Armored Core

Another gameplay reveal


The game is ticking all of my boxes for sure.

No, but seriously holy shit what a solid fucking gameplay preview. The HUD is a bit cluttered but if youre able to enable and disable things like in the previous gens (AC3, ACSL) then I'm cool with it. The stagger system I've come to get over but I'm still not a fan of repairing. Maybe the missions are going to be WAY larger in scope (I mean just look at the fucking maps holy fucking christ its like 3 FA maps combined for one) so I don't know how useful the heals will end up being.

The thing I'm curious about is if this is the first mission of the game and if theyre going back to the OG armored core games where you just start right off the bat. If they do that I'll kneel and it will be my personal GOTY in a year where so many amazing games came out. Things are looking up, fellas.
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Another gameplay reveal


The game is ticking all of my boxes for sure.
AC4A map size AND ACVD map design? I'm fucking sold.
Not sure about the lock on thing. It definitely is soft lock by default but during some segment like the helicopter boss and STRIDER's leg getting blown off it definitely feels like hard lock on.
Also is it just me or the energy regeneration rate is shot up immediately once you land on the ground? If it is a developer mode thing then I'm okay with it but if its in the actual game then it's going to have a big impact on how ground-centric leg types like tanks and heavy quads operate, assuming they can boost indefinitely along the ground.
Also that mission startup screen and zooming is perfect, way above what previous games has done barring ACVD.
 
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Main System: Activating Combat Mode.

It has been far too long since I last heard those words. The only complaints I can muster are that the repair kits activate so quickly that they might as well just be a part of your health pool - maybe there’s another consequence to using them - and that overboosting doesn’t make the ‘VWOOIIIII’ sound.
 
I've come to trust Pineapple for gameplay stuff after trying some of his recommends from his Steam Dumpster Diving series, his video answered a few burning questions I had and put some concerns I had to rest.

I do like they're making a lot more of an effort to not only differentiate leg types but also making certain ones more attractive. I'm almost tempted to break the "no pre-order" rule.
 
I've come to trust Pineapple for gameplay stuff after trying some of his recommends from his Steam Dumpster Diving series, his video answered a few burning questions I had and put some concerns I had to rest.
Agreed, also, his video is very well structured and to the point on each of the categories. Vaati meandered more on his, but he did have footage of using threads and discussed some multiplayer conjectures and questions to Yamamura.

Starting to feel like I need to hurry a bit more with Trails to Reverie now since I'm getting pretty hype for this.
 
I've come to trust Pineapple for gameplay stuff after trying some of his recommends from his Steam Dumpster Diving series, his video answered a few burning questions I had and put some concerns I had to rest.
His only sin was making a name for himself by being a DS2 fag. I've warmed up to him a bit too after years of detesting him and the rest of Team Majula.
 
Well, I'm as good as sold. Just going to wait for release day comments to confirm the game actually runs and doesn't need 50GB of patches on day 1 to run.
 
This game blew my mind when I was little. Got a demo of it on a PS1 disc (weren't those demo discs just the best back in the day?). I'd be interested to see how the game has evolved since then, I never played the full version or anything after that demo but the name always stuck out to me whenever people mentioned it I got the good nostalgia mems from that demo <3
 
One thing that bothered me in the Pineapple video is that he repeatedly states that this won’t have the widespread appeal of something like Elden Ring, and I have to ask: Why? Obviously I’m well aware that mecha is something of a niche, but I’ve never understood why.

For over a decade people have flocked to cinemas to watch the latest iteration of men in spandex with silly names shooting lasers out their eyes at forgettable villains. Space wizard knights are fine, but giant robots are cheesey? Even among nerds and weebs it’s hard to find people that are down with mechs.

Hopefully this changes some people’s minds, and we see a resurgence for the genre.
 
Just finished watching the Vaati preview, he does a pretty deep dive and previews quite a lot of new mechs and such. Games going to be fucking mint
 
One thing that bothered me in the Pineapple video is that he repeatedly states that this won’t have the widespread appeal of something like Elden Ring, and I have to ask: Why? Obviously I’m well aware that mecha is something of a niche, but I’ve never understood why.

For over a decade people have flocked to cinemas to watch the latest iteration of men in spandex with silly names shooting lasers out their eyes at forgettable villains. Space wizard knights are fine, but giant robots are cheesey? Even among nerds and weebs it’s hard to find people that are down with mechs.

Hopefully this changes some people’s minds, and we see a resurgence for the genre.
Probably because he thinks most people will get bored with garage autism or that will rebound when their favorite build gets shat on in a mission a few times in a row and they just don't adapt their mech or adapt it poorly. Also, numbers are intimidating even though if you just want to fuck around you can ignore the majority of them for the most part and manage through. And I can see his point. It's less about the setting and big robots and more about how there is a lot of menuing in the game, or at least that's where I could see that point as well.

Aside from that, first setup I want to try is a thread set up and see if it eats as much shit as I think it will, since stuff seems to be zooming and flying all over the place and I want to see how the big boy keeps up.
 
One thing that bothered me in the Pineapple video is that he repeatedly states that this won’t have the widespread appeal of something like Elden Ring, and I have to ask: Why

This is the curse of being a mecha fan. The mecha fanbase overall has always been somewhat niche, especially outside of Japan. I disagree that the game won't have widespread appeal simply because FromSoftware has made themselves into a household name with the Souls series. The Armored Core series has slowly been gaining popularity again since 6 was announced.

