It feels strange for me to not give this 5 stars because there's definitely some exceptional aspects. The movement, to me, might be the best movement I've played in a video game. More easily overlooked, its impressive how effortlessly it lets you move and orient yourself in 3D space, quickly, on an xyz plane. Being able to move that way in a game is relatively rare [I understand basically standard for mech games but I'm an outsider and am thinking of this more in the context of action games and 3D real-time combat games as a whole], and when it is present it's usually difficult to understand or somewhat clunky. If everything about this game totally sucked but it retained that movement, it would still be extremely notable and, imo, influential. In the same way as Sekiro mechanics have started to, and will continue to, influence action games- not just soulslike but video game combat in general- I believe (and really hope) the strides Fromsoft have made in creating fast, satisfying movement will inform movement in their games going forward, as well as inspire other developers.
The gameplay is extremely good overall, and despite it's old school mission-based format, stays fresh; arguably, it gets better the more you play it. It's easy to have a blast and let it wash over you, mashing buttons and smiling at the screen. On the other end of the spectrum, there's an almost bottomless amount of depth when it comes to customizing your mech, and your own control of it. There are so many interesting little techniques veteran players can master regarding movement and aiming that new players will never even know exist. It's a huge success for a game to have that wide of a spectrum of playability: that low of a skill floor and that high of a skill ceiling. PVP freaks will be discovering new techniques and builds for years to come.
While the story and characters are not the best Fromsoft have done, I think it's all a lot better than most people give it credit for. Characters like Walter, Rusty, and Carla- while not very complex or unique- are really likeable and memorable. These are more like archetypes than deep characters, and I think that's fine. Michigan's boisterous but charming affable drill sergeant routine, Snail's almost lovable uptight snootiness, Iguazu as a relatable figure the player can feel both a kinship and rivalry with. These were all great to me. Again, not super in-depth, but its not a game you're playing for character development. They have their roles in the story and in their relation to the player and it's executed well.
The visuals and sound design of the game are also extremely impressive. I've since gotten almost numb to it, but the first few times playing this game, it immediately stood out. Just flying up to a building in the war-torn city and rotating my camera to look at all the floating industrial megafactories in the sky. It's a really great science fiction aesthetic- the kind of thing I want to see a lot more in games.
Having said all that, I can't even really give you a good reason why this is a 4 instead of a 5. For comparison, I gave Resident Evil 4 Remake a 5. Why? Because I felt it perfectly executed everything it set out to do. For what the game is, and the players' relation to it, there are in my estimation no major mistakes on the developers part. It's extremely engaging from start to finish. As I said in my succinct review, it feels like "the perfect action game."
So what's my issue with AC6? It just feels, to me, like it could've been more. I can't quite put my finger on it, but so many aspects feel like it ALMOST got there. Like it could've been my favorite Fromsoft entry ever. The story could have just had a little bit more to it to make it more meaningful. Or the characters could have been a bit more engaging. Or the ending boss battles could have been just a little more interesting. And so on. I genuinely am too unfamiliar with the AC series and the mech genre in general, so that might just be an error in my perception. Maybe for what they set out to to do, this is about the limit of it. Maybe it is a perfectly executed mech game, and my vision is clouded by being a Fromsoft groupie. Like I'm holding them to a standard that's not reachable RE: mech games. I really don't know. I just know it does feel like there's something missing that would've taken it over the edge from "really, really good" to "one of the best of all time."
The gameplay is extremely good overall, and despite it's old school mission-based format, stays fresh; arguably, it gets better the more you play it. It's easy to have a blast and let it wash over you, mashing buttons and smiling at the screen. On the other end of the spectrum, there's an almost bottomless amount of depth when it comes to customizing your mech, and your own control of it. There are so many interesting little techniques veteran players can master regarding movement and aiming that new players will never even know exist. It's a huge success for a game to have that wide of a spectrum of playability: that low of a skill floor and that high of a skill ceiling. PVP freaks will be discovering new techniques and builds for years to come.
While the story and characters are not the best Fromsoft have done, I think it's all a lot better than most people give it credit for. Characters like Walter, Rusty, and Carla- while not very complex or unique- are really likeable and memorable. These are more like archetypes than deep characters, and I think that's fine. Michigan's boisterous but charming affable drill sergeant routine, Snail's almost lovable uptight snootiness, Iguazu as a relatable figure the player can feel both a kinship and rivalry with. These were all great to me. Again, not super in-depth, but its not a game you're playing for character development. They have their roles in the story and in their relation to the player and it's executed well.
The visuals and sound design of the game are also extremely impressive. I've since gotten almost numb to it, but the first few times playing this game, it immediately stood out. Just flying up to a building in the war-torn city and rotating my camera to look at all the floating industrial megafactories in the sky. It's a really great science fiction aesthetic- the kind of thing I want to see a lot more in games.
Having said all that, I can't even really give you a good reason why this is a 4 instead of a 5. For comparison, I gave Resident Evil 4 Remake a 5. Why? Because I felt it perfectly executed everything it set out to do. For what the game is, and the players' relation to it, there are in my estimation no major mistakes on the developers part. It's extremely engaging from start to finish. As I said in my succinct review, it feels like "the perfect action game."
So what's my issue with AC6? It just feels, to me, like it could've been more. I can't quite put my finger on it, but so many aspects feel like it ALMOST got there. Like it could've been my favorite Fromsoft entry ever. The story could have just had a little bit more to it to make it more meaningful. Or the characters could have been a bit more engaging. Or the ending boss battles could have been just a little more interesting. And so on. I genuinely am too unfamiliar with the AC series and the mech genre in general, so that might just be an error in my perception. Maybe for what they set out to to do, this is about the limit of it. Maybe it is a perfectly executed mech game, and my vision is clouded by being a Fromsoft groupie. Like I'm holding them to a standard that's not reachable RE: mech games. I really don't know. I just know it does feel like there's something missing that would've taken it over the edge from "really, really good" to "one of the best of all time."