were the worst aspect of the game, hands-down. They were completely counterintuitive, placing the jet controls on the triggers and the weapons on the A and X buttons by default. This led to me continually using my jets in combat and wondering why my enemies weren't exploding. I did reconfigure the controls by switching my weapons to the triggers and the jets to the buttons...but when I did that, I found that I couldn't use the jets and shoot at the same time. It required me to contort my right hand in an unnatural way trying to punch three buttons at the same time while holding down another. No matter which configuration I tried, I was always struck by how hard it was to press the right buttons in the right order. Seems like a weird thing for a videogamer of twenty years to say--and it is. I can pick up 99% of games in no time. This game I just couldn't get the hang of. The controls were too awkward.

Finally--and this is my last negative, I swear--the levels were very unbalanced. You will play one level and beat it without taking a hit...and then the very next level will be so frustratingly hard that you'll want to throw down your controller. And so on and so forth. The levels in this game either present no challenge whatsoever, or are nearly impossible to complete. Luckily, you can skip over most of the impossible ones (but not all of them, which is why this game was returned unfinished.)

Now, let's end on another high note.

There's a great deal of mech customization options in this game. Not only can you replace any part of your mech, from chassis to legs to arms to radar to missiles and backup weapons, but you can also repaint your mech to suit your tastes. You can even add your own custom insignia to your mech's shoulder, or use a pre-made one. Mine was dark red with black trim--Blood Angel colors. Gotta love that scheme.

If I could have mastered the controls and gotten past the imbalances, this game might have stayed in the console longer. As it is, it was quite good for a few hours of fast-paced shoot-em-up, but little more than that.

This game is definitely worth a rental--and if you can find it for 20 bucks or less, it's worth buying. I wouldn't pay new-game prices for a copy, though.

This game was Okay, it was fun to be floating on the water, but it was over very soon. Kind of short game. I would recommend For Answer rather than this. But this was okay.

Firstly, the product shipped and arrived promptly after ordering and arrived in perfect condition. Secondly, the game itself is alot of fun, and the only thing I would knock about it is its musical selection (some tracks were quite epic, but others just seemed much too out of place and peppy for the setting).

All in all, a good experience.

I have found Armored Core 4 to be a 13 step process. I'm currently on step eleven myself, although I did preemptively do step twelve already. All in all this is the best Armored Core game ever made. The way energy and primal armor is handled is awesome. The fact that special parts are awarded for completing a mission with S Rank instead of hunting through the entire area for some minuscule item is a great step.

I could probably go on for quite a while about how great this game is... but let me just say this: This game is NOT hard, I am currently beating all of the levels on Hard Mode with Rank S using only two Energy Blades.

Now then, the 13 steps.

Step One: Insert disc.
Step Two: Watch absolutely beautiful, goosebump inducing intro sequence.
Step Three: Create new game.
Step Four: Be forced to go through video and game options.
Step Five: Be forced to go through tutorial, so as to know exactly how to control your AC.
Step Six: Choose a pre-built schematic and work from there.
Step Seven: Go back and forth between Test and Game Control options until you have your very own perfect control setup.
Step Eight: Play through the first mission.
Step Nine: Thoroughly enjoy the first mission and proceed to learn about the new ways to customize your AC while completing other missions.
Step Ten: Create several schematics which are variations on your first to accomplish missions with special needs.
Step Eleven: Beat the game, and go back through each mission getting Rank S, then go back through again and do the same on hard Mode.
Step Twelve: You are ready for online play... Unfortunately, no one is playing the game online.
Step Thirteen: Save money to buy Armored Core: For Answer.