Me when a cutscene: I sleep..
It's exactly like Armored Core 1 but half the size and has an Arena system where you can rank up by dueling other ACs. I still have no idea what the plot of AC1 is but it's still janky and perfectly fine. It has some banger tunes.
Basically a more-of-the-same "sequel", but it feels way more polished in its level design, storytelling, and missions. The new Arena is fun but some of these motherfuckers cheat so damn hard, especially number 3. Satisfying to try out different AC builds until you wreck these cheating Human PLUS-enhanced fucking assholes tho.
more or less the same as AC1 which is to be expected because Project Phantasma is basically an expansion,but somehow it feels and plays worse?its crazy because the music and the customization is still good,it just everything else are not fun tbh.
An expansion game to the first Armored Core. Overall it was just ok.
Music and gameplay itself, along with the customization were all still excellent. Having more dialogue and story scenes was also cool.
However, the missions were overall not that fun. Either they had weird structures, or were just gauntlets with framerate dipping down below 5fps, which the original game hardly ever did.
If this came out nowadays it would be a somewhat forgettable $20 DLC.
Music and gameplay itself, along with the customization were all still excellent. Having more dialogue and story scenes was also cool.
However, the missions were overall not that fun. Either they had weird structures, or were just gauntlets with framerate dipping down below 5fps, which the original game hardly ever did.
If this came out nowadays it would be a somewhat forgettable $20 DLC.
if i had a nickel for every time a finger gun was the most powerful weapon in a video game i'd have 2 nickels which isn't a lot but its weird that it happened twice
Project Phantasma takes some ambitious strides, but unfortunately I feel they were misdirected. Two main alterations stand out: a) a more traditional narrative with recurring characters and dialogue takes centre-stage, contrasted against the original's total lack of narrative structure, and b) while there are fewer missions, they are generally a more considered, structured affair, often to compliment the narrative.
Regarding the first, a strong central narrative is a strange fit with the structure of the previous game, which re-emerges here. The anarcho-capitalist dystopia that was so effectively sold there, with the player dispassionately and without loyalty accepting jobs from competing, faceless mega-corporations, all while trying to stay out of debt, is greatly diminished with such a consistent employer in Sumika. While technically faceless inside her AC, the game attempts to endear the player to her. While this is all well and good in most games, it doesn't really track with the Armored Core structure; why am I paying out of pocket for ammo and repairs like some mercenary? What's the team dynamic here? It's an awkward attempt to graft a more traditional narrative onto a structure that wasn't built for it, and Armored Core's particular brand of dystopia is lost in the process.
As for the second change, the levels themselves are more consistent and considered. I enjoyed the randomness of the first game's levels, which would vary wildly in length and complexity at the drop of a hat, but with the new narrative style I think this change was probably the right call.
I still enjoyed my time with the game, as I find the mechanics compelling enough on their own and the mech customisation remains engaging. Project Phantasma is a good game, just one with some misplaced priorities.
Regarding the first, a strong central narrative is a strange fit with the structure of the previous game, which re-emerges here. The anarcho-capitalist dystopia that was so effectively sold there, with the player dispassionately and without loyalty accepting jobs from competing, faceless mega-corporations, all while trying to stay out of debt, is greatly diminished with such a consistent employer in Sumika. While technically faceless inside her AC, the game attempts to endear the player to her. While this is all well and good in most games, it doesn't really track with the Armored Core structure; why am I paying out of pocket for ammo and repairs like some mercenary? What's the team dynamic here? It's an awkward attempt to graft a more traditional narrative onto a structure that wasn't built for it, and Armored Core's particular brand of dystopia is lost in the process.
As for the second change, the levels themselves are more consistent and considered. I enjoyed the randomness of the first game's levels, which would vary wildly in length and complexity at the drop of a hat, but with the new narrative style I think this change was probably the right call.
I still enjoyed my time with the game, as I find the mechanics compelling enough on their own and the mech customisation remains engaging. Project Phantasma is a good game, just one with some misplaced priorities.
I'm gonna be real with you guys. I didn't plan on playing this one. Master of Arena looked better and I wanted to respect my time a bit more. But then I learned you can't transfer your AC straight from Armored Core to Master of Arena. You have to do it like this: Armored Core -> Project Phantasma -> Master of Arena. I decided that if I was going to download a rom of the game buy it to transfer my AC anyway, I might as well throw the idea of respecting my time on this Earth out the window and play it.
