Armored Core 3

Published by Metro 3D Inc.
Developed by FromSoftware
Platform: PlayStation 2
Released - Out Now
Price : £39.99

The very idea of one organisation or entity having total control over what we all do is a pretty horrible thought to contemplate. In Armored Core, at the beginning of the game, that is the exact situation you are in. Every aspect of life is controlled by the aptly titled, Controller. The Controller is an entity who rules the world. Under the Controller life has become stagnant and uninspiring. There are those who seek to end this influence of the Controller. These corporations, as they are called, have emerged and battled each other but even these battles against each other have been manipulated by the Controller. However, there are indications that chaos is beginning to emerge and that the Controller won't have complete control for much longer.

To explain Armored Core in as brief a fashion as possible would be to say that it's a Mech (or AC which stands for Armored Core of course) combat game. The game begins with you setting up a pilot profile and choosing a difficulty level (either Normal or Hard). Then it's off to see if you can pass a mission that will determine if you're allowed to become a Raven and progress with the game. The mission is very easy of course but from here on in things get more difficult and much more enjoyable.

One of the key features of Armored Core 3 is that you can customise your AC in quite a few ways. If you don't like the colour of your AC you can change the colours of any part that you so desire. You can add additional items to your HUD (heads up display) if you so wish that will give you extra details about your enemies. You can even change the colour of your HUD to suit yourself. Completing missions allows you to earn credits and buy improved AC parts that will give you greater capabilities. It also adds a whole heap of replayability because the game will be different according to what modifications you make to your AC. In many ways it's a Mech RPG and a rather good one at that.

The responsiveness of the controls in Armored Core 3 is dependent on the quality of your AC. Upgrading the parts on your AC will lead to an AC that is more responsive and easier to move around. What can't be improve though is the manner in which you have to press the L2 and R2 buttons to move your aim up and down. This doesn't feel natural at first but with practice it isn't a problem. In contrast though using the L1 and R1 to strafe left and right was a brilliant move and is very useful in battles where you are under heave fire and need to manoeuvre quickly.

The game has around 50 missions for you to complete. It's a nice touch that you get to have a choice when selecting missions and that the reward for completing the desired mission is shown before hand. You can choose to hire extra ACs, if you wish, to give you a hand in a mission but these come at a price. After completing a mission the price of the ammunition and repairs is taken out of your reward money. In addition to these missions you can also challenge opponents, who are graded in the same manner as you so you can get a good idea of how tough they will be, to arena battles which will enable you test any upgrades that you may have carried out. There is also a mode where you can test your AC with either shooting or combat testing and again this is useful to gauge the effectiveness of your AC. In all honesty the game's plot isn't the best we've ever seen but you're not going to be too disappointed because you play games like Armored Core 3 for the battles and the game does not disappoint. There is even a 4-player versus mode for when you want to take on your friends.

Graphically Armored Core is a bit of a mixture. The Acs actually look quite good. Some of the environments look a little too angular for my liking though and the textures can be bland in places. These are only minor quibbles though and pleasingly the framerate is pretty solid throughout the game. You can even run the game in 60Hz mode if you wish, which is always a welcome option.

What is impressive about Armored Core 3 is its support for deaf gamers. Every piece of information and speech appears in clear and easy to read text. You don't even have to enable subtitles, in fact there isn't a subtitle option, and everything is subtitled by default. Even when taking part in a hectic battle you'll see the comments of your enemies shown in text. Text provision is very comprehensive throughout the game and FromSoftware get a massive thumbs up from us for making sure deaf gamers can enjoy their title as well as hearing gamers.

I have to be honest and say mech games aren't usually my favourite type of game but Armored Core 3 has impressed me. It's text provision is superb but my opinion of the game hasn't been swayed by this. I think it's the ability to customise your AC and create an AC that you feel comfortable with. The missions are quite easy to begin with but soon become more interesting and it's important that you customise your AC in order to be able to adjust to the increased difficulty. The game's story could have been a lot better but make no mistake this is a very enjoyable mech (or should that be AC) game.

Overall Game Rating: 8.3/10
Whilst the story in Armored Core isn't up to much the rest of the game is very impressive. Mech fans shouldn't pass up what has to be one of the best titles in the genre.

Deaf Gamers comment:
It's very comprehensive in it's support for deaf gamers. Great stuff FromSoftware.