This game is my personal favourite out of the Armored Core old gen- If you wish to experience the original, good old Armored Core, I think to me my definitive pick is AC3, it is the pinnacle of the old gen combat, and pays full respect to the original Armored Core with the narrative and story.
Loses that special vibe that AC2 has for me, but as a whole, it's essentially a far more fleshed-out and refined version of 2s gameplay, while acting as a reboot of AC1 in terms of setting and story. Mission rankings and OP-INTENSIFY add a lot of replayability to this one, and new features like consorts, orbit cores and sidearms are nice additions too.
It took me a while to beat, but after the release of 6 and then some, I can finally say that Armored Core 3 is a masterpiece. The music, graphics, and gameplay all combine to create a spectacular package. The variation in parts and gameplay styles this game introduces is also worth noting, every player should be able to find an AC customization that works for them.
A methodical and punishing entry in the series, maybe the slowest Armored Core I’ve played. A weak plot lets it down a bit in the aggregate
i will try to play through this fully someday but god overcoming the clunk is gonna take some time
- Mom, can we get some EN weapons?
- Honey, we have EN weapons at home!
- Mom what the fuck is wrong with you we have 3 and they all suck ass
Game is fun though. Not a fan of how the standard arena is 'cause I like the flatter ones, but it's good.
- Honey, we have EN weapons at home!
- Mom what the fuck is wrong with you we have 3 and they all suck ass
Game is fun though. Not a fan of how the standard arena is 'cause I like the flatter ones, but it's good.
liked this one a lot! i can't remember specifics cause it's been a while but as the world you spend the most time with in any entry i liked it and this is probably my favorite first entry of any besides AC6.
Facilmente um dos melhores
Pretty sick. The presentation of this game is immaculate, from the hud to the menus to the music, overall it oozes a certain PS2 era vibe that's gone from games these days. Gameplay is challenging but if you're paying attention to the systems and are smart about your build, you'll figure it out. I liked it a lot.
insanely based game.
this is where you wanna start if you're a newbie to the series as it's the easiest to get into and has a unique aesthetic design that i rarely see other games try to do.
play it.
this is where you wanna start if you're a newbie to the series as it's the easiest to get into and has a unique aesthetic design that i rarely see other games try to do.
play it.
Cada vez van mejorando mucho más la fórmula, se siente muy bien.
Finally, an Armored Core game I truly love. It has its flaws just like the rest of them, but has the best balance of mission design, story and music to date.
Armored Core 3 is a little more direct with its story from the get go. The world is explained to you, a society built in layers ruled over by a force known as "The Controller". It's simple sci-fi guff, giving me big Psycho Pass vibes, but more effectively established a core threat. Obviously, the idea of a supercomputer making every single decision is rather dystopian, and the game grapples heavily with themes of control and oppression. It won't win any awards, yet I was hooked throughout, and once again found myself building rapport with different companies based on how they responded to current events. It's AC storytelling at its best!
Missions are about as good as they've ever been, too. Plenty "kill all enemies" objectives, with a smattering of escorts, defences and more unique goals, such as surviving a firing range without shooting back or my favourite level, a vertical dive into a sunken cargo ship where you balance how much you can destroy with both a time limit and limited ammunition. Once you get to the bottom, you're put against the clock and have to scale your way back and with the game's electrifying soundtrack, it makes for an incredibly intense setpiece.
AC3 does fall into the trap of previous titles where the final stretch of the game can just be a tad too brutal. Everything kills you in seconds and requires an accurate onslaught from yourself in order to stand a chance. It's just a touch frustrating, but otherwise this game excels in its mission design.
Just a fantastic entry in a series I'm truly growing to adore. I've got a lot more Gen 3 ahead so I'm happy to see it's off to a great start.
Armored Core 3 is a little more direct with its story from the get go. The world is explained to you, a society built in layers ruled over by a force known as "The Controller". It's simple sci-fi guff, giving me big Psycho Pass vibes, but more effectively established a core threat. Obviously, the idea of a supercomputer making every single decision is rather dystopian, and the game grapples heavily with themes of control and oppression. It won't win any awards, yet I was hooked throughout, and once again found myself building rapport with different companies based on how they responded to current events. It's AC storytelling at its best!
Missions are about as good as they've ever been, too. Plenty "kill all enemies" objectives, with a smattering of escorts, defences and more unique goals, such as surviving a firing range without shooting back or my favourite level, a vertical dive into a sunken cargo ship where you balance how much you can destroy with both a time limit and limited ammunition. Once you get to the bottom, you're put against the clock and have to scale your way back and with the game's electrifying soundtrack, it makes for an incredibly intense setpiece.
AC3 does fall into the trap of previous titles where the final stretch of the game can just be a tad too brutal. Everything kills you in seconds and requires an accurate onslaught from yourself in order to stand a chance. It's just a touch frustrating, but otherwise this game excels in its mission design.
Just a fantastic entry in a series I'm truly growing to adore. I've got a lot more Gen 3 ahead so I'm happy to see it's off to a great start.
merequetengue
Just so fucking good. I got to finally playing one after seeing AC6's announcment and having been greatly interested in the series since my early love for Mechs. Incredible customization with just enough to be inevitably simple once you get your bearings and credits. Missions are brisk and tight, the atmosphere is oppressive and memorable, all stuck together in steel threads by a sprawling Sci-Fi ost fest of tortured samples and synths (it a illicits a kinf of Sci-Fi esc Drakengard ost).
There is something so ominous about this game, both in its presentation and thematic that never lets up from the get go. Some claustrophobic hopeless Sci-Fi horror, yet, the music goes from chopped up hope and bulldozes to oppresive with ease. Other AC's attack with brisk, speaking in cold hopless despair and cynicism. Nothing else makes you feel like your nothing more than just a Raven than being faced with the real horrors of the Layered.