Ultimately, Project Phantasma is moreso an expansion of the original; It's akin to a standalone DLC campaign, like Bioshock 2: Minerva's Den or something. It does add the arena, which lets you climb the Raven Ranking for cash and rewards, but this is ultimately a shorter experience with a few more AC parts and customization options. And that's just fine, and it doesn't stop from there being a few improvements. Already the oversaturation of cramped indoor levels from the first game has been solved here though, so it's clear the developers were trying to improve to some extent.
Then there's the story, which is far more conventional the original's. The story of the original game is very impersonal and loose, but I rather enjoyed it. This one is kinda dumb though. You're helping this good Raven who wants to stop the creation of a superweapon... for some reason. You're a blank slate and just go along with whatever she says. Also, she somehow hired you to help her escape from a prison and do other tasks? How did she do that? And then there's the main villain, Stinger, who just shows up and is like, "Heh, I guess I have to take you out so you don't get in my way" right before being utterly defeated. You fight him like five times. In a longer game that probably would've been neat, but it's just annoying here and makes the world feel smaller.
The more focused story also creates another problem where you're given far less freedom for which missions you can do. In the first game, you usually had at least three missions to choose from, but here, you may have a choice between two missions. Otherwise, you're just doing the next one in the story. I wish there were optional side missions one could do in between the story missions or something (The arena kind of fits this description, but short 1v1s are far cries from actual missions, especially with the sub-par AIs of the enemies).
However, even if the story structure didn't work, I appreciate that they tried something different, especially since pretty much every other AC game has a story more similar to that of the first's from what I can tell. However, it didn't work ultimately and I'd far sooner replay the original Armored Core. I'll give this one a 7/10, but I could lower it to a 6.
Ultimately, Project Phantasma is moreso an expansion of the original; It's akin to a standalone DLC campaign, like Bioshock 2: Minerva's Den or something. It does add the arena, which lets you climb the Raven Ranking for cash and rewards, but this is ultimately a shorter experience with a few more AC parts and customization options. And that's just fine, and it doesn't stop from there being a few improvements. Already the oversaturation of cramped indoor levels from the first game has been solved here though, so it's clear the developers were trying to improve to some extent.
Then there's the story, which is far more conventional the original's. The story of the original game is very impersonal and loose, but I rather enjoyed it. This one is kinda dumb though. You're helping this good Raven who wants to stop the creation of a superweapon... for some reason. You're a blank slate and just go along with whatever she says. Also, she somehow hired you to help her escape from a prison and do other tasks? How did she do that? And then there's the main villain, Stinger, who just shows up and is like, "Heh, I guess I have to take you out so you don't get in my way" right before being utterly defeated. You fight him like five times. In a longer game that probably would've been neat, but it's just annoying here and makes the world feel smaller.
The more focused story also creates another problem where you're given far less freedom for which missions you can do. In the first game, you usually had at least three missions to choose from, but here, you may have a choice between two missions. Otherwise, you're just doing the next one in the story. I wish there were optional side missions one could do in between the story missions or something (The arena kind of fits this description, but short 1v1s are far cries from actual missions, especially with the sub-par AIs of the enemies).
However, even if the story structure didn't work, I appreciate that they tried something different, especially since pretty much every other AC game has a story more similar to that of the first's from what I can tell. However, it didn't work ultimately and I'd far sooner replay the original Armored Core. I'll give this one a 7/10, but I could lower it to a 6.
An interesting followup/expansion to the first Armored Core, with a lot of frustrating whiffs.
Instead of an implied climb through the world leaderboards through the story missions, you get to actually fight rival AC's head on in battle. These battles are either mindlessly easy or ridiculously difficult to the point where you will run to look up cheese strats (as people did in 1997 and continue to do today).
The mission design is mostly uninspired compared to AC1 with a less mysterious story (help Sumika, who is a girl AC pilot which you know because its pink, stop the use of the evil technology thingy) and the only threatening enemy is the jobber AC "Stinger" who shows up in a few missions.
Instead of an implied climb through the world leaderboards through the story missions, you get to actually fight rival AC's head on in battle. These battles are either mindlessly easy or ridiculously difficult to the point where you will run to look up cheese strats (as people did in 1997 and continue to do today).
The mission design is mostly uninspired compared to AC1 with a less mysterious story (help Sumika, who is a girl AC pilot which you know because its pink, stop the use of the evil technology thingy) and the only threatening enemy is the jobber AC "Stinger" who shows up in a few missions.
