Armored Core 3

"Cravin' that Raven"

If for a moment you could be in a giant mech, would you do it? Chances are if you are taking the time to even read this the answer is yes. If for a moment you could design a killer giant mech would you do it? Chances are if you've suffered through Zone of the Enders and had never played an Armored Core game you've missed that chance. Here it is. While the Armored Core series has never excelled in ''story'' where they excel is everywhere else.

Depth of creation: that is what this series and game have up their sleeve that no other game, let alone mech game has in spades. DO NOT be intimidated by the set up process, at first it may seem difficult but rest assured you will be designing a true mech in no time. At any mission briefing you are given the opportunity to know what kind of mech is expected. If you hear anything about ''catching'' someone you will know that speed will be in order, likewise if you hear the words ''defend'' a strong mech will be needed, etc. Simple. What isn't simple is knowing the maximum fun one can get out of this process, seriously, designing the mech is half the battle, and the fun. 10

Graphics: Until Armored Core 2 I never cared for the graphics of this series. I thought even AC1 on the PS1 looked poor compared to other 3d games so I never gave it much of a look. Unfortunately, with the incarnation of AC3 the graphics really haven't improved much beyond AC2. Not that that is bad but the engine is really showing her age. 7.5

Sound: A lot of sound bites are here. Lots of speech telling you about missions and thankfully the rather forgetable futurtecno from AC2 has been upscaled to a much more ''orchestra-like'' sound. Much wider ranger of sound not to mention the further depth added by an improved soundtrack. 8.5

Gameplay: What can I say? I'm the Master of the Arena. I have been playing this series so long I am great and it is very hard for me to remember when I started playing so I can't really say whether the control is good or not it just IS. There is no dual analog much to EGM's shagrinn but who cares? It's called ADAPTING. I think the controls are spot-on considering the daunting task of all that can done, extension weapons, inside weapons, etc. There is A LOT going on but the PS2 controller is just about the only one I can think of that pull off an AC game... and what do you know...? It's always ONLY on PS!

Let me sum this up by saying if you LOVE Armored Core the way I do and buy all the action figs for your collection Armored Core 3 is like Jesus himself. If you've tried Armored Core in the past and haven't liked it, nothing here will change your mind. But I must add: Give this a game a look, it has it all; depth, length, and most importantly robotic love.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/18/02, Updated 09/18/02