Harder,Better,Faster,Stronger
The structure of the game has never changed, you are a Gun for hire that can pilot a giant robot and once again your skills are needed in this world struggling with war and strife. At the very beginning of the game you are thrown into the fray, choising a Company to team up with in the effort to gain better equipment and money to make yourself the meanest Mech Pilot ever to walk this war torn world. The company you chose doesn't have that much of an influence in terms of gameplay but certain parts are easier to come across depending on which one you have chosen.
As far as the gameplay is concerned, it is very much up to the player to decide how he wants to go about accomplishing the mission objectives based on the parts he/she choses to equip, but the fundamental aspect is still and has always been about speed. The action is very fast and engaging, forcing you to always be on your toes and aware of everything around you. As much as this is great and brings a very intense experience it is like a double edge blade, fast and intense gun battles means fast and intense AI and AI is unforgiving. With some missions being a cake walk and others forcing you to start over for the 20th time. The brutality of the AI really shines out when you are against another kind of Armored Core ( Mech,Giant Robot), but this problem can be fixed with equipping the right parts to counter the enemy's combat strategy given that you experiment enough to find the right set up. But even with that said, you'll still have a tough time.
The Graphics are nicely done and the environments are bigger compared to AC4 adding gigantic bosses known as Arms Forts into the mix giving you a greater sense of size to the world around you and the Armored Core you are piloting. The FPS for the 360 version runs smoothly and consistent compared to the PS3s slow downs. There are some instances where the Graphics seem a little bland, but given the speed of the action you wont have time to eye ball the scenery.
The sounds in the game are spot on, never sounding out of place or poor in quality and the music is a welcome surprise considering it has never been a strong point in the history of the franchise.
Despite it all, the game still has a few downsides. The difficulty is grueling and can leave you frustrated enough to never look back but with a little determination and creativity you'll be wondering what the fuss was about and there are couple of glitches, but in my 40 hours of playing it I have yet to find them.
If you are a fan of the series then this is a good purchase due to the added content and upgrades made to the gameplay and for those new to game will find it a refreshing title with plenty to offer in terms of enjoyment, fast paced action and re-playablility.