Definitely an improvement over the first game. Story was a bit more intersting and the characters were good too. The game was shorter yeah but for the better imo. The 50 ranks in the arena was also fun to do (although the AI became stupid unfair more than half way up). The controls are still horrible but I had a bit of a better time than the first game. It's good but still needs so much more polish.
Really good shorter game. The plot is engaging and Stinger is a good main villain.
Played on: PS1 Emulator | Completed main Story / Arena Rank 9
Gameplay: 3.5/5 - I think that there is a little improvement over the previous one. Levels feel more authentic and fun, there is a recurring villan, and there is actually a final boss. The arena part is a cool addition to the game, something that was lacking from the previous one
Narrative: 3/5 - Set up is still cool
OST: 3.5/5 - Basically the same as the previous one
Soul: 3.5/5 - This one still has the same feeling as the previous one
Visual design / Atmosphere / Worldbuilding 3/5: A little improvement over the previous one
Difficulty design 3/5: Difficulty is ok, but if you win too much arena matches you get very OP very fast and the game looses the balance.
Nostalgia factor: N/A
Gameplay: 3.5/5 - I think that there is a little improvement over the previous one. Levels feel more authentic and fun, there is a recurring villan, and there is actually a final boss. The arena part is a cool addition to the game, something that was lacking from the previous one
Narrative: 3/5 - Set up is still cool
OST: 3.5/5 - Basically the same as the previous one
Soul: 3.5/5 - This one still has the same feeling as the previous one
Visual design / Atmosphere / Worldbuilding 3/5: A little improvement over the previous one
Difficulty design 3/5: Difficulty is ok, but if you win too much arena matches you get very OP very fast and the game looses the balance.
Nostalgia factor: N/A
UOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM DYING IM BURNING HELP ME PHANTASMA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Neat improvements over the first one, but mostly just the same game. Love the arena in concept but after rank 25 it just kinda feels like a slog. Hope they improve this in later games because the arena mode could easily become my favorite thing about these games if it gets better
8/10
8/10
I can see why this is considered more of an "Expansion game" Than a spinoff or some other category, because it really is just more of the same but some additions. However, those additions are top class and make perfect sense. Particularly Arena is a fun and well-fitting way to keep you sharp and give you another avenue of progression past the woefully short story. I say woefully not because its bad, quite the contrary its far better than the previous game in a lot of regards. The first of most being that it is far more choate and gets followed directly with little deviation, with a narrative centered around duology of characters and yourself rather than disjointed squabbling amongst corpos. Felt a lot more personal for that too, in a positive way. Though it was dreadfully short. Solid addition though.
A great, sort of, "DLC" for the first game. The story itself throughout main missions was kind of dull, and you aren't really acting like a mercenary doing others' bidding to get by in this game (which I didn't mind that much since doing missions with a companion is kickass) but it isn't necessarily Armored Core. Most of my time in this game was actually spent in the "Arena Mode" which is a brilliant game mode where you battle against higher ranking ACs to become number one. Really made me change my build and actually think about the parts I'm using.
Pretty okay. The best parts of it is when Stinger is a fucking opp who is on your dick the whole game lmao
Armored Core 1 but bad? What a deal!
This game is literally the same as Armored Core 1 with little to no difference, I'm guessing they tried to do something like an expansion to the first game and it wasn't possible in 1997 so they just rereleased the whole thing with new missions, and guess what, they suck.
I had to drop the game because the missions were so frustrating and weird, it's also way tougher than the original Armored Core for no reason at all it's just not fun!
Maybe someday I'll come back to it to finish it just for the sake of completion but what a disappointment, games are supposed to get better over time not worse.
This game is literally the same as Armored Core 1 with little to no difference, I'm guessing they tried to do something like an expansion to the first game and it wasn't possible in 1997 so they just rereleased the whole thing with new missions, and guess what, they suck.
I had to drop the game because the missions were so frustrating and weird, it's also way tougher than the original Armored Core for no reason at all it's just not fun!
Maybe someday I'll come back to it to finish it just for the sake of completion but what a disappointment, games are supposed to get better over time not worse.
Uma excelente expansão do primeiro jogo, com uma historia linear porem com um desenvolvimento melhor dos personagens, sendo o melhor deles o Stinger , além de tbm ser muito importante por introduzir a Arena, que até hoje é marca da franquia.
Consigo ver isso sendo planejado como um disco 2 pro 1 porque nos dias de hoje isso seria uma DLC excelente.
Eu realmente gostei, curto, com missões mais longas e mapas mais complexos e customização melhor também
É o AC1... melhor
Consigo ver isso sendo planejado como um disco 2 pro 1 porque nos dias de hoje isso seria uma DLC excelente.
