Armored Core: Verdict Day

released on Sep 24, 2013

Command a squadron of advanced Armored Core mechs in a dystopian future ravaged by war and stripped of natural resources. Players will form squads of up to 20 members and enlist into one of the various in-game factions to wrestle control of territories away from other players in the game's persistent multiplayer mode. FromSoftware announced that online servers would be shut down on March 31st, 2024.


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A gigantic, triumphant improvement over Armored Core V, Verdict Day beats the odds to merely be very bad.

I already went on an unhinged rant about my problems with ACV, most of which were just barely less severe this time around, but I do want to say that Verdict Day has plenty of content laid over this totally irredeemable framework that I would love to have experienced in pretty much any other game. Like... there's some pretty decent writing, in an old-school AC way; you get character profiles of AC pilots after killing them in missions, which is a small thing that does (relatively) a lot to make the campaign feel less like an afterthought. Missions are also no longer atrociously long and samey (though the difficulty has been ramped up considerably), there are better and more varied maps, some of the new frame parts they added aren't as ugly. Strides have certainly been made.

The final boss gets hyped up a lot and: genuinely yes, it's an absolute standout as the best thing in the game visually, conceptually, and even mechanically. It's a pretty fun fight! I liked the actual gameplay of it! But like... I don't know if it's "play all of Armored Core Verdict Day for this" good. You can watch it on Youtube, frankly, it's not like the context of the rest of the game adds much. (The context of having played For Answer, however...)

If it wasn't obvious, I didn't fuck with multiplayer at all. There are a variety of reasons for this, but there's only a couple of months left that the multiplayer will even exist, so if the idea isn't as repellent to you as it is to me, you should probably hurry.

They took ACV's framework that had a lot of potential for more than what ACV gave us and then crafted a great AC experience that feels more akin to the older gens. Even if you aren't a huge gen 5 fan you gotta play this for that insanely amazing final mission. They even brought back the AI AC UNACs from Formula Front! Except they assist you this time as a partner. Really feels like they wanted to take a bunch of good elements from other games. Unlocking parts is much better in this game too.

The switch to traditional style AC missions is nice tho I would've liked if they had at least a couple of the long ACV style ones in-between. Could do with a bit more variety in the missions instead of the "kill all enemies and then AC" but its a very charming solid game with nice characters and plot, which is quite Last Raven-esque.

Definitely worth the play! The visual effects are a bit too distracting and chaotic in multiple AC fights though... beware if you suffer from a condition that could be triggered from that.

PS: I also have to mention Yuka Kitamura (of Dark Souls fame)'s help on the OST is neat too, Vendetta being a collab between her and Hoshino rocks.

that final mission may be one of the best things i've ever played? holy fuck dude. the goosebumps are still there. so insane

verdict day is a fascinating game. coming off the heels of the divisive V, it's clear that this time, they wanted to bring the game closer in-line with its predecessors. now, how successful it is in that is up to debate, but the mixture of V's visual design and mechanics, For Answer-esque narrative and Last Raven-esque missions, it feels like a greatest hits album of everywhere and everything the series has gone or done, and even if i'm still not the biggest fan of its gameplay nor its changes, it's impossible for me not to love this game. the story is up there with the all time greats like that aforementioned LR and FA, the soundtrack is legendary, god it's hard not to gush about it.

and what a game it is.. i struggled with this more than even last raven, i think. it always felt a little like i was wrestling with the controls to do what i wanted, but it's a mech game so you can't really fault it for that. it's probably just a skill issue on my part - i could easily see the argument that this has the biggest skill ceiling (and floor? maybe?) of the entire series. still not a big fan of the way the shop updates, or the different damage types, and i think there can be way too much going on on-screen sometimes, but i really can't bring myself to not love this game, even if i prefer V's direction on the whole... wow. i love this series so much man. there really is nothing like it.

do you like the oldgen mission format, AC vs AC fights and uh... programming? if so, then boy oh boy have i got the game for you:

...it's a shame there aren't more campaign set pieces a la ACV, but if their absence means having order missions that don't suck ass, maybe that's not such a huge price to pay. i'll certainly take 60 solid missions over 9 good ones and 80+ that suck ass

final boss made me remember things

Nearly had a panic attack trying to understand customizing UNAC operations. This is exactly why I quit taking computer science classes.