Armored Core 4 for Playstation 3
From Software Delivers a Solid, but Standard Addition to the Series.
Delivering fast-paced mech combat packed with different models, weapons and customizations, Armored Core 4 falls short with its weak missions and bland environments.
Rating: 66/100
Armored Core 4, for the Playstation 3, takes a great series and delivers another solid, if unremarkable, entry to the franchise. AC4 is another set of games based upon the piloting of large, agile, and heavily armed Mech-robots. Two major types of Mechs exist in this game: the less powerful ones called ‘Normals’ and the more powerful version used by the player character called ‘Nexts’. The game offers fast-paced robot combat, a large variety of weapons, and an amazing amount of maneuverability for a game of this type. It combat system struggles to be fun and engaging, but a difficult targeting system drains a lot of the enjoyment out of it.
At first glance Armored Core 4 looks like it has excellent graphics, but after a few missions it will become apparent that those excellent graphics are few and far between. While the Next models given to the player look and move nicely, most of the Normals look very similar within chapters and the lesser enemies (tanks/helicopters/etc) look similar throughout the entire game. Armored Core 4’s environments are generally bland and featureless. Desert levels with lots of sand and a flat yellow terrain, a mountain path with a featureless road to follow and perfectly flat cliff tops for enemy placement, and a bland warehouse divided into two halves with three large aisles in each are just three of the many bland areas you will become well acquainted with. The only interesting terrain that's even worth looking forward to is the urban missions. Granted that large buildings which are little more than cover to zoon behind while regrouping isn’t the best environment imaginable; it beats large tracts of flat, featureless land.
Gameplay is where most mech-type games have failed in the past. It just seems that there’s something inherent in this type of game that makes creators force their creations to move in slow, lumbering animations. Maneuverability is another key area previous games have failed. This is one area in which AC4 delivers in spades. The Nexts move with decent speed at a run delivered with crisp and smooth animations. Each Next can also glide along on the ground nearly indefinitely and this greatly enhances their speed and turning ability. This ground-skating ability can also be used to launch into the air and fly your Next around the field for a better position on the flat, flat land.
AC4 also has some impressive customization options. Nexts can generally carry close to 6 weapons and other gadgets, slightly more if you optimize. The variety of these weapons is impressive, some of which are staggeringly powerful. There are a large number of Next basic frames, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. This all sounds great on paper, but when you’re actually playing the game it is a very different experience. The targeting system is terrible to put it bluntly. It is nearly impossible to keep a target in your sites at all times with all the gliding and flying both you and your target will be doing. This wouldn’t be such a pain if the weapons didn’t require your shots to be so accurate in order to hit.
Overall Armored Core 4 is a definite step forward for mech-games. Movement, speed, customization, and hordes of Nexts and weapons make this game stand out in a great way among other of its type. Only some targeting issues, bland environments, and repetitive missions keep this game from greatness. It’s a fun game to play for a few hours, but ultimately it’s only a rental. Hopefully the next installment will use this as a model and simply improve the formula to make it great.
