Armored Core 2

"Armored Core 2, The beginning on PS2"

Hm, Well, Look at the date. Another late review by me brought about by boredom. This game set the bar for mech combat with its first game on the PSX, And has kept that bar rising with Project Phantasma and Master of the Arena. Now its Armored Core 2, Armored Core 2: another Age, and the bar is still going up. Armored Core 2 is is like Project Phantasma in that it has both an arena and missions. Another Age is like to Armored Core since it only has missions, And im guessing that Armored Core 3 will be like Masters of the Arena...... But enough about that. Im here to talk about Armored Core 2.

Gameplay: 10/10
From missions to the arena, Its fun to the very end. There are around 30 missions you can play threw, and they are all great. And when you are done working for other companies in the mission set up, You can go head to head with 58 arena opponents. Some of them are dumb (Like Hustler Two), And some are really hard (Rose and Matthias), But all are fun. But the real fun comes from the thousands of AC combinations. There are tons of interchangeable parts in this game.

Graphics: 7/10
For a launch date game on the PS2, I was really impressed. Most launch date games are loaded with graphical errors and what not, The only problem with this would be the frame rate. Some times dropping to the single digit's when missiles are used. But other then that this game is one thing that will keep your eye's pleased for a long time.

Control: 10/10
Its the Armored Core controls that were made with the first Armored Core game. you just can't beat them. While some systems change controllers with each system's release, Playstation was wise enough to keep its controller for those who loved it. once you learn the controls you won't forget them. Every operation you need your AC to perform is right at your fingertips.

Sound: 8/10
They are the original Armored Core sounds, If you have ever played the Armored Core games on the PS1, Then you would have noticed the cannon sound, Rifle sound, Laser sound, And it was all basically the same. Well, The only difference with these sounds is that they have more detail to them. instead of just a 'woosh' sound the the GN280 (I think this was it in the original AC game), You get more of a 'pwoosh' sound with the remade GN44 grenade launcher. Its only slightly updated.

Overall: 9/10
Armored Core is still raising the bar for mech combat.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/01, Updated 03/03/02