Armored Core 3

"More of the same great formula"

What's the main difference between Armored Core 3 and Armored Core 2? Well, the answer is, nothing much. I mean, they added a few new mission types, got better graphics, and new mech pieces, but this is pretty much Armored Core 2... Not that that's a bad thing!

Graphics: 8/10
The graphics are the main reason to get this game over Armored Core 2. They're extremely pretty, in some cases that is. Like, in the Jungle areas, you can see the mist and the tree details. Otherwise, the city levels are nothing special. What I did take note of, however, when I began playing, was everything was much smoother. Instead of feeling like I'm controlling a slow moving AC2 robot, I felt more like I was controlling a ZOE mech. The distance at when you start to see other objects come into view seems almost endless, yet that's not true for foggy or dark areas... which are almost all the levels in the game.

Sound: 6/10
Blah, I never liked the AC music, but it's not so bad that I'm turning it on mute and putting on my own music.It's pretty much dance beats, but less noticeable. The voice acting is much better in this game than the last. An annoying thing in AC2 that I've noticed was that the voice acting in the levels was really really loud. This was fixed in this game. The explosion and gun sounds are nothing special, not like some of the memorable gun blasts in Metal Gear Solid, Red Faction, or Quake 3.

Story: 7/10
The story in this game is almost all text. You have to keep up with which corporation is doing what to the other, and what's happening in the outside world. Basically, the world at this moment in time, is controlled by a super computer, and everyone makes their major decisions through this computer. As time goes on, rebels start to appear. As in the last game, you join an elite group of mercenary AC pilots called the Ravens, and start to do contract work for the 3 major corporations in the game. Later on, once more of the plot is exposed, you go out on your own missions to stop some evil-doers... or something like that. Entertaining enough, but nothing to get excited about.

Gameplay: 9/10
I'm a big AC fan. I just love the way the guys who made this game decided to play with mechs. If you've played the first or second AC game, then you know how to play this. Although this game has a really steep learning curve when it comes to controlling your AC, once you get it, you become a pro. The only problem I have with the games control is that it gets very hard to look up or down in mid battle sometimes, but other times you just do it naturally and then wonder how you did it afterwards. Every mission or Arena fight that you participate in gives you money, and with that, much in the fashion of Mech Warrior, you can buy new and better parts, only you can buy such a wide variety of parts, each part you buy changes the look and function of your AC. You love it to the point where you spend hours on the paint job, and even longer on the emblem system.

Difficulty: 8/10
(If this mark is too high or too low, the final mark goes down)
As I've said before, the learning curve on the controls is huge, but once you have it, you have it. If you've played an AC game before, you're an expert on this one. The missions themselves are pretty tough once you get into the later levels unless you prepare for them, and the Arena battles are near impossible within the top 10 spots. It's not so hard as to rip your eyes out, but not too easy so that your little sister can beat it in one sitting.

Overall: 8/10
You like AC? Then get this game. I got hooked on the game, and this 6th sequel in the series is the best yet. But if you dislike the series and you're hoping this one will finally get you, sorry to tell you, but it won't. It's almost exactly the same as AC2, which I, myself, consider a good thing.

If you're new to the series though, rent it before you buy it... And then buy it. I really think they've done their work on this game, and deserve a bit of your money.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/02, Updated 09/22/02