Eu realmente gostei, curto, com missões mais longas e mapas mais complexos e customização melhor também
É o AC1... melhor
It's fun, you can tell the arena here was definitely still be working on it and it's probably the most insane skill jumps and decreases cuz of the ai builds and other shit to worry for. The story and missions are cool though, and of course the FINGER was so goated they literally had to nerf it for the next game over lmao.
Aunque se siente que iba a ser el auténtico primer paso de la saga, salió el segundo.
Se agradece una historia como tal pero el gameplay es 1:1 al primero con algunos cambios. Debería haber jugado primero este. Una pena.
Se agradece una historia como tal pero el gameplay es 1:1 al primero con algunos cambios. Debería haber jugado primero este. Una pena.
I think this game is both an improvement and somewhat disappointing. This games levels are much better than the first game. They are all varied and have fun things going on in them. I love the soundtrack for this game, the new tracks are really awesome. I think the arena mode is really cool. I got to rank 5 before writing this review, and I really liked how it encouraged me to use different builds depending on the opponent. Getting Arena exclusive rewards was also really nice. This game with the arena mode in mind is overall more polished and fun than the original, its a fun package.
All of this being said, I think the original game and what it was doing with its narrative was a lot more interesting. You had a lot more missions, and your run through the game can be really different depending on what corperation you lean more toward. I think the game has an overall better execution of you being a hired gun to these souless corperations. The mission and mail system make a lot more sense in the original game, and its more fleshed out. The mail system especially is a downgrade, you dont get much of it here, whereas in the original it was always fleshing out the world in interesting ways. The story here is a lot more linear, you are hired to destroy Project Phantasma before another rival mech, Striker, gets to it. This one has more voice acting and cutscenes, and while there are some optional missions, the goal is linear. I would be fine with a linear narrative if it was as interesting as the original, but it really isnt. I like the rivalry you have with Striker, but it isnt really all that interesting either, and it makes the thing you are fighting against more black and white in terms of good and bad.
Id say this game is worth playing if you really liked the first one, but it did disappoint me compared to it. This games core is still really great, I love customizing my mech, I love the momentum based movement and how everything feels heavy. Armored Core is fun no matter how you slice it. Besides the Arena mode, it doesnt really build all that much on the first one, so just keep that in mind.
All of this being said, I think the original game and what it was doing with its narrative was a lot more interesting. You had a lot more missions, and your run through the game can be really different depending on what corperation you lean more toward. I think the game has an overall better execution of you being a hired gun to these souless corperations. The mission and mail system make a lot more sense in the original game, and its more fleshed out. The mail system especially is a downgrade, you dont get much of it here, whereas in the original it was always fleshing out the world in interesting ways. The story here is a lot more linear, you are hired to destroy Project Phantasma before another rival mech, Striker, gets to it. This one has more voice acting and cutscenes, and while there are some optional missions, the goal is linear. I would be fine with a linear narrative if it was as interesting as the original, but it really isnt. I like the rivalry you have with Striker, but it isnt really all that interesting either, and it makes the thing you are fighting against more black and white in terms of good and bad.
Id say this game is worth playing if you really liked the first one, but it did disappoint me compared to it. This games core is still really great, I love customizing my mech, I love the momentum based movement and how everything feels heavy. Armored Core is fun no matter how you slice it. Besides the Arena mode, it doesnt really build all that much on the first one, so just keep that in mind.
"Armored Core: Mehr vom Gleichen"
Project Phantasma lässt sich am ehesten mit dem vergleichen was bei einem PC Spiel ein Add-On gewesen wäre, nur eben Standalone.
Es nimmt die Engine, Assets und Struktur des Originalspiels und macht damit etwas gaaanz leicht anderes.
Das gute vorweg: Der Production Value wurde minimal erhöht. Level sehen allesamt etwas komplexer auf. Teil 1 hatte keinen Akira-Elevator? Project Phantasma hat einen Akira-Elevanter. Checkmate.
Auch die Missionen sind etwas komplexer. Während Teil 1 meist nur aus "Töte alles" oder "Finde Ziel" bestand, hast du hier auch mal Aufträge die sagen "Mach erst das, dann geh dahin und mach das" und das ist gut.
Außerdem gibt es tatsächlich eine durchgehende Story und sogar ganze zwei Charaktere mit Namen, statt nur dieser Lore-Fetzen des Originals.
