Armored Core 4

"After all those lackluster Armored Core games, we finally recieve compensation"

For years now, Armored Core has been the perfect hallmark for mech customization games. With its complexity of customization and the ability to make possibly any type of mech you want, it proved to be a very unique game. However, as the years went by, the same problems were repeated over and over again. At first, they were forgivable, but as the years went on, those same problems continued to hammer the game. The game became more complex, pushing new players away, and leaving little to satisfy veterans of the series. With nearly no hope in sight, I started to lose hope in the series. That is, until Armored Core 4 came out. Not only does AC4 fix all of those problems that the series contained, it offers a whole new opportunity for new players to experience the world of Armored core.

The storyline in Armored Core has always been paper-thin and poorly constructed. While AC4 improves greatly upon it, the storyline is still very lacking. The world is once again under the control of a group of merciless superpower corporations due to a huge war, and humanity is at the mercy of the group's will. Many people don't prefer this type of living, so you, a mercenary, are hired by a small colony and allied with a 3rd party company to wage warfare on the major companies and collapse them.

Graphics- 8/10
For the past seven games, the Armored Core series has longed for a graphical upgrade and AC4 finally brings it in. From Software has done a great job at beefing everything up. To start off, the lighting is excellent and makes the environments look superb. The reflections are excellent and the lighting makes the environments look so much greater. The special effects, gunshots, and explosions also look a whole lot better than before, and the Armored Core's themselves (Now called ‘Nexts') have a much greater amount of detail done to them. There are a few minor flaws however. While most of the environments look superb, a few of the levels look extremely bland, offering the same bland textures over and over again. There are some collision detection problems, such as the missiles going through the tops of the hills, although the detection is spot-on when it comes to enemies. Also, whenever an enemy is destroyed, it disappears, which robs the player of looking down at his own pile of metal carnage after destroying an army of tanks, mechs, etc. Overall however, the graphics are great and are a far cry from the previous installments in the series.

Sound- 7/10
The sound has also gotten much needed attention as well. The soundtrack has been improved mostly, as the music now accompanies the action, more than stands out above it. The voice acting is also great, with a narrator between chapters, and a mission briefer who's personally constantly shifts from a professional tech support, to emotionally involved. However, the soundtrack could have really used some more tracks, as there are no more than five songs altogether. Overall though, the sound is much improved over the previous installments.

Gameplay- 8/10
The gameplay is AC4 is more balanced and welcoming to new players, but may disappoint veterans of the series.
To start off, the customization is far more simplistic than the previous installments. Players start the game with one of three pre-built mechs to select from. After that, players complete missions and earn money to buy different parts for their mech. The good thing about customization this time is that other parts are unlocked gradually as players progress through the game, rather than throwing 50 parts of each kind their way all at once. This helps new players decide more easily in which part they want. Even better is the fact that fine-tuning certain parts can now be done automatically. Instead of points be given to tune the parts, players now have the option to distribute them all evenly to each part. However, the confusing abbreviations are still there. These include EN, PA, FRS and the like, which can make the game confusing. Still, the customization has been improved by a great amount.

Customization isn't the only thing that was improved. The action has gotten much needed attention. In the previous installments, players were given a limited amount of energy that would drain quickly as soon as the boosters were activated. If they weren't careful, the energy would hit rock bottom and players would be stuck while they waited for the energy to recharge. In AC4, that option is now non-existent. The boosters now have unlimited energy, except when boosting upward or using the quick boost option. Thankfully, the energy recharges much quicker. This is a good thing, because if you aren't boosting, you're either dead, or will die soon. As for the action itself, AC4 is more visceral and satisfying that the previous installments. In nearly every mission, there's practically and army of tanks, helicopters, and lesser mechs just waiting to take you on. With the help of infinite boost, players are now free to speed through a city, fly to the top of structures and rain death upon your enemies. Either that, or speed through the streets and fire a million missiles at the next poor, unfortunate tank battalion to look at you the wrong way. You can also now engage in pro-longed aerial combat which is also a fun option for players who love flying. In addition to that, all AC's now come equipped with something called primal armor (PA) which is a force field of some sort that reduces damage by a great margin and protects AC's from environmental hazards. Overall, the combat in AC4 is light years ahead of any of the previous installments.

There are a few minor problems however. For starters, the missions are very short. Sometimes, they last less than 60 seconds. Very few last more than 5 minutes. It's very unsatisfying to hear the “Please return to base” message just as the action was getting good. The online multiplayer is also very lacking as the population is scarce.

Overall, AC4 will appeal to most people who have never played an Armored Core game before. It may disappoint series veterans but will attract many newcomers.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/07