The Armored Core Series: A Newcomer's Journey

In this series retrospective/analysis (and my longest video to date), I discuss how Armored Core went from a franchise I, as a Dark Souls/Elden Ring fan, knew very little about in the wake of that Fires of Rubicon trailer, to becoming one of my all-time favourites.

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Ever since the Game Awards, I've seen a lot of people curious about how similar the recently revealed Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon was going to be to developer From Software's Souls games, mainly because Elden Ring was so successful, and partially because Armored Core has never quite reached that level of mainstream appeal. I was one of those curious people, and so I decided to play each numbered Armored Core entry as well as a few of the spin-offs, to get an idea of what this series is all about.

With its weighty combat, extensive customisation options and compelling worldbuilding that I'm sure had an influence on the Souls games, it has been a while since a series has engrossed me quite like this. In this series retrospective/Armored Core analysis, let's talk about why you should be excited for Armored Core.

#armoredcore #armoredcore6 #firesofrubicon

0:00 - Intro Plug
0:17 - The Rebirth of Armored Core and the Fires of Rubicon
8:34 - Armored Core's Systemic Dystopia
18:50 - Armored Core is really, really fun
27:21 - Armored Core 2
36:10 - Armored Core 3
42:11 - Armored Core Nexus and Silent Line
48:10 - Armored Core 4
55:40 - Armored Core For Answer
1:05:56 - Armored Core V
1:14:02 - Armored Core Verdict Day
1:16:17 - Will Soulsborne Players Enjoy Fires of Rubicon?
1:22:05 - Outro

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[samfivedot]

I was so happy when I saw that interview with Miyazaki where they asked him "So will it play like Dark Souls" and his answer was "No. It's Armored Core. It's gonna play like Armored Core"

[jacobdade]

"Being broke is pretty taxing."
That bit of writing warrants a sub.

[JustSheen]

There's one thing I absolutely want in AC6, a mode like Forzavista where you can walk around and inspect your mech from the perspective of a tiny human. Use elevators and shit to truly get a feel for the absolute scale of your mech.

[orionfenerty]

it feels so good, after 25 years of being a fan and advocate of this series, and seeing it go woefully unappreciated, to watch all these videos of creators, and new fans alike, FINALLY just GET IT. Thank you for your video, sir.

[spencermeredith]

I still remember picking up AC2 at a local used games shop because the box looked cool.

I was blown away. These games were hugely formative for me

[RayShadow]

One of the titles you skipped out in this run through the series, Last Raven, was the first one to actually have multiple branching paths that actually gave you a diverging storyline, I'd suggest taking a look at it at some point as it also refines a bit more on the changes made to 3's formula that Nexus brought forth

Verdict Day's servers are also STILL UP AND RUNNING, provided you reach out to the community you can still experience the online component of it

This was a WONDERFUL video!
I really appreciate how you were able to grasp WHY Armored Core is *so good*, you nailed it

Personally I really liked Nexus, I dunno maybe it's due to how much I played Last Raven Portable as a kid on the PSP, but nothing beats going back to the OG 3 games on the PS1

To echo that legendary first game:
"Congratulations. From this day on, you are a Raven"

Welcome aboard!

[arenkai]

I love how Youtube essayist are doing Bandai Namco's marketing for them regarding this series lmao

[krengreyhart]

The main reason I love armored core might be that it's looks realistic yet so powerful. It's not like a super slow oversized walking tanks nor an overpowered gymnastic expert super robots, but more like a real military assets with high end technologies that were made to destroy their target as quick as possible.

[m.m.]

Finding out Miyazaki was the Director behind Armored Core: For Answer probably explains why it's my favorite in the series.

[InfinityZwei]

A quick note for non-veterans: Scan Mode in AC5 dramatically increases energy regen. Folks who mastered this quirk could do some really crazy maneuvers. Sul 'Incasune has a video showing the final battle in Verdict Day where he demonstrates using Scan Mode to great effect in boosting his way through missile swarms. It's one of those gaming mechanics similar to Virtual On's jump-to-auto-face-your-enemy maneuvers that feels clunky but still works well as a good trade-off option.

[Dark_Jaguar]

You mention "I can't believe this is a PS1 game from 1997", but keep in mind, from the perspective of the time it came out, the opinion would be "of COURSE It's this deep, it's on the super powerful PlayStation, WAY beyond the limitations of my old Genesis!"

[JoveGames]

Finally, someone that has both curiosity to really, truly understand these games in all their "tough-but-fun" complexity and also the presentation skills to articulate it eloquently. This is the video the Armored Core series has deserved for decades. Thank you for treating it with such intention and passion.

[justletmecomment]

Tip for new players: When you see an enemy get behind you on your radar, DON'T turn 180! Just boost/jump backwards if you're not blocked by a wall or other obstacle. Turning your AC is slow, moving backwards is faster.

[purplepotato]

On your description of how far you fall into debt in the first game and how despite winning a mission, the cost for winning, you are sent even deeper into debt. This reminded me of a video by DJ Peach Cobbler on the game Shipbreaker and how he critiqued the game for starting you off with unclearable debt, and how despite the great shock value at the beginning of the game it is ultimately meaningless and would have been more impactful if it was a spiral that YOU fell into. Your description of the gathering of debt in the first game just reminded me of this.

[jicudi]

I'm just short of 40 and this series was one of the greatest, and most challenging, experiences of my life. It was punishing, unforgiving, highly technical, yet fast paced. A fantastic mix for people who wanted a satisfying challenge.

[EndyHawk]

The action focus of For Answer made PVP matches a true breathless joy; dazzling warmachines dancing across the sky, angling for the advantage amidst a sparkling rain of bullets and smoking clouds of missiles and plasma.

[yvastel]

I am partial to you missing Last Raven. It's probably the most difficult (actually unfair but doable) game in the series but it also has a pretty good, easy-to-follow story. Also has the sickest garage/hangar screen complete with a mech start-up scene after accepting a mission. It's worth giving a try.

[Masterho]

Shoutout to energy weapons. The best weapons to use in story missions since they use energy and don't have a monetary cost per shot like bullets and missiles. You'll always complete your missions with a net profit and make bank towards those newer parts.

[coolbrotherf]

What's really interesting about Nine-ball in the first few games is that a large majority of the parts are available from the very start of the game from the shop. The only difference is that Nine-ball has access to the Human Plus enhancements. Any player can play the game as a Nine-ball clone if they wanted to although it's definitely a challenge run to do so.

[dracotoy]

The armored core series (and to a lesser extent dark souls as well) was that game series i couldnt believe wasnt popular/mainstream, because how couldnt it be? Its such an interesting well crafted series