I truly feel like Armored Core is a real triumph in mech fiction in the Game medium. There is no other series that makes you apart of your mech, a single entity of biologic and a-biotic qualities in tandem with the enviornment; all up against god knows what.
There is something so ominous about this game, both in its presentation and thematic that never lets up from the get go. Some claustrophobic hopeless Sci-Fi horror, yet, the music goes from chopped up hope and bulldozes to oppresive with ease. Other AC's attack with brisk, speaking in cold hopless despair and cynicism. Nothing else makes you feel like your nothing more than just a Raven than being faced with the real horrors of the Layered.
I truly feel like Armored Core is a real triumph in mech fiction in the Game medium. There is no other series that makes you apart of your mech, a single entity of biologic and a-biotic qualities in tandem with the enviornment; all up against god knows what.
This review contains spoilers
I want to go outside Mr.Controller
Minha introdução a franquia, esse jogo me trás felicidade (e relembra a raiva que passei em alguns momentos) apenas ouvindo sua trilha sonora inconfundível
A gameplay é definitivamente limitada por seus controles datados, porém nada que uma gambiarra não resolva
História simples mas nem um pouco ruim, mostra a desumanização que uma sociedade industrial traz em uma luz nova meio Matrix das ideias
Um dos poucos jogos que me fez chorar no final, sempre estará em um lugar especial no meu coração (o que definitivamente não afeta minha opinião sobre ele)
A gameplay é definitivamente limitada por seus controles datados, porém nada que uma gambiarra não resolva
História simples mas nem um pouco ruim, mostra a desumanização que uma sociedade industrial traz em uma luz nova meio Matrix das ideias
Um dos poucos jogos que me fez chorar no final, sempre estará em um lugar especial no meu coração (o que definitivamente não afeta minha opinião sobre ele)
PEAK, this game was so fun it's crazy, i also love the fact that you never ever see a human character in person apart from opponents and companions inside their ac, it's dehumanizing in an immersive way i had lots of fun playing it
AC3 is so far the big step up that the series has seen presently, but just like AC 2, it’s nothing too drastic where you can immediately feel its impact during gameplay, but the new quality of life features and additions further streamline the existing formula into something more efficient.
Самая сбалансированная часть в плане геймплея и управления, но локации и миссии
иногда такой кал.
иногда такой кал.
Armored Core 3 comes across as a remarkably safe game. It's absolutely an improvement over the underwhelming AC2, but doesn't really push the series forward in any real ways. It's hard not to feel as if From Software are simply spinning their wheels at this point.
Movement and control here is probably the best that it's been and mission design is solid. The stages do end up feeling rather short, with only a few levels of comparable length to some of the large levels we saw way back on the PS1. Still there are a lot more cool mission ideas here and far less reuse of assets than we've typically seen in these games so far. The art direction is also far easier on the eyes than AC2.
Improvements to the Armored Core formula are generally small here. We have some interesting additions like the option to hire added help for certain missions, or to take on optional emergency tasks that extend the length of mission by adding new objectives. These are all fun things but don't revolutionize the story in any way. Adding some more options for left arm parts as well as the new exceed orbit cores also give the player more offensive options in combat and increase build variety.
Aside from this we get a story that yet again hews incredibly closely to the formula set all the way back in AC1. It's even closer to that game in blueprint than AC2 was, bordering on being a retelling that's more effective in some places, but has less punch in others.
The Arena continues to dampen the effectiveness of the tight economy the game would seem to make you think it wants to have, as the payouts are ludicrously large with no risk. And this is probably the easiest game in the series so far, though I don't think it's to the point that it seriously diminishes the experience.
My review probably comes across harsher than I intended, but in truth AC3 is a good game. I'd probably recommend it to those starting the series who thought the PS1 games were just a bit too cumbersome. Still, all the things it does great were the things AC1 did great many years earlier and it feels as if it has little identity of its own as a result. It doesn't push the envelope or advance the series in any meaningful way, only polishes and tinkers with what came before. For some who are simply hungry for more AC gameplay this might be enough, but I'd love to see future games take more risks.
Movement and control here is probably the best that it's been and mission design is solid. The stages do end up feeling rather short, with only a few levels of comparable length to some of the large levels we saw way back on the PS1. Still there are a lot more cool mission ideas here and far less reuse of assets than we've typically seen in these games so far. The art direction is also far easier on the eyes than AC2.
Improvements to the Armored Core formula are generally small here. We have some interesting additions like the option to hire added help for certain missions, or to take on optional emergency tasks that extend the length of mission by adding new objectives. These are all fun things but don't revolutionize the story in any way. Adding some more options for left arm parts as well as the new exceed orbit cores also give the player more offensive options in combat and increase build variety.
Aside from this we get a story that yet again hews incredibly closely to the formula set all the way back in AC1. It's even closer to that game in blueprint than AC2 was, bordering on being a retelling that's more effective in some places, but has less punch in others.
The Arena continues to dampen the effectiveness of the tight economy the game would seem to make you think it wants to have, as the payouts are ludicrously large with no risk. And this is probably the easiest game in the series so far, though I don't think it's to the point that it seriously diminishes the experience.
My review probably comes across harsher than I intended, but in truth AC3 is a good game. I'd probably recommend it to those starting the series who thought the PS1 games were just a bit too cumbersome. Still, all the things it does great were the things AC1 did great many years earlier and it feels as if it has little identity of its own as a result. It doesn't push the envelope or advance the series in any meaningful way, only polishes and tinkers with what came before. For some who are simply hungry for more AC gameplay this might be enough, but I'd love to see future games take more risks.