Das Spiel gibt dir direkt etwas mehr Kohle um sofort mehr rumexperimentieren zu können, es gibt ein paar mehr Teile für deinen Core und die Arena ist ein ulkiger Modus in den man schon paar Runden stecken kann.
Bei diesem neuen Fokus auf eine durchgehende Handlung, ging für mich aber auch der größte Reiz des Originals flöten. Hier machst du nur noch Level nach Level nach Level bis der Endboss kommt. Gelegentlich kann man zwar mal zwischen zwei Aufträgen wählen, die meiste Zeit gehts aber immer nur voran.
Außerdem gibt es schon sehr früh, ich glaub in Mission 3, einen gigantischen Difficulty-Spike der erzwingt, dass du schon seeehr früh weißt was du tust und wie du deinen Core perfekt optimierst, um nicht direkt dein ganzes Geld zu verlieren.
Und genau das ist der Punkt. Da das Konzept sich Aufträge auszusuchen denen man auch gewachsen ist rausgeflogen ist, ist das Konzept für Niederlagen Geld zu verlieren für dieses Spiel absolut unpassend.
Schließlich kannst du Kämpfe in der Arena so oft neustarten wie du lustig bist, aber wenn du für eine Pflichtmission nicht ausgestattet bist, musst du halt tief in die Tasche greifen.
Und das alles für eine Story die... gar nicht mal gut ist.
Das Highlight hier ist tatsächlich die neue Arena. Ließ dir eine kurzbeschreibung vom Gegner durch, pass deinen AC darauf an, forder ihn im 1on1 heraus, steig die Leiter empor.
Eine Art Battlebots bei der Vorbereitung und die Wahl der Arena wichtiger sind als wie gut man draufhalten kann.
Tatsächlich hab ich nicht sooo viel Zeit hier reingesteckt, aber sagen wir's mal so, ich kann schon ahnen wieso der nächste Ableger "Masters of Arena" hieß.
Project Phantasma lässt sich am ehesten mit dem vergleichen was bei einem PC Spiel ein Add-On gewesen wäre, nur eben Standalone.
Es nimmt die Engine, Assets und Struktur des Originalspiels und macht damit etwas gaaanz leicht anderes.
Das gute vorweg: Der Production Value wurde minimal erhöht. Level sehen allesamt etwas komplexer auf. Teil 1 hatte keinen Akira-Elevator? Project Phantasma hat einen Akira-Elevanter. Checkmate.
Auch die Missionen sind etwas komplexer. Während Teil 1 meist nur aus "Töte alles" oder "Finde Ziel" bestand, hast du hier auch mal Aufträge die sagen "Mach erst das, dann geh dahin und mach das" und das ist gut.
Außerdem gibt es tatsächlich eine durchgehende Story und sogar ganze zwei Charaktere mit Namen, statt nur dieser Lore-Fetzen des Originals.
Das Spiel gibt dir direkt etwas mehr Kohle um sofort mehr rumexperimentieren zu können, es gibt ein paar mehr Teile für deinen Core und die Arena ist ein ulkiger Modus in den man schon paar Runden stecken kann.
Bei diesem neuen Fokus auf eine durchgehende Handlung, ging für mich aber auch der größte Reiz des Originals flöten. Hier machst du nur noch Level nach Level nach Level bis der Endboss kommt. Gelegentlich kann man zwar mal zwischen zwei Aufträgen wählen, die meiste Zeit gehts aber immer nur voran.
Außerdem gibt es schon sehr früh, ich glaub in Mission 3, einen gigantischen Difficulty-Spike der erzwingt, dass du schon seeehr früh weißt was du tust und wie du deinen Core perfekt optimierst, um nicht direkt dein ganzes Geld zu verlieren.
Und genau das ist der Punkt. Da das Konzept sich Aufträge auszusuchen denen man auch gewachsen ist rausgeflogen ist, ist das Konzept für Niederlagen Geld zu verlieren für dieses Spiel absolut unpassend.
Schließlich kannst du Kämpfe in der Arena so oft neustarten wie du lustig bist, aber wenn du für eine Pflichtmission nicht ausgestattet bist, musst du halt tief in die Tasche greifen.
Und das alles für eine Story die... gar nicht mal gut ist.
Das Highlight hier ist tatsächlich die neue Arena. Ließ dir eine kurzbeschreibung vom Gegner durch, pass deinen AC darauf an, forder ihn im 1on1 heraus, steig die Leiter empor.
Eine Art Battlebots bei der Vorbereitung und die Wahl der Arena wichtiger sind als wie gut man draufhalten kann.
