Another Good Entry in the Armored Core Series

10 years ago, the first Armored Core game was released. It offered fast paced combat, plenty of customizability, and was a good game in its time. The rest of the series played out similarly, and Armored Core 4 is nothing groundbreaking for the series – though it is, in some ways, a bigger change than has been the norm.

Visuals: Once you get past the very well done introduction, the visuals of Armored Core 4 are nothing amazing. There's plenty of detail, but most Xbox 360 owners will not be amazed by this game's visuals. Some of the effects, such as laser cannon blasts, icebergs cracking, and swirling desert sands are rather nicely done, but ultimately there's nothing amazing here. I do prefer the very basic presentation (menus, etc) over more ornate systems seen in other games, though.

Overall: 7/10

Sounds: There's not a whole lot of sound effects or music, but there is some good voice acting (for once). The sounds are pretty good but a bit bland and recycled, and the music so quiet or rarely used that I hardly noticed it. The voice acting, while used sparingly and featuring only a handful of actors, is much better than that seen in most video games. Ultimately, the sounds are about as forgettable as the visuals.

Overall: 7.5/10

Controls: They take a while to get used to, but once you get comfortable, the only problem that remains is the slow aim that all console shooters suffer from. Since you can customize your controls or use the standard sets, there isn't a whole lot to say here.

Overall: 7.75/10

Gameplay: This is the only area of the game where it really excels, offering plenty of difficulty, plenty of options, a story that doesn't fall on its face, and a decent amount depth (primarily from multiplayer). Without multiplayer, the game's depth suffers, even with a Hard Mode, as normal mode can be completed in 10-15 hours. Still, it's pretty fun while it lasts.

Fans of the series may be slightly disappointed by the seemingly lacking options for parts, but there are more as the game progresses, and few throwaway parts (unlike some previous installments in the series). Ultimately, it does feel a bit thin compared to some other AC games, but the lack of quantity is made up for by the quality of each part – most of them are usable in endgame Crafts. Of course, getting to the endgame isn't easy, as almost all the missions have some degree of challenge, and some are downright difficult (and the difficulty is ramped up again for Hard Mode).

The story doesn't add much reason to play at all, acting more as a backdrop for throwing missions and special conditions at you. However, Multiplayer and online play do provide plenty of incentive to play (Armored Core 4 is the first Xbox 360 game that makes me wish I still had a Gold Membership), and the simulator missions do help to extend a normally thin single player experience.

The combat isn't radically changed from previous games, even with the addition of ubiquitous Primal Armor. Of course, that's no big deal, given that combat in the Armored Core series has always been well done. The addition of Primal Armor, a new defensive system, manages to add a little strategy to AC building and combat, which helps keep it fresh.

Ultimately, it's a fun, challenging game while it lasts – and there are ways to make it last. 8.5/10.

There's not a whole lot to say about Armored Core 4, other than that it's another solid entry in the series.

Armored Core $

Taking a departure from previous titles of the series, Armored Core 4 has an enhanced graphics engine on top of an easy to use control scheme. With missions that are relatively short, the game rewards a succesful playthrough by unlocking the hard difficulty. Selecting this difficult changes each stage in some way, almost making it an entirely different experience. In most stages an extra 'boss' will show up to battle you alongside the other enemies. It can become truly difficult, but it is much more enjoyable to play the missions over again because of this. Boasting around sixty unique parts and over two hundred points to 'tune' your vehicle, customization is a large and interesting part of the game. Sadly, however, there are only a handful of designs that can compete with other players and enemies within the campaign. This, alongside a dreadfully small online player base, are the only drawbacks to this otherwise splendig (and ridiculously cheap) title.

Armored Core 4

Armored Core 4 takes place in the distant future, when corperations rule the planets. you are the pilot of a next, a futuristic humanoid robot built for mass distruction in the name of your next paycheck. Ultamate Realism is deffanatly this games strong suit, focusing on minute details such as the ability to slightly modify thruster thresholds, or tuining your next for more rapid movement. the lerning curve is like jumping off a cliff. you will be able to blase through the first chapter of 10 missions no problem. the next chapter however, assumes that you already know how to controll your 400 ton next nimbly through buildings, acuratly destoying large vehicles, and to quickly dodge huge lazers comming at you from all directions. however once you master the campaighn(wich holds alot of solid gameplay)you get to the real fun; the online play. online you can chose between ether team matches, or free for all battle royals. the first time i went online, i was blown away.. litaraly. it is fast paced, highly competitive, and with the aid of the amazing soundtrack in AC4, you feel truly rightchous when you are dodging missles, deploying countermesures, and firing your shoulder lazer right into some unlucky mother's face.

-Gameplay - 3.9
-Online - 4.9
-Music - 5
-Online play - 5
-Learning Curve - steep, real steep
-Playability - there is nothing better than the feeling of FINNALY completing that mission you have been stuck on for a week

Armored Core 4

One of the first things that stand out to me in any game are the graphics. Being a game for a next-gen console, Armored Core 4 does live up to its next-gen status for the most part. All of the mechs look gorgeous as well as the weapons and particle effects and shaders. However, everything else pales in comparison to the detail put into the mechs and weapons. The environments are generic, bland, and empty, but do offer destructibility, which is nice. This game is designed to be played on an hi-def TV, so if you're playing this game on a standard television, you'll have a hard time reading some of the text and you probably won't be able to experience the graphics in all of its glory (this applies for almost every other x-box 360/PS3 game out there). The missions are generally very short, with some being below a minute in length (but it really depends on the player). There are alot of parts (arms, legs, cores, heads, weapons, etc) available for customization, and customization can get pretty deep if you really want to build a nice AC. You can also customize the paint on your AC with and even design your own insignias to put on the ACs. Enemy AI is average and it shouldn't be too hard killing them. Storyline can go out the window- if you are unfamiliar with the storyline of the previous Armored Cores, you'll have no idea what's going on here because they drop you right in the middle of the conflict.

Best Armored Core yet

2 words: XBox live. You can play with up to 7 other players simultaneously, and since it's Xbox live no one has to deal with split screen. The skill of players online ranges from well below mediocre to nigh-unstoppable but the games are always a blast. This immediately extends the life of the game until at least the end of the year when the sequel is due out.

The single player is short, with 37 missions in total. You don't have to beat them all to beat the game, & I beat it on my first pass through in around 6 hours. HOWEVER, in order to get all the parts & tunes available to your mech you must beat the missions again on Hard mode, which is MUCH more challenging and only available after you beat the game once.

The parts offer millions of possible mech designs, and the multiplayer is engrossing. If you like mech games, armored core games, or are a customization nut pick up Armored Core 4 w/out a second thought! It's only 20$ now!! NO EXCUSES!