Seldom is a game devoured by me quite like 'Armored Core 3', and this has left me feeling a little undercut on my task here. I can't remember the last time I beat a game this fast, let alone sat down for 16 hours across two days to do nothing but play it. Maybe I’m a depressed neet, or maybe this game is just goated, who can really say for sure? At any rate, upon reflection on my time with this cult classic there's honestly so little of FromSoftware's work here that I feel is worth criticising, and while all my game reviews have done an excellent job in making me feel totally useless, here I worry that this piece will be me grossly wasting your time beyond previous levels, dearest reader. That’s not supposed to be an insult to the game, mind you, just my writing ability. This is all because although 'Armored Core 3' is far from the most profound work in this fabled developer's catalogue, it has put the mecha series into an ascendancy which holds so much potential that it leaves me hungering for more in a way that I have never felt with previous entries, which is going to make this review seem more like me verbally gushing ceaselessly from every orifice because I’ve properly noticed the beginning of something great before it’s full form physically causes that phenomena to occur.
Now that I’ve overly drawn out the worst opening of my entire critical output on the internet, this is a good time to start by stating that mechanically speaking, this is the best title yet. Naturally. All but barring only one glaring balancing issue. The game is as smooth as the series has ever been, with a great selection of weapons and parts, as well as great potential for detailed builds in its welcome array of optional parts. The addition of ranged left arm weapons and the economic leniency underpinning the whole experience means I got into customising a variety of ACs in this game more than any other instalment. However, builds that involve overheating are just simply too strong. Most bossfights in this game are of course other ACs, not to mention the whole alternative progression of the Arena mode, many of which are simply left in the dust due to certain weapons which generate loads of heat. Paired with a flamethrower, these selections are hilariously overpowered and I simply refused to touch them unless I got into a battle that was really chewing me up quite badly. Such fights did not, however, include Ace funnily enough—despite everything I had heard about him—of whom ya girl sent to the own-zone in one short attempt. I'm definitely not proud, nor editing this review post publication to include me bragging, you don't have any evidence because I am a perfect princess. Other than that though, no notes, still an excellent combat system with tons of nuance and a great mechanic-system relationship.
From the offset of the game's very impressively animated opening short, the presentation of '3' is the most oddly distinct part of it to me given how much it controls and often looks like—superficially, at least—the Generation 2 titles, while still decidedly pulp there's an emerging angelic coldness to the tone of the game that is truly discerning the series from it's mecha peers. Choirs peering through like blinding white gleams of sunshine over the indifferent concrete monoliths of electronic beats, these textures cascade over peerless, aimless metal in one of the more elegant science fiction aesthetics of the Playstation 2. As a nice technical aside, 'Armored Core 3' boasts Dolby pro logic II surround sound which really brings the best out of the mix in music and SFX, resulting in probably the best sounding machine gun of any 2000s action game. FromSoftware's work here truly illuminates a vision of what 'Armored Core' was to be all this time, and while continuing to excel in the ludically thrilling battles the series has always done well, it is strange that I have so much more to praise about the artfulness found in the direction of 'Armored Core 3', but this really was, in my identifications, the true beginning of FromSoftware's iconic and hauntingly picturesque moments. Such a word by popular outlets limited only to their hack and slash titles, under-recognised is it in their older projects such as this, but the framing of some sections is so strong that I'd forget to even whinge about map reuse. In the final leg of the game, hurtling toward the final set of missions, a sortie sees the player taking on a goliath MT, captured in the reduction of the 4:3 tunnel vision, the metal beast sets above a sea of sand, wings outstretched. The moment you look up to lock it into your FCS, and the image is cast of the desperate glide across the wasteland Arena map—now devoid of the visual noise it once had, a clean, static battlefield of endless soft oranges and metal monoliths—is such a moment of spectacle for a game of 2002 that is to such ends rarely so elegantly and subtly framed even today. Still undeniably pulpy—an attitude heightened in effectiveness across time with it's safely played texture work and environment scales given the hardware—'Armored Core 3' is the elevation of the series in all presentational respects, resulting in a remarkably well paced and artfully keen experience.
Mission quality, variety and purpose here is far and away the best of the series thus far, in fact, I'd go as far as to say there are no letdowns. The worst a sortie gets in 'Armored Core 3' is forgettable, and even then not frequently. The variety of Areas have been sorted in conceptual factors by the separate sections of the game's new setting, the underground city of Layered. Yes, this is a reboot trying to retell the same story, but it does so with so much more specificity in world building. The 'Armored Core' of 97' was by no means bad at this element, with its cold writing, barren locations and dehumanised presentation, but '3' achieves such things with more compelling premise of an AI controlled, lulled civilisation, like 'Arx Fatalis' by way of 'The Matrix', and defined mission locations that give character to each descending level of Layered to better inform how life there truly comes together. This means each level possess an inherent attribute of environmental storytelling that is so accessible to inference; the highest level is a nature deck featuring what appear to be falsified ecosystems, hosting a few personal favourite missions such as the bossfight mentioned before as well as a thrilling thievery operation on a sunken ship. Beneath this layer though is the more residential city areas, banal transit places like highways and mazes of grey-guarded roads where one mission asks you to quite literally just be a big annoying robot to lure out security forces in your disruption of the vapid commute. The game skips the commercial and jets straight for the appropriately industrial in the lowest layers, giving a genuine and well textured feeling of progressing more forward to the predictable threat of the AI Controller gone amuck in the metal heart of the city.
While maybe a trite advancement in the narrative, the motivations of the AI antagonist are positively not so, perhaps those who played 'Master of Arena' will recognise the beat being revised here, but a creature of automation manufacturing jet fueled, commercially militant violence in the light of it's hopelessness at the prospect of humanity seeing anything other than the metal funnel they meander submissively in under-earth is so elegant a connection to the broader themes properly initiated in 2000s 'Armored Core 2' that it makes the enchanting final cutscene of '3' all the more a perfect closure, in brutally harmonic correlation with the instances of fellow Ravens turning against you when the winds of change that follow you brush past their tender feathers. Truly one of the studio's greats, and a daring stage set for the future.