Tatsächlich hab ich nicht sooo viel Zeit hier reingesteckt, aber sagen wir's mal so, ich kann schon ahnen wieso der nächste Ableger "Masters of Arena" hieß.
Tl;dr, great game, won’t recommend if going in blind to the series.
Hoo boy! What a great budget cutscene at the beginning and prompted to find the Amber Crown and stop a secret project! While I do know this is a prequel game, it’s sure is an upgrade in gameplay, maps, and more pleasant enjoyment game to AC1 on casual play.
I really like a reoccurring AC like Sumika to be there on multiple missions, adds to some drama and grows to care. Even while the sorry goes on, Sumika shows some direct care and worry for the players is (sadly) a rare thing to see in the AC series. Whoever did the voice acting for Sumika in English gets a round of applause.
The opposition is done with the main antagonist, Stinger, a complete clown and honestly made me have no interest in the Amber Crown because it's run by this dude who keeps reappearing, kills him in 5 seconds, says something cheesy, then leaves. The weight of the story lost it all with this guy and honestly it would've worked if they decided to something like Stinger is Amber Crown's contractor, but used to be an elite raven beforehand. It's disappointing to see how well they handled the opposing Ravens in the last game; to have this Team Rocket villain.
The final boss was great, even though it ended short like many others, it was impressive to see and one of a kind. Way better boss to the 1st game and even AC 3
Now the arena is a legendary staple and main reason for the series' appeal. This one that started is flat in personality. Nearly all the AC’s description is something like “lowerweight AC that has a rival with X ''. Also in this game, you don’t interact with any of the Ranked ACs in the missions nor get any messages from fellow ACs pilots; This is the ONLY thing we have to describe them. With that, I never gave a care about climbing more than just the gameplay aspect and how fun it is besides no narrative care for. Also who knows, the Japanese version may be way better, one day I’ll come back and play it in Japanese when it comes down the line.
Gameplay? It’s great.
Overall: Recommended if already an AC fan, it has so much personality to the other titles and one you can remember things fondly. Definitely a must play title if you come back to ps1 era of AC, but you can die peacefully without touching it. Unrecommended because it does a way different take on their fundamentals, long missions, flat arena, and cheesy af story.
(Minor spoilers)
P.S. Here’s active notes I took while playing the game. Thought they’re too good to not be put in : )
-Helicopters are annoying and look like dragonflies
-The map variety is better, but are more complex and longer missions.
-I played this game under the the condition to play with thank or quad legs only to make myself have more of a challenge and be innovative.
-The WA-Finger is one of the best awards after the arenas, it's so fun and love to shoot it anytime I see the opportunity to
-I dislike how much an explosive range rocket weapons have, it's a little absurd that the game felt like "Who gets hit 1st wins” the match on occasion. You can bunny hop away and still get a fraction hit off you from the explosion.
Hoo boy! What a great budget cutscene at the beginning and prompted to find the Amber Crown and stop a secret project! While I do know this is a prequel game, it’s sure is an upgrade in gameplay, maps, and more pleasant enjoyment game to AC1 on casual play.
I really like a reoccurring AC like Sumika to be there on multiple missions, adds to some drama and grows to care. Even while the sorry goes on, Sumika shows some direct care and worry for the players is (sadly) a rare thing to see in the AC series. Whoever did the voice acting for Sumika in English gets a round of applause.
The opposition is done with the main antagonist, Stinger, a complete clown and honestly made me have no interest in the Amber Crown because it's run by this dude who keeps reappearing, kills him in 5 seconds, says something cheesy, then leaves. The weight of the story lost it all with this guy and honestly it would've worked if they decided to something like Stinger is Amber Crown's contractor, but used to be an elite raven beforehand. It's disappointing to see how well they handled the opposing Ravens in the last game; to have this Team Rocket villain.
The final boss was great, even though it ended short like many others, it was impressive to see and one of a kind. Way better boss to the 1st game and even AC 3
Now the arena is a legendary staple and main reason for the series' appeal. This one that started is flat in personality. Nearly all the AC’s description is something like “lowerweight AC that has a rival with X ''. Also in this game, you don’t interact with any of the Ranked ACs in the missions nor get any messages from fellow ACs pilots; This is the ONLY thing we have to describe them. With that, I never gave a care about climbing more than just the gameplay aspect and how fun it is besides no narrative care for. Also who knows, the Japanese version may be way better, one day I’ll come back and play it in Japanese when it comes down the line.
Gameplay? It’s great.
