GRmored Core
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 2:15 pm
What?
Yeah, I know.
No, seriously - what's going on?
Okay. Well, do you know anything about the Armored Core games?
Not really. Big robots, bit Japanese, that's about it.
And that pretty much covers it. This is the new one, its out today, and its pretty damn good. Probably the best of the series released so far this generation.
Well, how many others have there been?
Well, on just the 360/PS3, there was Armored Core 4 which was okay, and Armored Core For Answer which... wasn't.
So why should I bother with this one?
Glad you asked! Armored Core V is the first of the series to integrate the multiplayer and single player aspects of the game rather than treating them as entirely separate. Essentially, you're always connected to the Armored Core servers, no matter what you're doing.
Wait, that sounds familiar.
So it should. The series is developed by FROM Software, of Demon's/Dark Souls fame. Obviously they have very little to do with each other in terms of gameplay, but the attitude to online connectivity is very similar.
Intriguing. So what does that mean?
Well, when you start the game for the first time, you're asked to either start up your own team or join an existing one. Whichever you choose, every mission you complete in the single player campaign will contribute points to the overall team rating. If you're the only one in your team this doesn't mean a lot, but when you start getting a few people together, interesting things start happening.
Like what?
Well, you can 'hire' any other member of your team to help you out in any of the 10 Story or 88 Order missions at the cost of half your reward. You can also trade parts with other team members, share AC designs, have cool clan emblems/colour schemes across the board...
That it?
No. There's a persistent Territory mode too. The Eurogamer review sums it up quite nicely.
But if there's one defining area where Armored Core 5 stands out from its predecessors, it's the online turf wars.
Simpler in principle than the persistent battlefields of Steel Battalion: Line of Contact, Conquest Missions offer teams the chance to try to capture valuable Territories that will raise their Team Level and unlock better AC parts. These take the form of five-on-five battles where the defenders have to guard a tactical objective while the attackers have just 10 minutes to capture or destroy them, and by letting teams devise strategies that combine the inherent strengths and weaknesses of different AC designs, the game becomes as much about effective team synergy as it does individual piloting skill.
Persistent campaigns! Five on five battles! Err, team synergy! What's not to like?
Okay, that does sound pretty cool. So what team should I join?
It most certainly does, and you should definitely join GRmored Core. It's a real team and everything!
Search for the team when you first start the game, and apply to join - we're password protected, and that password is 'cade'.
Wait, PS3 or 360?
360 only right now, but that's the version of the game you should be going for anyway. Apparently the PS3 one is a bit of a mess.
Still not sure to be honest...
Would it help if I showed you my big Japanese robot, War Bastard?
Sold!
Lovely stuff. I'll keep a list of people below when (if) interest starts rising. Please don't let me be the only one on it.