Now that I’ve overly drawn out the worst opening of my entire critical output on the internet, this is a good time to start by stating that mechanically speaking, this is the best title yet. Naturally. All but barring only one glaring balancing issue. The game is as smooth as the series has ever been, with a great selection of weapons and parts, as well as great potential for detailed builds in its welcome array of optional parts. The addition of ranged left arm weapons and the economic leniency underpinning the whole experience means I got into customising a variety of ACs in this game more than any other instalment. However, builds that involve overheating are just simply too strong. Most bossfights in this game are of course other ACs, not to mention the whole alternative progression of the Arena mode, many of which are simply left in the dust due to certain weapons which generate loads of heat. Paired with a flamethrower, these selections are hilariously overpowered and I simply refused to touch them unless I got into a battle that was really chewing me up quite badly. Such fights did not, however, include Ace funnily enough—despite everything I had heard about him—of whom ya girl sent to the own-zone in one short attempt. I'm definitely not proud, nor editing this review post publication to include me bragging, you don't have any evidence because I am a perfect princess. Other than that though, no notes, still an excellent combat system with tons of nuance and a great mechanic-system relationship.
From the offset of the game's very impressively animated opening short, the presentation of '3' is the most oddly distinct part of it to me given how much it controls and often looks like—superficially, at least—the Generation 2 titles, while still decidedly pulp there's an emerging angelic coldness to the tone of the game that is truly discerning the series from it's mecha peers. Choirs peering through like blinding white gleams of sunshine over the indifferent concrete monoliths of electronic beats, these textures cascade over peerless, aimless metal in one of the more elegant science fiction aesthetics of the Playstation 2. As a nice technical aside, 'Armored Core 3' boasts Dolby pro logic II surround sound which really brings the best out of the mix in music and SFX, resulting in probably the best sounding machine gun of any 2000s action game. FromSoftware's work here truly illuminates a vision of what 'Armored Core' was to be all this time, and while continuing to excel in the ludically thrilling battles the series has always done well, it is strange that I have so much more to praise about the artfulness found in the direction of 'Armored Core 3', but this really was, in my identifications, the true beginning of FromSoftware's iconic and hauntingly picturesque moments. Such a word by popular outlets limited only to their hack and slash titles, under-recognised is it in their older projects such as this, but the framing of some sections is so strong that I'd forget to even whinge about map reuse. In the final leg of the game, hurtling toward the final set of missions, a sortie sees the player taking on a goliath MT, captured in the reduction of the 4:3 tunnel vision, the metal beast sets above a sea of sand, wings outstretched. The moment you look up to lock it into your FCS, and the image is cast of the desperate glide across the wasteland Arena map—now devoid of the visual noise it once had, a clean, static battlefield of endless soft oranges and metal monoliths—is such a moment of spectacle for a game of 2002 that is to such ends rarely so elegantly and subtly framed even today. Still undeniably pulpy—an attitude heightened in effectiveness across time with it's safely played texture work and environment scales given the hardware—'Armored Core 3' is the elevation of the series in all presentational respects, resulting in a remarkably well paced and artfully keen experience.
Mission quality, variety and purpose here is far and away the best of the series thus far, in fact, I'd go as far as to say there are no letdowns. The worst a sortie gets in 'Armored Core 3' is forgettable, and even then not frequently. The variety of Areas have been sorted in conceptual factors by the separate sections of the game's new setting, the underground city of Layered. Yes, this is a reboot trying to retell the same story, but it does so with so much more specificity in world building. The 'Armored Core' of 97' was by no means bad at this element, with its cold writing, barren locations and dehumanised presentation, but '3' achieves such things with more compelling premise of an AI controlled, lulled civilisation, like 'Arx Fatalis' by way of 'The Matrix', and defined mission locations that give character to each descending level of Layered to better inform how life there truly comes together. This means each level possess an inherent attribute of environmental storytelling that is so accessible to inference; the highest level is a nature deck featuring what appear to be falsified ecosystems, hosting a few personal favourite missions such as the bossfight mentioned before as well as a thrilling thievery operation on a sunken ship. Beneath this layer though is the more residential city areas, banal transit places like highways and mazes of grey-guarded roads where one mission asks you to quite literally just be a big annoying robot to lure out security forces in your disruption of the vapid commute. The game skips the commercial and jets straight for the appropriately industrial in the lowest layers, giving a genuine and well textured feeling of progressing more forward to the predictable threat of the AI Controller gone amuck in the metal heart of the city.
While maybe a trite advancement in the narrative, the motivations of the AI antagonist are positively not so, perhaps those who played 'Master of Arena' will recognise the beat being revised here, but a creature of automation manufacturing jet fueled, commercially militant violence in the light of it's hopelessness at the prospect of humanity seeing anything other than the metal funnel they meander submissively in under-earth is so elegant a connection to the broader themes properly initiated in 2000s 'Armored Core 2' that it makes the enchanting final cutscene of '3' all the more a perfect closure, in brutally harmonic correlation with the instances of fellow Ravens turning against you when the winds of change that follow you brush past their tender feathers. Truly one of the studio's greats, and a daring stage set for the future.
This review contains spoilers
This is the good shit, 👌👀 👌👀 👌👀.
Holy shit I didn't think emojis would actually work--
Armored Core 3 is one of the Big Deal games in the series, and if you've experienced the first two generations beforehand it's both easy to see and a little hard to articulate why. On a fundamental level it's very much more of the same, but this is arguably the all-around best execution of the "oldgen" AC formula.
Apart from the gameplay feeling slightly faster or at least a lot smoother than its predecessors, AC3 is a brilliantly structured game. Missions are fresh and varied with both creative objectives and some of the best level design in the series, or certainly the best thus far. I can only recall, like, one interminable featureless gray labyrinth in this game. Listen, that's really good for Armored Core.
