Armored Core general V2

I'll start with this post.

Hmmm, interesting.

That interface is amazingly faithful

News on Japanese release.

I'm looking forward to such a barebones background this time. It's like either overpoweredness was born, or before All ACs themselves were even born

http://andriasang.com/comzmg/acv_dlc/ O_o

Playing as a human against 'the machine' ? As long as I do stand a chance, I don't see why not. Just DON'T make missions where I get to jack an AC or jailbreak as a human. Whole missions not on my prime condition = HATE

>Preorder DLC

>Stupid Ninja Shit.

I can't lose excitement for this game but DAMN they are trying.

edited 13th Jan '12 10:06:19 AM by Thorn14

And, What is really wrong with Preorder DLC again? It's not like PC games never did it before consoles started gettign into it, hmm?

It's also just for some mode where you can roam about as your pilot. It's not like your AC get's replaced by a Dark Souls ninja skin.

Because I dont like players getting exclusive content in multiplayer over those who dare to try before they buy.

"Namco Bandai also announced that those who pre-order the game through Game Stop will receive an exclusive Heavy Assault Pack add-on that will grant players some mech parts that will give them competitive advantage over others in the game’s multiplayer on day one."

edited 13th Jan '12 12:13:57 PM by Thorn14

Sigh.

Was reading a review of someone who has the Japanese game.

Its very short (10 missions), No arena, very dumbed down, the plot is almost non existant, and the focus is almost entirely on online mode (and even that is nothing to write home about)

Overred weapons (the big thing they were advertising) is only avaliable after you beat story mode and even then they're very heavy and take up both hanger slots and you can only fire them blind.

And the combat basically relies on a rock paper scissors systems of KE/CE/TE weapons. He was having trouble with the final boss so he just switched to TE resistant armor and used sniper cannons and S ranked it.

I'm very sad right now.

edited 27th Jan '12 12:08:09 PM by Thorn14

<bump>

So Armored Core V is out in Europe today and I'm considering getting it, but I keep hearing mixed reviews. Has anyone actually played it and can tell me what it's like? I really hope that thing in the previous post about there only being ten missions isn't true.

edited 23rd Mar '12 4:02:11 AM by artfulscruff

Hm, I was thinking of getting it as well. Most of the reviews I read seem to lambast the game for being too short and too complex, which are two things I can honestly deal with.

What about you guys, though? If we round up a few people we could probably start a little somthin'-somethin'.

I confess that I traded it in after a few days of playing it. While initially fun, I had trouble keeping with it due to trouble performing any sort of play other than mindlessly moving back and forth with boosters on and blazing away with my guns constantly and relying on the tracking of the auto-lock on to keep my shots on target. Worked well early on against some of the Migrant AC's, but sorta stopped working very, very quickly. Also couldn't really find a gear setup I liked, and it felt like a lot of the equipment was simply unlocked too slowly (or didn't really change things up enough) or I just couldn't get a good feel of how to get the most of my weapons.

I'm sure the online aspects could be fun, but I'm not really a Pv P kinda guy, so a lot of the draw was lost on me and I just didn't bother (although there is co-op on missions, most of the time I was on when everyone else on my team was offline and I didn't feel like hiring a random merc or hiring myself out for whatever reason).

I dunno, I might pick it up again and give it another whirl, but for now there are other games on my mind that demand more of my attention. That, and it was an impulse buy I frankly was in a poor position to afford at the time.

this is easily the most complex armored core game ever and the singleplayer content's not that good at all, so i can see where those reviewers are coming from, but the game was very clearly designed for the hardcore multiplayer; the chromehounds-style territory conflict setup and the complicated, highly skill and strategy-intensive gameplay are where this game really shines, and from what i've heard of the reviews it's gotten(i am not particularly keen on reading mainstream reviews of a deliberately niche, fan-pleasing game first-hand xd) none of them really touched upon that aspect of the game at all, so i'd take those scores with a grain of salt.

also, about the missions, there's 10 main story missions which are fairly long compared to previous AC games and then there's 90(or so?) side missions that play much shorter, but in any case singleplayer did indeed get the short end of the stick in this installment. the radical(and very deeply defining) gameplay changes introduced(recon, defense/offense rock-paper-scissors, operator mode, territory conflicts, control changes) either have no presence in the story or simply did not translate well to the singleplayer at all.

