Pre-Review: Armored Core 4 (PS3/360)

Jeff’s Take:

Why fix what isn’t broken? Or at least, what’s working well enough? The Armored Core series has always been about fast and furious mech action, and while it hasn’t been amazingly reviewed in the past, it has garnered a devoted following. There have actually been far more than 4 installments of the series, but for whatever reason, this is the one they decided to make their next in the “core” series.

There isn’t too much new to say about the newest game in the series. The graphics have obviously been updated for the new generation, and while they look nicer than past iterations, unfortunately they don’t really show off what the consoles can do. While the mechs and lighting effects look nice and detailed, the environments look kind of dull and bland.

As for the gameplay itself, it offers up the same fast and furious action of it’s predecessors. It also offers the ability to upgrade several components of your mech and use and trade the components you unlock in single player in the online game as well. This adds a little depth to an otherwise straightforward game. Unfortunately, the levels in single player are generally quite short, lasting 5 minutes or less, which makes the game feel somewhat disjointed and and repetitive. The online multiplayer partially makes up for this, as the gunfights can be quite enthralling for a awhile. Unfortunately, the PS3 version will not include the voice chat that the 360 version will have, making that version feel a bit less exciting when you jump online.

All in all, though, the game delivers what the Armored Core fans want: more fun mech action. It will probably garner a 7.1, with the possibility that the PS3 version will score a tenth of a point or 2 lower because of the lack of voice chat.