The pacing is the smartest since AC1, if not moreso; it's not embarrassed to ease you into things at the beginning, and the difficulty curves upward at a steady and reasonable angle, not too quick or slow. If it's possible to quantify the difficulty level of a game as being good or bad, I'd probably vote for 3 as having the best in the series; it's absolutely a brisk challenge, but it's never a slog like 2 and rarely a tilt trap.
Certain missions also give you some very interesting options to modulate the difficulty in the form of consorts. In essence, and bear in mind that these are available on a per-mission basis, you can sometimes bring along an NPC ally or even two... if you're willing to split the paycheck. The more effective partners generally cost more; it's a nice new layer to that crunchy economic decision-making I associate with oldgen.
Speaking of options, the game opens up some fun build approaches that its predecessors didn't have. Mainly, for my money: it's technically the first Armored Core where you can put a gun in your left hand instead of a sword or shield. It's an extremely limited set of guns--a flamethrower and two varieties of howitzer, all still intended for close range combat--but the howitzers at least can still do wonders for your DPS at midrange. My arena/AC duel go-to loadout is machine gun+howitzer, it fucks. Also of note is that gen 1 and 2's "Human Plus" easy mode has been reimagined into OP-INTENSIFY, an optional part you can equip or unequip at will. That's neat! Less neat: you unlock it by beating the game. Not so much an easy mode, then, but a reward God Mode. Hey, it's still less stupid than the easy mode in Pokemon Black/White 2.
As for the story... well. 3 is so much the platonic ideal of an Armored Core story, and that's a value neutral "platonic ideal," that it's kind of just like. A pseudo-remake of 1? This game is generally considered to mark the series' first timeline reboot, taking place in a different continuity from the first two generations--but what it does with that is... basically the same plot as the original Armored Core. That's kind of a goofy decision, if we're being honest, but not without merit--it's able to to lend a bit more gravitas to the the first game's ideas. I do really like 3's ending; it feels more hopeful than 1's while still maintaining that sense that the future is uncertain. ...I should probably check Spoiler Warning now. Ah, well.
The similarities to AC1 dovetail with the game's all-around quality and (relative) approachability to make it an excellent starting point for getting into Classic Armored Core. I'd go so far as to say that if you only want to play one oldgen game, period, it should unambiguously be 3. It's a beautiful vertical slice of the series' fundamentals.
Holy shit I didn't think emojis would actually work--
Armored Core 3 is one of the Big Deal games in the series, and if you've experienced the first two generations beforehand it's both easy to see and a little hard to articulate why. On a fundamental level it's very much more of the same, but this is arguably the all-around best execution of the "oldgen" AC formula.
Apart from the gameplay feeling slightly faster or at least a lot smoother than its predecessors, AC3 is a brilliantly structured game. Missions are fresh and varied with both creative objectives and some of the best level design in the series, or certainly the best thus far. I can only recall, like, one interminable featureless gray labyrinth in this game. Listen, that's really good for Armored Core.
The pacing is the smartest since AC1, if not moreso; it's not embarrassed to ease you into things at the beginning, and the difficulty curves upward at a steady and reasonable angle, not too quick or slow. If it's possible to quantify the difficulty level of a game as being good or bad, I'd probably vote for 3 as having the best in the series; it's absolutely a brisk challenge, but it's never a slog like 2 and rarely a tilt trap.
Certain missions also give you some very interesting options to modulate the difficulty in the form of consorts. In essence, and bear in mind that these are available on a per-mission basis, you can sometimes bring along an NPC ally or even two... if you're willing to split the paycheck. The more effective partners generally cost more; it's a nice new layer to that crunchy economic decision-making I associate with oldgen.
Speaking of options, the game opens up some fun build approaches that its predecessors didn't have. Mainly, for my money: it's technically the first Armored Core where you can put a gun in your left hand instead of a sword or shield. It's an extremely limited set of guns--a flamethrower and two varieties of howitzer, all still intended for close range combat--but the howitzers at least can still do wonders for your DPS at midrange. My arena/AC duel go-to loadout is machine gun+howitzer, it fucks. Also of note is that gen 1 and 2's "Human Plus" easy mode has been reimagined into OP-INTENSIFY, an optional part you can equip or unequip at will. That's neat! Less neat: you unlock it by beating the game. Not so much an easy mode, then, but a reward God Mode. Hey, it's still less stupid than the easy mode in Pokemon Black/White 2.
As for the story... well. 3 is so much the platonic ideal of an Armored Core story, and that's a value neutral "platonic ideal," that it's kind of just like. A pseudo-remake of 1? This game is generally considered to mark the series' first timeline reboot, taking place in a different continuity from the first two generations--but what it does with that is... basically the same plot as the original Armored Core. That's kind of a goofy decision, if we're being honest, but not without merit--it's able to to lend a bit more gravitas to the the first game's ideas. I do really like 3's ending; it feels more hopeful than 1's while still maintaining that sense that the future is uncertain. ...I should probably check Spoiler Warning now. Ah, well.
The similarities to AC1 dovetail with the game's all-around quality and (relative) approachability to make it an excellent starting point for getting into Classic Armored Core. I'd go so far as to say that if you only want to play one oldgen game, period, it should unambiguously be 3. It's a beautiful vertical slice of the series' fundamentals.
I think I attached to the story of this one less than AC2 but I feel the narrative drama was definitely elevated. The new parts delighted but also befuddled me. I remember the bosses the most from this one, I suspect they might be the most iconic.
This review contains spoilers
In my review of Armored Core 2: Another Age, I lamented that the series was becoming stagnant and worried that the release rate was hurting the games. Armored Core 3 came out just short of a year after Another Age and is in many ways a remake of the first and a reboot of the series. I was unsure whether a reboot/remake was really a good idea at this point, but this game ended up being one of the best in the series.
