Xbox 360

Armored Core: For Answer

If you think mech customization and boost-filled battles sound like your cup of tea, Armored Core does deliver on those parts. Being a lower profile franchise, Armored Core doesn't impress in terms of tech or revolutionary game design, but the gameplay From Software sets up is a lot of fun and will be a riot for hardcore mech fans. If you can overlook the technical problems, Answer is a solid purchase -- especially if you skipped Armored Core 4 last year.

Armored Core: For Answer has it hits and misses. Is it a bad game? No. It is actually quite enjoyable. It just the things that bring it down can’t go unnoticed. While the customization option has improved from all the previous titles, an excellent soundtrack as well and amazing fast paced action, the online component could of used some more work and a more engaging story could have made it better.

Overall, I would definitely recommend a purchase of Armored Core for Answer to all fans of the series, or anyone that likes a lot of depth or customization in their action games. I think it’s still possible for the average gamer to have a good time with it, but I think the depth might be a little overwhelming for most people. What it does, it does pretty well, but I would suggest a rental first just to be safe. At the very least, you’ll get to watch a pretty awesome opening cinematic.

For those who have purchased every game released in the series to date, there really isn’t anything I can say that would stop you from purchasing this latest game; nor should there be anything. Quite simply, this game succeeds in doing what every other game in the series has done by carrying on the same basic gameplay formula and tweaking it enough to keep things interesting. While the cramped, short missions and extensive load times give the impression that the developer has about hit the limit on what it can do with this game engine, the game is otherwise an Armored Core title through and through.

Given the bleak backdrop to the story, the world is expected to be desolate, but the game fails to take advantage of opportunities to show off decrepit cities the way other games with similar themes have done so well. There are some destructible buildings and roads, but they look more like randomly placed blocks to knock over like Legos than a fading city. Armored Core: For Answer is far from a perfect game. The bare-bones presentation and limited versus matches leave some definite room for improvement. With a greater focus on co-op and story, the next Armored Core could be the first must-own mech title.

All in all, Armored Core for Answer fixes a lot of the problems that existed in Armored Core 4. Significantly more fun missions, graphical improvements, a fantastic sense of scale, and an enormous amount of customization really help the title. However, the impossible-to-understand story detracts value from the single-player experience, so the only reason for you to return is to build your mech, which is something that's going to overwhelm most players. While Armored Core fans will find a lot to enjoy here, the rest of us are going to see a clunky-controlling, average mech game with mind-boggling levels of customization.

But, since it's basically an expansion pack or spit-shined update, is it worth the price? Let's just say it would be easier to argue "yes" if it were priced more in the $30 range vs. $60. Still, we understand the logic; niche titles are never about sales volume, but rabid fans, so they need every dollar they can get. Basically, the answer to that question lies in what you want from a 'Mech game. Piloting a giant robot never gets old, but we would strongly advise renting this one first, as there's not a lot of handholding, and the overall style may not be to your liking. The game is solid, looks good and plays well, but it just has a "feel" that's not for everyone.

On top of missions, you can work your way through a series of bots in the arena, though it would have been nice to have more maps to choose from. You can also take the fight online, and while there are more maps to play on in a multiplayer environment, there are very few people to compete with. Regardless, Armored Core: For Answer is a worthwhile addition to the series, and while the franchise could certainly use a face-lift, this strip-mall makeover covers up the main blemishes.

Armored Core for Answer will completely satisfy any fans of the series thus far, and will even do the job for action or mech fans in general. Newcomers to the mech genre might find themselves lost in the customization options and level of difficulty presented.

While all this doesn’t add up to an impenetrable experience for newcomers, ACfA’s varied missions and elaborate AF boss fights, not to mention the welcome addition of co-op play, could have turned this into the series’ first truly mainstream offering. Fans will definitely be pleased with the added features and parts (more than double the previous game!), but anyone else will need to shore up some patience as they try to deduce just how everything works. Armored Core for Answer is far from perfect, but the combined elements are solid enough to both please the longtime fans while maybe attracting a couple of new ones in the process.

Basically, I enjoyed Armored Core: For Answer, at least for the most part. It's not without quite a few flaws, and I think it could do with a bit more of a tutorial explaining the basic mechanics of the game outside of the control tutorial it includes, but once you get used to modding your mech it starts to become more manageable and interesting. There are still control issues though, some sluggish response times, and the camera isn't always ideal. The auto lock system can frustrate you if multiple targets surround you as well, especially if you're trying to focus on one particular unit. However, I appreciate the realization of scale in the game, and the overall fun you get out of just blowing things away with the different weapons you can toy around with.

Armored Core For Answer definitely has its flaws, ones that hard core fans of the series will nevertheless overlook. But there’s no need to tell those people whether or not they should buy it. They probably already imported it and a Japanese Xbox 360 to play it on months ago. The cut scenes are gorgeous, the mech design is cool, the overall art style is kind of awesome… but the game itself isn’t really worth it. If the question that the name begs is should you buy this game, then the answer is probably not.

Insgesamt bringt Amored Core for Answer zu wenige Innovationen mit sich. Im Vergleich zu Armored Core 4 hat sich das Spielsystem so gut wie gar nicht verändert. Die Aufträge spielen sich ausserdem deutlich zu eintönig, was auch der neu hinzugekommene Koopmodus nicht ändern kann. Bei der Grafik wäre ebenfalls mehr drin gewesen, der Sound ist allerdings sehr solide. Kenner der Serie werden sich aber über den sehr umfangreichen Baukasten freuen. Der NEXT bildet klar das Zentrum des Spiels, ist er doch auch sehr detailreich gestaltet. Spieler der alten Teile werden sich schnell zurechtfinden, wer Innovationen erwartet, ist hier aber falsch. Einsteiger sollten zudem zunächst einen Probeblick auf das Spiel werfen, ob sie sich mit der gewöhnungsbedürftigen Steuerung anfreunden können. Auch das Szenario ist nicht jedermanns Sache.

What's so strange about For Answer is its trading of extensive customization for actual gameplay. Sure, you can build the ultimate mech, customizing it to your heart's content, yet when you actually play the game, you realize its shortcomings. It's like a gear head and their car - it's fun to tinker under-the-hood all day, but if the car isn't actually fun to drive, then it all seems like wasted effort.

Much like its previous iterations, the latest installment in the Armored Core franchise provides the same reliable, robot-piloting sim you've come to expect from the series. This results in a title that's not only lost in translation (For Answer?) but also lost in time as a sequel that remains rooted in decade-old gameplay. The game does provide a few improvements, bringing revised flight controls and new cooperative mission modes, but For Answer lacks what a great series needs in order to stay relevant: progress.