Armored Core, a game franchise that would fit any mech builder's dream. I've been playing the Series since Armored Core 2: Another Age (for those who played farther than that, big props to you guys). Anyways, as the title suggests, it is a game in which you can customize your mech (Which I like to call "Customizable Gundams"). Did I mention you have over 500 parts to work with? yea.. the combinations are almost overwhelming.
Armored Core V is the fifth installment in the series, it doesn't necessarily follow the story as the installment title would suggest. Come to think of it, majority of the games took a "Final Fantasy" kind of approach and make each story different. As for the campaign, well...there's something there. It is kinda short, but there's multiple parts to some of them. On top of the 10 Story missions, there is 80 Order missions (Side quest if you will) to keep you busy. Make no mistake, you will eventually need help with not only the story missions, but the order missions as well. This game was built for you to play along with other players...which brings me to a nice little Feature: Mercenaries!!
Have you ever wanted to do this in games? where people hire you to do a mission with other players? Well AC:V has implemented it finally. Basically how it works is, you register yourself as a Merc, and you wait until a client asks you to partake in a mission. Do not worry tho, you can run Combat tests to sharpen your skills while you wait. Understand that you don't get paid a large sum of money, so be mindful of your Ammo and damage costs. As for the controls, it might take some time getting used to.. for veterans and newcomers alike. Took me about 30 minutes or so and had to constantly go back to the training mission just to make sure I got the controls right. They are very responsive and move in the way they are designed (meaning how you customize your mech).
Now, for the multiplayer.. it can really be a headache. Not to say that it is bad by any means, but unless you have a firm grip on the game mechanics, you will have to go through quite a few battles watching your AC getting torn piece by piece. Since their are 3 types of Defenses: Kinetic, Chemical, and Thermal, You have to decide what pieces of armor to equip and what weapons you bring into battle. At first it sounds like a rock-paper-scissor's type formula but has so much more depth to the combat. You have your Duel (1v1), Battle Royale (Basically a free-for-all up to 8 players), and you have your 5 on 5 battle... but with a twist. Instead of it being 5 mechs on the field, you have 4 and have what is called an Operator. This is what truly adds a new layer of depth to the game. Basically The operator's job is to lay down UAVs and track down the enemy ACs. From there, you can tell them what they have equipped and what they are weak in. A new and yet amazing feature.
My Thoughts on Armored Core V:
It is a solid game through and through. However, this is really a MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Gundam) type of game.If you don't have online, you are going to find it hard to enjoy much in this game, even with the detailed (yet short) story. If you do...you are in for a real treat, especially for those who have their customize craves. Fair warning, this game is somewhat hard to get into if your a newcomer to the series. But once you grasp the understanding of the game and it's mechanics.. then you'll find Armored Core V a truly wonderful game.