It's still the same old Armored Core. There are a few additions, but if you played Armored Core 2 you have a good idea of what’s gonna be here. Same kinds of weapons for the most part, the arena’s here, you still can’t use the right stick to move the camera (Or anything else. This game was released in 2002). Even the same kind of story, although I’d still say it’s an improvement over the narrative of the original Armored Core. However, it’s great in pretty much every way that you’d hope. The controls and movement are a little smoother but are still weighty. In general, the game just feels more polished than earlier entries. Quad legs actually walk now. It’s more fun to play in a way that’s hard to explain.
What's a little easier to explain the greatness of is the mission design though. This was such a breath of fresh air after Another Age. Not every mission is super unique, but there are a ton of memorable ones. Retrieving a package from a sinking ship, saving floating cargo on the water, Traveling through air ducts to disable EMPs, and way more missions were really interesting. Missions now take much more advantage of parts like hover legs and radiators too, which is nice. Funnily enough, despite being a soft remake of the first game, this game has fewer overt remake levels than Armored Core 2 from what I remember. The first missions are clear callbacks, but that’s mostly it.
There are definitely improvements in other fields though. Menuing is a big part of this series, and it’s been made much more convenient. Transitions are faster, the garage and shop have been combined into one section, and you can sell parts in the equip area. However, for some reason stat comparisons in the shop have been removed, meaning you can’t easily see how your part is better or worse than a prospective purchase.
While there are no new part types, there are iterations on pre-existing parts. In Armored Core 2, Overboost was a new addition that I really enjoyed. In Armored Core 3 your core may have Overboost, but it could also come equipped with Orbital Cores. These are auto firing energy weapons with infinite ammo that can be really useful on longer missions or if you really need max firepower and no mobility. There’s also a few more options for left arm parts. Now you can equip howitzers and flamethrowers instead of swords and shields. It seems FromSoft is slowly realizing that there’s really no need to differentiate between left arm weapons and right arm weapons. Slowly.
You can also drop weapons mid-mission. This can lighten your AC, and you don’t actually have to pay for the dropped ammo. Unfortunately, you have to enter a Street Fighter Combo to drop a weapon. Hmm, if only there was a stick that could free up some other buttons for alternative use…
You know what’s back though? The Arena! It’s still good, but it’s a little worse than that of Armored Core 2. That game’s arena was more difficult and had me really considering my parts and tactics. In this game, fights are much easier. However, they did limit the amount of fights you can do by making you complete more missions. That was probably a good idea, because these matches are still the best way to earn money. I was a little in debt once, but after playing enough arena matches, I was a millionaire.
Now, we must talk about the story. It’s good enough. It uses the main structure of the first game’s story, but it’s a little different. The Controller’s existence is well known and supported by the trio of corporations. Even when the Controller begins to seemingly glitch and start randomly sending robots to destroy stuff, the corporations trust it. You could definitely pull some sociopolitical commentary from this, but we never learn really why the Controller is doing what it does. It just happens. Why did the Controller open the surface up at the end? Was it a test to see if humanity was strong enough or something? Maybe I’ll find out in the next game, but still. We’re also missing Nineball here, which I guess means the Controller isn’t in charge of the Raven’s nest this time. I’m not sure why they changed that. Overall, I think this game’s story could’ve been a little better.
I don't usually bring up the audiovisuals in my reviews of these games, but Armored Core 3 is an exception. The visuals are good. Everything looks fine. But for some reason, the soundtrack here blows every previous soundtrack out of the water. It’s really good. They went for a mix of techno and orchestra, and the songs are really good without feeling intrusive.
This is a great game. In fact, it’s the best game in this marathon I’ve been doing. If you want a taste of old gen Armored Core, this might be the best game to start with. Just make sure you rebind the controls after the first mission. I was really considering giving this a 9/10, but I think I’ll leave it at an 8/10 for now. Next I’ll be playing Silent Line.
It's still the same old Armored Core. There are a few additions, but if you played Armored Core 2 you have a good idea of what’s gonna be here. Same kinds of weapons for the most part, the arena’s here, you still can’t use the right stick to move the camera (Or anything else. This game was released in 2002). Even the same kind of story, although I’d still say it’s an improvement over the narrative of the original Armored Core. However, it’s great in pretty much every way that you’d hope. The controls and movement are a little smoother but are still weighty. In general, the game just feels more polished than earlier entries. Quad legs actually walk now. It’s more fun to play in a way that’s hard to explain.
What's a little easier to explain the greatness of is the mission design though. This was such a breath of fresh air after Another Age. Not every mission is super unique, but there are a ton of memorable ones. Retrieving a package from a sinking ship, saving floating cargo on the water, Traveling through air ducts to disable EMPs, and way more missions were really interesting. Missions now take much more advantage of parts like hover legs and radiators too, which is nice. Funnily enough, despite being a soft remake of the first game, this game has fewer overt remake levels than Armored Core 2 from what I remember. The first missions are clear callbacks, but that’s mostly it.
There are definitely improvements in other fields though. Menuing is a big part of this series, and it’s been made much more convenient. Transitions are faster, the garage and shop have been combined into one section, and you can sell parts in the equip area. However, for some reason stat comparisons in the shop have been removed, meaning you can’t easily see how your part is better or worse than a prospective purchase.
While there are no new part types, there are iterations on pre-existing parts. In Armored Core 2, Overboost was a new addition that I really enjoyed. In Armored Core 3 your core may have Overboost, but it could also come equipped with Orbital Cores. These are auto firing energy weapons with infinite ammo that can be really useful on longer missions or if you really need max firepower and no mobility. There’s also a few more options for left arm parts. Now you can equip howitzers and flamethrowers instead of swords and shields. It seems FromSoft is slowly realizing that there’s really no need to differentiate between left arm weapons and right arm weapons. Slowly.
