 Review By: Andrew Joy |
Developer: | FromSoftware |
| Publisher: | SEGA | |
| Genre: | Simulation | |
| ESRB: | Teen | |
| # Of Players: | 1-2 (8 online) | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | Xbox Live (online play), HDTV 480p/720p/1080i |
Though so much of manga and anime consists of mecha, for as long as I can remember – well, for as long as I’ve been reading and watching it anyway – I’ve tried to avoid giant robots with every fiber of my being. Despite that, I have to admit that I was quite excited by the prospect of piloting one in a video game. I wouldn’t say it has always been that way, but the thought has certainly been in my head since I first saw the massive array created for the Steel Battalion series. Unfortunately, I never got around to trying those games (I never could justify the price for a mere controller), but plenty of other opportunities would present themselves over the years, including the most recent: Armored Core 4. Were there differences between the games? Sure. Was I going to look a gift horse in the mouth? Not a chance. So, as you might imagine, brimming with anticipation, I pulled Armored Core 4 right out of the box and slipped it right into my PS3 (though it is also available for the Xbox 360, and there is little if any difference between the two). And, I have to say I was not disappointed...until after the opening cut-scene.
When the game starts out, you are treated to an exceptionally well-crafted movie. It shows a group of robots battling it out in a military base, firing off round after impressive round at one another, charging up devastating attacks and zipping around gradually more and more decimated buildings for cover as humans scramble around below for the same. Of course, once that impressive sequence ends, you are thrust right into a sea of mediocrity. In a single moment you go from a Hollywood-style opener to a jaunt through a pop-up book. There are lots of fancy techniques and lighting put to use in Armored Core 4, but unfortunately all the "next-gen" effects are – and pardon the crudeness – polishing a turd. Almost everything about this game’s design is uninspiring, dull, and flat. The levels lack detail, are sparsely filled and, though there are a number diverse areas, each one is very repetitive.
Similarly, I as a little troubled by some of the robot designs, though I’m willing to give them a bit of a walk, since there may be a bit of lineage there in the series that I’m not aware of. That aside, for the most part the designs are the same ones you have seen time and time again: large and lumbering humanoid machines. Of course, there are some exceptions, and there are a couple of truly fantastic designs, but you won’t be able to build and use those until much later, simply because of their cost (as you complete missions, you earn money to be used for such). However, even without the more impressive plans, you can still build almost any robot you can think of since Armored Core 4 offers an incredible amount of customization...again, assuming you can afford it. But, cost aside, from the weapons to your paint job, you’ll probably spend more time personalizing your giant robot than you will finishing the actual missions.
One of the most unfortunate aspects about this game is how short it is. The main game is comprised of about five chapters (six if you count the tutorial, which is technically the first chapter), and each of those is broken into several missions. Now, if the 30-some missions in this game were as lengthy as the average game, Armored Core 4 could honestly last for hours on end. However, as it is, I don’t think there was a single mission that lasted over five minutes, and most were closer to a minute or two, so the game could be zipped through in just a few hours. While you’ll see a number of varied locations throughout the game - from a shoreline that must be guarded to a desert that must be cleared of hostiles to a descent from the clouds into an enemy base - the gameplay itself unfortunately gets very repetitive. The only strategy you’ll need to remember throughout the game is make sure you have enough ammunition to destroy every blip on your radar. Apart from that, you need only watch your health and your step – if you wander outside the tiny boundaries for each level, the mission will rather inexplicably end for going out of bounds.
And, what’s more, the missions really aren’t put to much use – there is supposed to be a story behind this series, but you won’t see much of it in Armored Core 4, apart from a few, oh-so-brief and oh-so-repetitive comments from some woman back at HQ (a sad fact considering it is the only bit of audio worth mentioning in this bland little game). However, the premise of the game is set in the future, when the world’s population has far exceeded its resources. In response to the governments’ inability to care for them, the people of the world turn to the multi-billion dollar corporations for help. With the people now supporting them, the corporations made a move to control the world, and with the advanced weaponry, private armies and nearly limitless funds, they quickly overthrew the existing governments...and then they enslaved the people, naturally. But the companies are not unopposed, and a new generation of robots is about to strike back with a new generation of pilots, including you.
While I’m sure it isn’t as fun as sitting behind Steel Battalion’s custom controller that I mentioned earlier, actually piloting your robot here isn’t so bad here. It might take you some time to get used to things, even with the training level, particularly because none of the missions last long enough for you to really get the hang of things in a practical way. Also, the game crams a lot of functions onto the controller, and the default control scheme really only serves to confuse you more. However, customization proves to be the cornerstone of Armored Core 4, and it prevails once more! So, once you’ve assigned the controls the way you want, you should have no trouble getting your robot to do what you want. However, customization aside, your robot controls fairly well, though things can seem a little loose in the slower moments of combat. But, while you’ll never match anything shown in that opening sequence I mentioned up at the top, zipping around in combat can actually be quite fun...while it lasts.
If you are (quite understandably) looking to get more out of your game, Armored Core 4 is extended just a tad longer thanks to its multiplayer functions, which include both online and offline modes of play. Most likely in an effort the keep up the visual quality (HA!) of the game and to keep the screen from getting chopped up too much, the offline multiplayer is capped at two, while the online (and system link) multiplayer supports up to eight players. However, no matter how you are playing, online or off, you aren’t missing much, since there is only really one type of game: versus. Obviously, with just two players, it is limited to one-on-one, but with four you can have a two-on-two team battle or four player, every-man-for-himself battle royal, and the same goes for eight players, which also offers 4-on-4 team battle or an eight player free-for-all. However, online, you can also exchange robot schematics and compete in ranked matches, but in the end the online aspect turns out to be just as limited and disappointing as the rest of the game.
Bottom Line:
Armored Core 4 stands as the first next-gen effort for the aging series, and ultimately it is a failed one. At first, the game seemed like it was going to attempt something visually commendable, but somewhere between deciding what they wanted to do and getting the game to actually do it, it seems like From Software just decided it was too much work. Instead of a game that pops, you get one that fizzles, with sparse, repetitive concepts and a few bits of luster. The same could be said for the levels, which, while numerous, are quite repetitive and so short that it almost seems a crime. Of course, let us not forget the online play, which I have to wonder what the point is when you are only going to offer five ways to play the same thing. This is not to say, however, that the game is without its good qualities, as the game offers some intricate customization and you do, after all, get to fly around in a giant robot armed to the teeth. In the end, though, it fails to make this game worth recommending to anyone but the most hardcore of fans.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
|
| 6.0 |
Posted: 2007-05-14 12:35:34 PST