Post by Bobthedead on Nov 16, 2003 0:53:43 GMT -5
System: PlayStation®2
Genre: Mech Fighting
Age Range: 13 to 17
Rating: Teen
Review from: Bobthedead
Imagine your strolling down the highway, driving your little compact minding your own business when Bame! You get steeped on by a huge robot. Not cool, but would it be if you where driving that giant robot? Most likely. As many people have found Armored Core3 is just the kind of destructive mayhem in a game with the intense one on one or multiplayer competition they have been waiting for.
In the game you will be a man for hire, one know as a Raven who pilots giant robots called ACs. In a world controlled by a machine, factions called the corporations will hire you to settle their disputes over any given situation. As long as the pay is good. You will be able to choose the missions you wish to accept, and if you base the jobs you accept solely on the price you will often find yourself playing both sides of a dispute. On day you may be protecting a highway while the very next you could find yourself hired to destroy it. But choosing your friends wisely will get you far.
The story goes that the worlds problems are handled by a giant computer. The Controller. The Controller was in complete control, it even manipulated the struggles between the corporations. But as conflicts escalate, chaos begins to rise. Most people wont pick up on the fact that that this whole game is played out on mars, but that?s because they havent played the games before this. While you learn the story to AC3 you will also be learning a small piece of timeline in a much larger story. I can make no promises I speculate that there is a much deeper story to all this than one might grasp.
An interesting part of the way you handle missions is that you will gain respect, or good standing with individual corporations depending on who you make the happiest. In return you will be granted exclusive weapons and garage parts at your dispose. But a deeper story is slowly uncovered as you get more involved. Eventually it is clear that the Controller has malfunctioned, and your final task is to destroy it.
The games controls may take some time to get used to, but the game play makes up for it. And the graphics are good, but in most cases it wont shine past your AC. While the storyline itself is good it is not tied into the play very well by the method the game presents it. You will receive E-mail that will keep you up to date on the story and some of the missions. If you spend time at it, you can get really good at controlling your AC. While some of the early missions may seem a bit too difficult, do not be discouraged. You will get a chance to replay all the missions after beating the game. While close to what games in the series has had to offer, it is still its own game.
As for pieces, this game really shines when it comes down to customizing the AC. Color is an option and there are allot of weapons to choose from. But you will learn the basics of how your main body?s interaction with energy usage will affect mobility and your overall performance. There is a real balance to the robots, and it?s what makes the versus mode worthwhile. This game overall makes for an experience that keeps you coming back. I suggest a rental for a good few days at the very least.
8/10
[/Center]