You can also drop weapons mid-mission. This can lighten your AC, and you don’t actually have to pay for the dropped ammo. Unfortunately, you have to enter a Street Fighter Combo to drop a weapon. Hmm, if only there was a stick that could free up some other buttons for alternative use…
You know what’s back though? The Arena! It’s still good, but it’s a little worse than that of Armored Core 2. That game’s arena was more difficult and had me really considering my parts and tactics. In this game, fights are much easier. However, they did limit the amount of fights you can do by making you complete more missions. That was probably a good idea, because these matches are still the best way to earn money. I was a little in debt once, but after playing enough arena matches, I was a millionaire.
Now, we must talk about the story. It’s good enough. It uses the main structure of the first game’s story, but it’s a little different. The Controller’s existence is well known and supported by the trio of corporations. Even when the Controller begins to seemingly glitch and start randomly sending robots to destroy stuff, the corporations trust it. You could definitely pull some sociopolitical commentary from this, but we never learn really why the Controller is doing what it does. It just happens. Why did the Controller open the surface up at the end? Was it a test to see if humanity was strong enough or something? Maybe I’ll find out in the next game, but still. We’re also missing Nineball here, which I guess means the Controller isn’t in charge of the Raven’s nest this time. I’m not sure why they changed that. Overall, I think this game’s story could’ve been a little better.
I don't usually bring up the audiovisuals in my reviews of these games, but Armored Core 3 is an exception. The visuals are good. Everything looks fine. But for some reason, the soundtrack here blows every previous soundtrack out of the water. It’s really good. They went for a mix of techno and orchestra, and the songs are really good without feeling intrusive.
This is a great game. In fact, it’s the best game in this marathon I’ve been doing. If you want a taste of old gen Armored Core, this might be the best game to start with. Just make sure you rebind the controls after the first mission. I was really considering giving this a 9/10, but I think I’ll leave it at an 8/10 for now. Next I’ll be playing Silent Line.
completely superior to the first two generations in pretty much every regard. has the same narrative concept as ac1 but it's told in a way that's significantly less stiff and amateurish. no nine-ball tho - kinda tragic
could be a tad harder by the end (that final stage was a little toothless, albeit a cute nod) but it's all killer and no filler nonetheless. not one mission felt like an eye-rolling¹ waste of time²
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1. armored core 2: another age
2. armored core 2: another age
could be a tad harder by the end (that final stage was a little toothless, albeit a cute nod) but it's all killer and no filler nonetheless. not one mission felt like an eye-rolling¹ waste of time²
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1. armored core 2: another age
2. armored core 2: another age
The best of the first 3 armored core generations and a really good time. Finally being able to use the analog stick and more fluid movement really brings it home
It's another Armored Core game, just like virtually every other games that came before it. You take what the previous game had, slap a few QoL improvements (like seriously i think the only big thing the series has added since the first game was the arena, and it was added in the second game), and you got a brand new game. At least this one had a few missions that felt a bit more unique than what gen 2 offered, and i like the atmosphere, but that's kinda it.. that doesn't mean it's a bad game, it's definitely a better one than 2/2AA but i'm starting to get tired of this series never really trying anything new, and from what i've heard this doesn't change until gen 4 sadly
pretty easily my favorite of the oldgen ac games i've played. feels smoother than ever, balancing is better than 2, and there are a ton of parts to choose from in all categories. my only minor grip is that it feels like the surplus EN stat is a bit unforgiving - for some of the more demanding leg parts it becomes pretty selective trying to make a lightweight build while also having lots of surplus EN. that's about it though - just a really solid, fun entry into the series. onto silent line
This is my first AC game, so a fair warning for my potentially dogshit takes down further in the review.
I absolutely have my problems with this game, mostly due to spotty information prep in pre-missions (I don't need to know hyperspecifics like ambushes, but more lines like "there have been signs an AC activity in the area" would be nice, could even be a fakeout), a few hitbox issues and other issues I'll get into later, but what a game Armored Core 3 is.
The story, while sparse and minimal, is pretty compelling to see unfold. I won't go into detail because spoilers but it reminds me of, well, how it feels to watch big events unfold in real life. Doing your job, some more action packed than others, but all-in-all just standing by the wayside as shit goes down. Of course since this is a video game, you're the one to put the end to an major historical event, but even then AC3 made me feel ways I haven't felt in a while. It also has some biting criticism of both PMCs and corporations as a nice bonus.
Atmosphere and environmental design is great, simultaneously beautiful and soul crushing. The District 1 and 3 areas are probably my favorite - put some hints of some cyberpunk alongside the killer mecha designs of AC, and you have an image that'll be in my head for a while, but the rest of the game is no slouch. There's so many standout locations in AC3; the reservoir, the forest, the labs, the mines, so many good locations.
Speaking of killer AC designs. I think there's only one AC part that looks goofy as hell, the VEN or the radar head, but literally other piece is phenomenal. All killer designs, any AC combo (that doesn't have the VEN head) looks kickass. I definitely spent way too much time customizing my ACs while listening to this banger of a main menu theme.
Controlling the game can be a little unwieldly at first due to tank controls. I'll be the first to admit that I would definitely prefer analog controls, but once you get the hang of moving around it's borderline addictive. There's a reason I 100%'d this game, my god it's so much fun to play. Fighting other ACs outside of a select handful (Ace and Exile can eat my ass) is challenging with any build but so fun to engage with.
Builds are another factor I love a lot, but sometimes the design can be a little aggressive in how it wants you to change your build. Maybe it's my prior experience with FromSoft's later works conflicting with the very different style of AC, but sometimes it felt like the game was less encouraging you to try a different build to give you breathing room and more saying "lol use these parts or die", especially in late game.