Overall: Recommended if already an AC fan, it has so much personality to the other titles and one you can remember things fondly. Definitely a must play title if you come back to ps1 era of AC, but you can die peacefully without touching it. Unrecommended because it does a way different take on their fundamentals, long missions, flat arena, and cheesy af story.
(Minor spoilers)
P.S. Here’s active notes I took while playing the game. Thought they’re too good to not be put in : )
-Helicopters are annoying and look like dragonflies
-The map variety is better, but are more complex and longer missions.
-I played this game under the the condition to play with thank or quad legs only to make myself have more of a challenge and be innovative.
-The WA-Finger is one of the best awards after the arenas, it's so fun and love to shoot it anytime I see the opportunity to
-I dislike how much an explosive range rocket weapons have, it's a little absurd that the game felt like "Who gets hit 1st wins” the match on occasion. You can bunny hop away and still get a fraction hit off you from the explosion.
way too short and the story is boring, may be the worst ac game
Vou ser muito breve em falar sobre a continuação da história e das 17 missões novas que essa expansão adiciona porque todo o conteúdo novo é bem desinteressante e realmente não apresenta nada novo em relação ao design das missões ou qualquer coisa do tipo, além de ter cgis bem mal feitos e o antagonista ser um dos personagens mais descartáveis que eu já vi.
Bom.. agora que já tiramos essa pedra do caminho, chegou a hora de falar da adição de um dos desafios mais satisfatórios e divertidos da história dos videogames, o FODENDO MODO ARENA! aqui basicamente você carrega seu save do Armored Core base juntamente com a máquina de destruição perfeita que você passou horas e horas construindo lá no game original, entra em uma arena com 50 ravens diferentes, cada um equipado com uma build diferente e simplesmente oblitera um por um em ordem decrescente até chegar no topo e se tornar o Rank 1 da arena.
Falando mais especificamente sobre os oponentes, eu não tive muita dificuldade nos 79 primeiros, até morri uma vez ou outra mas no geral nenhum me deu muito problema. Agora, do 20# em diante.. recomendo fortemente apostar em uma configuração de AC mais leve a partir do oponente "Bruiser" esse arrombado usa um poderosíssimo Laser Cannon, que provavelmente te mandará para a morte muito rapidamente, e vários outros oponentes que vierem depois dele também usam e com ainda mais precisão, é importante que você seja ágil para conseguir desviar. Para os inimigos "#9 Tiger" e "#4 Tiamat" recomendo fortemente usar armas como Rifle Laser, que causam dano massivo, pois eles são os dois ravens com mais defesa nesse modo arena. Os oponentes "3# Dark Rider" e "#1 Necron" são poderosíssimos e realmente são lutas que exigem 100% de você, uma dica extremamente valiosa é usar um ac leve e focar em desvia-los enquanto causa dano com algum rifle rápido.
Concluindo, ignore completamente as missões e vá se deliciar com as batalhas da arena.
Bom.. agora que já tiramos essa pedra do caminho, chegou a hora de falar da adição de um dos desafios mais satisfatórios e divertidos da história dos videogames, o FODENDO MODO ARENA! aqui basicamente você carrega seu save do Armored Core base juntamente com a máquina de destruição perfeita que você passou horas e horas construindo lá no game original, entra em uma arena com 50 ravens diferentes, cada um equipado com uma build diferente e simplesmente oblitera um por um em ordem decrescente até chegar no topo e se tornar o Rank 1 da arena.
Falando mais especificamente sobre os oponentes, eu não tive muita dificuldade nos 79 primeiros, até morri uma vez ou outra mas no geral nenhum me deu muito problema. Agora, do 20# em diante.. recomendo fortemente apostar em uma configuração de AC mais leve a partir do oponente "Bruiser" esse arrombado usa um poderosíssimo Laser Cannon, que provavelmente te mandará para a morte muito rapidamente, e vários outros oponentes que vierem depois dele também usam e com ainda mais precisão, é importante que você seja ágil para conseguir desviar. Para os inimigos "#9 Tiger" e "#4 Tiamat" recomendo fortemente usar armas como Rifle Laser, que causam dano massivo, pois eles são os dois ravens com mais defesa nesse modo arena. Os oponentes "3# Dark Rider" e "#1 Necron" são poderosíssimos e realmente são lutas que exigem 100% de você, uma dica extremamente valiosa é usar um ac leve e focar em desvia-los enquanto causa dano com algum rifle rápido.
Concluindo, ignore completamente as missões e vá se deliciar com as batalhas da arena.
