Silent Line: Armored Core is an adrenaline rush from the start, with tons of custom options, but really that adrenaline
The story confuses me, since this is the first Armored Core game I've ever owned, let alone played. It seems there's a disturbance in the "Silent Line", which is an uncolonized region in the game's world. You are a Raven, which is essentially a Core operator (you drive and control your own core). As a Raven, you are to complete missions that will give clues towards the mystery that is the Silent Line. Basically, there story is minimal, and is just seems more like you are playing missions through and through.
Now for the customization. There are over 450 parts to choose from, from heads, cores (bodies), legs, arms, weapons for either arm, support items, and much more. The possibilties are endless, and that's the highest point of the game. You can paint your core any color you want, and even draw your own emblem to be placed on your core. Sweet. While some will be over-whelmed by having to deal with weight issues, the customization process is quite fun. Be informed, though, that you must complete missions in order to gain enough money to buy better parts.
Now, for the battles and missions. Missions consist of "destroy this" and "defend that", or "get there". That's basically it. If you were looking for pulse-pounding missions, some will do that, but others seem more ho-hum. Also, the difficulty ramps up towards the end of the game significantly, so frustration is bound to break in. This is avoidable, though, since you can fail a mission but, somehow, continue your story. Huh? I just died. How am I still going? It just makes no sense. Those harder missions are left to chance, since you either barely make it through, lose your salary for damages and ammo, and still pass, or fail. Its poor indeed. Alos, pacing is slow with your Core, as well. I mean, it is big, but making it hover and fly is frustrating. Targeting is also a problem, as you can't adjust the pitch sensitivity, so while you're getting pummelled, you're busy trying to move your target box. Frustrating again.
There is also an Arena Mode, where you can battle up the rankings to I don't know what, since it won't let me continue, even after beating the game. There is two-player as well, which is fun, but the A.I. is better than you, anyway.
Graphics seem a bit dated, but with the first-person view, a first for the series, things look interesting and nice. Music is good, but some are a little too techno for my liking. Overall, sound and graphics are decent.
Overall, SL:AC is just another rehash of the older games that adds more parts and some depth. This is better left to AC maniacs and mech lovers, like me.