Armored Core

"Excellent mech-sim"

I have been wanting to get around to this review for sometime. So here it goes:

About a year ago I had the pleasure of meeting a gentle man from Japan. He brought a whole truck-load of games that weren't out yet on the US market. One of them was Armored Core. So I asked to borrow it. Naturally when he said yes I was quite excited. When I got home and plugged it in, I willingly sat through the fairly long intro. I was litterally blown away by how great it looked. Then I started playing. The sacrifice to the graphics wasn't too bad. It was more like playing on a fuzzy computer monitor. There was a training mode there which I of course skipped. After getting killed the in the first thirty seconds of the game I decided that the training mode wouldn't be so bad. This was when I noticed the true beauty of this game/

Training mode showed me that a mech sim doesn't need a special controller. It utilized every button the PSX had. Turning was not a chore. In fact, depending on your skill level, you can easily do a quick 180. After about 30 min. of mastering the controls, I began playing. The levels were sometimes dark and moody. Sometimes they were eerily bright. They had me going through tunnels, cities, deserts, space, etc. etc. And none of the levels were super gimmicky. There were obstacles that actually had something to do with your sortie. When in a firefight, the enemies acted intelligent (if they were taking too much fire, they tried to find cover to retaliate from). The story was intriguing and engaging. Kind of like playing Goldeneye on steroids. Trust me, you'll want to log in tons of hours just to get all the endings.

Another highlight to this game were the mechs themselves. The makers of the game put a lot into this little CD. You can outfit your AC with different arms, legs, guns, shoulder weapons, and energy swords. Adding to this, there were a number of hidden parts and weapons that could max out your AC's destructive capabilities.

But, alas, a game can't be all good. This game needs a two player co-op mode. I got very lonely destroying random enemies. It also needs analog support to make the tight controls even tighter and more intuitive. Finally, the learning curve need not be so high. I found myself struggling to stay alive even after I put in over 40 hrs. on the game!

A worthy addition to any PSX owner's library even at the denouement of the PSX's glory. (GET PROJECT PHANTASMA AFTER BEATING THIS! IT'S EVEN BETTER)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99