BUT, if you can get together a decently sized team(at least 5+ people) then the multiplayer is awesome as long as you're willing to devote some time to learning. it's one of those games that sucks until you start getting the hang of everything and then it all suddenly clicks and starts making sense.. of course, it would have helped to have a decent tutorial or a manual that actually explained things(lol...).

I've ordered this now (none of the shops in town had it ). It does sound very much like a game that is great if you get involved in it, along the lines of Monster Hunter and Dark Souls, and those are two of my favourite games.

I'd be up for joining a team of tropers, if such a thing exists. How large are these teams, anyway? Is it a five-man squad, or are talking about something more like clans or factions with hundreds of members? Can you change your team later?

Five people can fight in multiplayer on each side, but it looks like teams can be any size. I'd also be interested in forming a troper team.

I'm having trouble with the armored train in the... Third story mission? Either way, I think I'ma get Live so I can get help from the interwebs. I'm playing as a mobile sniper/missile reversed leg AC, so I'm pretty much fucked when I can't kill something with my missiles or bullets.

edited 24th Mar '12 7:02:20 AM by Hydrall

I'm assuming you can have multiple A Cs as well? I liked being able to have three different A Cs in the PS 2-era games.

Did you play AC 4 or For Answer? You can have as many designs as you want now.

That's what I like to hear. I think I loved building A Cs more than taking them into missions.

And no, I haven't played any current-gen Armored Core games. The most recent one in my collection is Armored Core 3.

edited 24th Mar '12 9:29:32 AM by artfulscruff

I've made a team called Ragtag Misfits, in case anyone wants to actually go and make that troper team. I mean, I'm not very good at the game, but...

Unless someone else wants to make a team, of course.

Still working on an emblem, though.

edited 24th Mar '12 2:06:45 PM by Hydrall

Got the game this morning. I only had time to play a couple of missions, but so far so good. Things have changed a lot since the PS 2 era. I even think I've joined a good group (sorry Hydrall's Ragtag Misfits). There was a player online when I joined up and he instantly welcomed me and gave me a gift of a million credits. If the rest of the crew are like that, I think they may be keepers.

Oh, and I LOVE the way the A Cs switch weapons, keeping them stored on the shoulders. I wonder if you can have more than one of the same weapon?

edited 27th Mar '12 12:56:46 PM by artfulscruff

I just got Armored Core V a couple of days ago, and I must say, I think I've found my new answer to Chrome Hounds. Having been an AC fan since the PS 1 days, I can honestly say that this is my favorite in the series. It has just the right balance between speed and tactics so that it isn't ridiculously fast (AC 4 A) or tediously slow (AC 2). It seems to me that some fans are disappointed with the multiplayer focus, but having been an avid Chrome Hounds player, it doesn't really bother me. In my opinion, the stories of AC games were little more than arcade mission modes, with threadbare plots that were only redeemed by the fun combat and customization. I know the reviews of the game can look disheartening, but as mentioned before, this game is very niche and directed at such a specific audience that it can't help but be dismissed by the mainstream. If you want to get the most out of this experience, you have to be willing to join or assemble a team of at least five players and not be intimidated by the thought of competitive Pv P. If you are looking for a solid singleplayer game, then you are right to reject AC 5, because it isn't one. But if you are looking for a multiplayer-centric experience with absurd amounts of mech customization and a degree of tactical planning that is absent in most action games, then I definitely suggest you at least give it a rent to see if it captures your interest.

edited 28th Mar '12 8:18:15 AM by FurtiveDark

Still enjoying this, though I haven't had much of a chance to play online with people. It's possible that the first person I met on my team (Faerie Tale is the name of the team, by the way) was an anomaly. The other two I've been online with haven't waited around to give me time to join their sortie.