This review contains spoilers
Villain with a catchphrase so bad he turns into a robot out of shame.
Sumika also sucked but her name reminded me of Muv-Luv so I guess she was the best part of this.
Sumika also sucked but her name reminded me of Muv-Luv so I guess she was the best part of this.
Unless you really want to play every single game in the series skip this one. Trust me, not worth it. The original game is awesome, Master of Arena is better than this, and the PS2 games are solid. But this? Nothing to it.
The mediocre expansion. Attempt at narrative are mediocre, the missions are mediocre, the arena was the highlight until enemy behavior doesn't outright cheat against you in a insuffereable manner
Though it differs so little from the original, Project Phantasma manages to showcase every weakness of the PS1 Armored Core titles while showcasing only few of the strengths.
All the new equipment is very overpowered, and you start with a budget here so every story mission becomes trivial incredibly fast. Not to mention all the weapons and money you get from the arena, they just shred everything to pieces, and the final one has a ridiculous 3000 bullets at that.
The arena, which from what I can tell became a staple and a very popular mode in these games, is very poor here in my opinion. All the competitor emblems and names (the Dill and Pickle combination for example) are fun and all, but having so many different named robots to fight removes the point of the first game, where each encounter with one was special and memorable, and entire levels were built around such encounters.
It also really showcases the shortcomings of this combat system. When the go-to tactic becomes choosing an arena with a very low roof so that the enemy doesn't fly into the stratosphere, you know it's not great. There's more ways to cheese stuff in a similarly unsatisfying way, but it's so effective and the opponents get so annoyingly fast and hard to track that it becomes tough to even consider anything else. They even give them a ridiculous sword that deals, like, half of my mech's 9000 armor damage. Also, certain explosions either stop or send sky high even the heaviest of mechs.
The story isn't that of a mercenary anymore, but a hero chasing an evil dude, whose only thing is that he calls you a nuisance every time he meets you. He gets progressively crazier to the point of merging with a superweapon. Who cares, I absolutely demolished him with a bajillion health to go each time I saw him. You also get a female robot companion you have to save and then protect, and you know it's a female robot because it's pink and slender. Aside from the voice of course. There's too few missions to really develop the story, none of them are particularly good or memorable anyway, some have a gimmick to them but I can't even come up with any standout one like I could with many of those from the original.
The music freaking slaps this time around, there's much more of it and the arena themes are great but because you have to do 50 fights, and even repeat some of them multiple times, they ultimately become tiring.
Big downgrade in my opinion, feels less like working with the core of what they have and instead slapping on new stuff which only shows the cracks in the foundation. It is shorter than the original, but I'd much rather replay that over Project Phantasma.
All the new equipment is very overpowered, and you start with a budget here so every story mission becomes trivial incredibly fast. Not to mention all the weapons and money you get from the arena, they just shred everything to pieces, and the final one has a ridiculous 3000 bullets at that.
The arena, which from what I can tell became a staple and a very popular mode in these games, is very poor here in my opinion. All the competitor emblems and names (the Dill and Pickle combination for example) are fun and all, but having so many different named robots to fight removes the point of the first game, where each encounter with one was special and memorable, and entire levels were built around such encounters.
It also really showcases the shortcomings of this combat system. When the go-to tactic becomes choosing an arena with a very low roof so that the enemy doesn't fly into the stratosphere, you know it's not great. There's more ways to cheese stuff in a similarly unsatisfying way, but it's so effective and the opponents get so annoyingly fast and hard to track that it becomes tough to even consider anything else. They even give them a ridiculous sword that deals, like, half of my mech's 9000 armor damage. Also, certain explosions either stop or send sky high even the heaviest of mechs.
The story isn't that of a mercenary anymore, but a hero chasing an evil dude, whose only thing is that he calls you a nuisance every time he meets you. He gets progressively crazier to the point of merging with a superweapon. Who cares, I absolutely demolished him with a bajillion health to go each time I saw him. You also get a female robot companion you have to save and then protect, and you know it's a female robot because it's pink and slender. Aside from the voice of course. There's too few missions to really develop the story, none of them are particularly good or memorable anyway, some have a gimmick to them but I can't even come up with any standout one like I could with many of those from the original.
The music freaking slaps this time around, there's much more of it and the arena themes are great but because you have to do 50 fights, and even repeat some of them multiple times, they ultimately become tiring.
Big downgrade in my opinion, feels less like working with the core of what they have and instead slapping on new stuff which only shows the cracks in the foundation. It is shorter than the original, but I'd much rather replay that over Project Phantasma.