It definitely does a better job of encouraging a different build than something like Souls does - one of my biggest issues with Souls as a series was how limited respecs were and how shit certain builds can feel in comparison to just running STR/DEX even if those builds are actually good strategies, AC3 by comparison feels amazing all round outside of 3-4 hyper niche weapons - but I think AC3 can sometimes lean too hard in the opposite direction where it's encouragement becomes more like enforcement. Being encouraged in the right direction to use a different build or different parts for different environments - a heavy build to give you more breathing room, to use a lighter build with a longer range gun to avoid getting shot entirely, swapping parts for certain defensive traits, hover legs to make water levels your playground, etc? Completely fine with that, I'm glad these exist. Only being able to win a (non-Massive enemy) fight with an incredibly light build with exclusively nothing but a strong, heavy weapon slapped on it because heavy ACs are too slow - or with a heavy AC's multiple hyper-powerful weapons because there is literally no other way that you could do enough damage in time before you'd deleted with a light AC, and even then only barely scraping out a win? With some of the missions having only enough room for one strategy and not the other, not so much. I'm not saying "oh the game should be a piece of cake for anything to beat" but sometimes it feels like a mission is built around a specific set of parts with no room for experimentation.
This isn't as big of an issue as I'm making it out to be, it really only is a few missions at late game and a select couple of arena fights that I think have this enforcement issue that admittedly might only be in my head, but I worry that future games in my AC backlog (Silent Line, Nexus, Last Raven, 4 and For Answer) might take those missions I have a problem with and stretch that out to a full game. Cautiously optimistic though that they're more akin to most of AC3's best missions where it's much more freeflow but nudges you to experiment.
Outside of my handful of complaints, I really did enjoy the game a lot, would go so far to say that I loved it. It scratched an itch I didn't even know I had, and I'm looking forward to playing other games in the series.
I absolutely have my problems with this game, mostly due to spotty information prep in pre-missions (I don't need to know hyperspecifics like ambushes, but more lines like "there have been signs an AC activity in the area" would be nice, could even be a fakeout), a few hitbox issues and other issues I'll get into later, but what a game Armored Core 3 is.
The story, while sparse and minimal, is pretty compelling to see unfold. I won't go into detail because spoilers but it reminds me of, well, how it feels to watch big events unfold in real life. Doing your job, some more action packed than others, but all-in-all just standing by the wayside as shit goes down. Of course since this is a video game, you're the one to put the end to an major historical event, but even then AC3 made me feel ways I haven't felt in a while. It also has some biting criticism of both PMCs and corporations as a nice bonus.
Atmosphere and environmental design is great, simultaneously beautiful and soul crushing. The District 1 and 3 areas are probably my favorite - put some hints of some cyberpunk alongside the killer mecha designs of AC, and you have an image that'll be in my head for a while, but the rest of the game is no slouch. There's so many standout locations in AC3; the reservoir, the forest, the labs, the mines, so many good locations.
Speaking of killer AC designs. I think there's only one AC part that looks goofy as hell, the VEN or the radar head, but literally other piece is phenomenal. All killer designs, any AC combo (that doesn't have the VEN head) looks kickass. I definitely spent way too much time customizing my ACs while listening to this banger of a main menu theme.
Controlling the game can be a little unwieldly at first due to tank controls. I'll be the first to admit that I would definitely prefer analog controls, but once you get the hang of moving around it's borderline addictive. There's a reason I 100%'d this game, my god it's so much fun to play. Fighting other ACs outside of a select handful (Ace and Exile can eat my ass) is challenging with any build but so fun to engage with.
Builds are another factor I love a lot, but sometimes the design can be a little aggressive in how it wants you to change your build. Maybe it's my prior experience with FromSoft's later works conflicting with the very different style of AC, but sometimes it felt like the game was less encouraging you to try a different build to give you breathing room and more saying "lol use these parts or die", especially in late game.
It definitely does a better job of encouraging a different build than something like Souls does - one of my biggest issues with Souls as a series was how limited respecs were and how shit certain builds can feel in comparison to just running STR/DEX even if those builds are actually good strategies, AC3 by comparison feels amazing all round outside of 3-4 hyper niche weapons - but I think AC3 can sometimes lean too hard in the opposite direction where it's encouragement becomes more like enforcement. Being encouraged in the right direction to use a different build or different parts for different environments - a heavy build to give you more breathing room, to use a lighter build with a longer range gun to avoid getting shot entirely, swapping parts for certain defensive traits, hover legs to make water levels your playground, etc? Completely fine with that, I'm glad these exist. Only being able to win a (non-Massive enemy) fight with an incredibly light build with exclusively nothing but a strong, heavy weapon slapped on it because heavy ACs are too slow - or with a heavy AC's multiple hyper-powerful weapons because there is literally no other way that you could do enough damage in time before you'd deleted with a light AC, and even then only barely scraping out a win? With some of the missions having only enough room for one strategy and not the other, not so much. I'm not saying "oh the game should be a piece of cake for anything to beat" but sometimes it feels like a mission is built around a specific set of parts with no room for experimentation.
This isn't as big of an issue as I'm making it out to be, it really only is a few missions at late game and a select couple of arena fights that I think have this enforcement issue that admittedly might only be in my head, but I worry that future games in my AC backlog (Silent Line, Nexus, Last Raven, 4 and For Answer) might take those missions I have a problem with and stretch that out to a full game. Cautiously optimistic though that they're more akin to most of AC3's best missions where it's much more freeflow but nudges you to experiment.
Outside of my handful of complaints, I really did enjoy the game a lot, would go so far to say that I loved it. It scratched an itch I didn't even know I had, and I'm looking forward to playing other games in the series.
a Huge improvement over AC2, not much to say other than a solid continuation mechanically and an interesting reboot of AC1's storyline, even if it lacks a bit of the mood the original had