Personally, I don't mind more people getting into the genre, even if it's by proxy of the popularity of FromSoftware's other titles. I've been a sucker for AC since the PS1 days, and I'm in the general agreement that AC6 is shaping up to be a strong installment from what we've seen so far. The whole "it's a Souls mecha game" conversation seems to stem from people who loved Bloodborne/Dark/Demon Souls but never really gravitated towards AC. The more the merrier. Any Armored Core is welcome at this point.

Now if only MechWarrior would make a comeback. MW5:Mercenaries is kinda meh (the DLC helps a lot) and MW Online has pretty much gone stagnant. Mechwarrior 2 was one of the biggest milestones for the mech sim genre and there really hasn't been anything revolutionary to come out of the series since.

Also Chromehounds 2 when, FromSoft?
 
One thing that bothered me in the Pineapple video is that he repeatedly states that this won’t have the widespread appeal of something like Elden Ring, and I have to ask: Why? Obviously I’m well aware that mecha is something of a niche, but I’ve never understood why.

For over a decade people have flocked to cinemas to watch the latest iteration of men in spandex with silly names shooting lasers out their eyes at forgettable villains. Space wizard knights are fine, but giant robots are cheesey? Even among nerds and weebs it’s hard to find people that are down with mechs.

Hopefully this changes some people’s minds, and we see a resurgence for the genre.
The same phenomenon happens when talking about mecha anime. People always give you weird looks for being into giant robots scrapping with each other but not for liking any of the other slop garbage that comes out now in modern anime.

My guess for why the mainstream and anime fans kind of scoff at mecha fans is because there really hasn't been anything that has been super popular (or extremely good) on a wide scale in the west like this before. The most you'll hear when talking to someone about the mecha genre is Evangelion, Code Geass, Darling in the Franxx (god forbid) and that because they are extremely accessible. Anything else you have to go out of your way to find out about and god forbid people do that.

There is also the case where most of the very good mecha anime are close to 20-50 years old and anime fans (especially the new ones) are allergic to watching anything before 2010. The mecha genre was in a slump quality-wise during that decade so yeah I guess that's most likely a reason why people think mecha is shit. To be a mecha anime fan is to be an oldhead.

The game is still going to sell well mainly because of FromSoft's name, but I do hope that it's enough to urge these fuckers to make an AC7.
 
The most you'll hear when talking to someone about the mecha genre is Evangelion, Code Geass, Darling in the Franxx (god forbid)
Before I quit my last job I finally revealed my power level to my weeb coworker and told him that I loved mecha anime - Patlabor being my favourite, and that he should check it out. My heart sank when he responded ‘Oh, giant robots. Like Darling in the Franxx, right?’.

At least when Gurren Lagann was the only mecha show people had seen you could agree that it was a solid show and maybe push someone towards the series’ that it payed homage to.

Ah, well, at least being an oldfag means that there’s no shortage of older shows to enjoy. The best part of being a mechhead is the fact that the genre peaked during the late 80s/early 90s economic boom, which to me is a highpoint for the medium.
 
At least when Gurren Lagann was the only mecha show people had seen you could agree that it was a solid show and maybe push someone towards the series’ that it payed homage to.
For the longest time I thought TTGL was like Fullmetal Alchemist where every anime fan has seen it but I'm surprised how many people haven't seen it. People don't even watch Fullmetal Alchemist anymore.
Ah, well, at least being an oldfag means that there’s no shortage of older shows to enjoy. The best part of being a mechhead is the fact that the genre peaked during the late 80s/early 90s economic boom, which to me is a highpoint for the medium.
I still think the early 2000s has their fair share of gems but I'm totally biased because I love the 2000s in terms of anime.
 
One thing that bothered me in the Pineapple video is that he repeatedly states that this won’t have the widespread appeal of something like Elden Ring, and I have to ask: Why? Obviously I’m well aware that mecha is something of a niche, but I’ve never understood why.
For the same reason some of my non-Soulsborne playing friends never finished Elden Ring despite "loving" it. People will buy the game because big name studio everybody loves made it and they want to be part of the crowd having fun. Elden Ring gatekept with it's difficulty, but AC is going to gatekeep anyone that doesn't have the "MUST BUILD MECH" autism gene.
 
At least when Gurren Lagann was the only mecha show people had seen you could agree that it was a solid show and maybe push someone towards the series’ that it payed homage to.

It also comes down to show pacing/styling and theming. Gurren Lagann is a story that's fundamentally about a character having to leave a meek lifestyle behind to find themself as a person and moving on with life after the dead of someone who heavily influenced them. Spiralling out of control is a clear and present theme both metaphorically and literally in the context of the show reaching absurd situations and an ending point that draws it all back. It's a little fanservicey, but it's generally a good story with little parables sprinkled in. Plus, it's fucking Gainex. They generally don't make garbage.

Super robot seems to generally do better than real robot overall with a few exceptions. Robotech, Fullmetal Panic, Linebarrels of Iron, and Gundam (except G Gundam) are the real standouts to me, and Gundam cuts it close with the woo-woo mythical space wizard Newtype bullshit.

Elden Ring gatekept with it's difficulty, but AC is going to gatekeep anyone that doesn't have the "MUST BUILD MECH" autism gene.

I'm honestly expecting this to go the other way. Armored Core games (especially on higher difficulties) are a different kind of difficult. I expect some of the autistic difficulty to be tuned down to grab a broader audience and difficult content to be made mostly optional or something you do on your own as a challenge. I also expect that a more conventional control scheme will help out a lot. The build definitely matters, but so does execution.
 
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