Armored Core 4 Update

The last time we saw Armored Core 4, From Software's mech combat game was purring along on a PlayStation 3 on the Tokyo Game Show floor and looked like a promising slice of next-gen mech action. The long-running franchise has actually been around since the days of the original PlayStation and has found continued success as it migrated to the PlayStation 2 and PSP platforms. We had the chance to get an updated look at the game today, a work-in-progress version of the forthcoming US release, to see how it's coming together.

If you're unfamiliar with the series, Armored Core 4 could be the right time to jump on board, since the game serves as an unofficial retelling of the game's original story. You're cast as a mech pilot tapped to be part of a resistance movement that rises up to oppose several massive corporations that have essentially enslaved humanity and locked us all into colonies. While liberating humanity is obviously a good thing, you're also tasked with helping the resistance's leader, Emil, who doesn't exactly operate aboveboard. Still, someone's got to fight for freedom, right?

Your battle for good forms the core of the 35 main missions in the single-player game, though the adventure will be book-ended by two additional missions, a tutorial at the beginning and a final level at the end. The single-player mode will be somewhat linear in that you'll need to clear specific missions to progress, though not all of those that become available to you will be necessary to undertake. As you progress, you'll earn cash that you can use to purchase one of the roughly 30 mechs in the game or customize your current mech. As in previous entries in the series, the customization is as deep or simple as you choose to make it. If you're not into tinkering, you'll be able to devote just a bit of time toward customizing your mech's paint job or decals and be done with it. However, for those who are gear heads, you'll also be able to drill down and tune your mech on a pretty granular level. Not only will you be able to upgrade various systems on your mech, but you will also be able to choose to tinker with and enhance specific elements of parts using chips you'll get as you play. Besides the missions in single-player mode, you'll be able to unlock a simulator wherein you can face off against more than 40 characters. The multiplayer is a somewhat straightforward assortment of basic offline and online options. The offline game is a simple split-screen game against a friend. The online mode offers deathmatch or team deathmatch options for up to eight players.

The visuals in the game have seen some polish since TGS and are a flashy assortment of detailed (and destructible) mechs and environments. It goes without saying that the mechs have benefited from the power of the new platform and show off a nice sampling of what the PS3 has to offer. The environments look a bit more hit or miss. The larger outdoor areas seem too sprawling, although we appreciate that you can tear through such large areas. The smaller maps, though a bit cramped, offer a cool level of interactivity. One area demoed for us showed a mech just about level an entire room during combat. In addition, the various explosions and special effects do a good job of complementing the action.

The audio doesn't stand out too much right now, outside of the various effects used for weapon fire. The soundtrack is pretty low-key, although it does seem to be covering the right bases and features tracks that suit what's going on. The version we saw already had English voices in it that fit into the mix well.

Based on what we've seen, Armored Core 4 appears to be shaping up to be a good next step for the series. The game looks solid, with some nice new platform-specific bells and whistles thrown in; the mechs offer a good measure of variety; and the single-player game seems to have a fair amount of meat to it thanks to the customization options. The multiplayer is thinner than we'd like it to be, especially in the wake of From's good work on Chromehounds for the 360, but at least it's something. Armored Core 4 is currently slated to ship in the spring of 2007. Look for more on the game in the coming months.