Silent Line: Armored Core - IGN (2025)

Armored Core
(AC) is no stranger to the PlayStation or PlayStation 2. The series first appeared on Sony's gray box back in '97. Oddly enough, it was the only AC ever published by SCEA. A year later, Agetec (then-ASCII) released Armored Core: Project Phantasma. The final AC on PSOne, Amored Core: Masters of Arena hit the aging console in 2000. Although each new disc could have easily been labeled a sequel the publisher chose never to add a "2" behind Armored Core.
Unitl now the PlayStation 2 didn't see the true sequel, Armored Core 2. It took the tried and true formula and dove headlong into the more powerful PS2, adding more eye-candy, sound and new missions. Still, gameplay remained much the same save for new Core designs and additional weapons etc. And like the PSOne AC, this game also saw an "expansion disc," Amored Core 2: Another Age. It was, once again more of the same--more missions, more weapons and more enemies--just what every AC fan out there wanted.

The next true sequel in the series was, duh, Armored Core 3; we cited, "Armored Core 3 is unquestionably the best Armored Core game yet made. Whether it will spread the game outside its small cult following, however, is another matter entirely. It's a more accessible game than its predecessors, which stood as a perfect representation of From Software's anachronistic tendencies, but probably not to a degree that will convince anyone who grew frustrated with the digital controls and stiff difficulty curve of those games."

Silent Line - Armored Core continues the tradition of an expansion disc following the release of a true sequel. This makes the fourth AC to hit the black box. We're sure hardcore (no pun intended) fans are pleased with the release of this latest entry into the world of the Ravens. Once again, you'll assume the role of a Raven and work your way through a series of missions, each progressively more difficult with its own enemies, environment and terrain.

Silent Line: Armored Core - IGN (1)
Gameplay
Yeah, we imagine you've played Armored Core or are familiar with the control. It's like the thinking man's version of Virtual On with a bit more control behind your mech as well as a different pace entirely. We're AC fans, we'll admit, but we still don't understand why that right analog stick can't be used to control commands assigned to the less intuitive shoulder buttons.

Sure, at this point in time we should really be used to the setup, and we are, but dual analog control would speed up gameplay significantly. Then again, maybe this is exactly what the designers at From are trying to avoid--plus any commands assigned to the face buttons would become difficult to use during the heat of battle.

If you're a veteran player, diving into Silent Line will be a matter of simply picking up your Dual Shock 2 and blasting the snot out of mechs. However, if this is your first time commanding a 60 ton mech some practice will be necessary to become acclimated with the overwhelming scheme. You'll find that it's fairly versatile, once you get it down, that is.

And once you do get the moves down it's really satisfying to run, boost and hover above or below the opposition, mowing them down with machine guns, missiles or slicing away. It's not as graceful as, let's say, ZOE, but this is more a edgy mech game than a pretty anime-inspired adventure with Jehuty.

Some of the problems that plagued the first batch of AC's is gone, but we still find it annoying when an enemy creeps up on us. There's really no instant turn-and-lock mechanic like the one found in Sega's Virtual On series.

Graphics
It's more of the same here, just like ever other facet of Silent Line. The series has always had that "painted on black canvas" look and most of the environments are very dark. Then again, we think about the story and this does take place after judgment day, pretty much. Mech designs are typical stuff from the people at From; excellent mech designs that simply less impressive to those of us who know AC just because we've seen similar ones for so long.

The world of Armored Core hasn't really changed much over the years. It just looks a bit sharper, gets better textures, new mechs and environments. We don't really see that as the makings of an ambitious design team, but why fix something if it works? Fans of the series don't seem to mind the baby steps in the visual department, why should From?

Sound
Heard of recycled sound? That's Silent Line. There's no reason to really take the time to re-record sound effects. On top of the budget issues there are consistency issues; why should a machine gun or rocket sound different from one disc to the next? Music is fairly sparse and doesn't really detract from the overall experience, but it doesn't really add to it either.

We'd like to seem some speed metal or hard rock to accompany the next Armored Core. Why not add chatter like we saw in Ace Combat 04, too? The sound effects are more than adequate, but better tunes and some pilot-to-pilot convos would make the game far more personal, something that it really lacks.

Verdict

I'm not going to lie, the Armored Core series has always been the fan's game and it will always be the fan's game. By that I mean that either you're a fan and you love the game or you're not. I'm sick of hearing complaints from non-fans, both everyday gamers and game journos who whine and bitch about the constant disc after disc and "annoying" control. Hey, if you aren't into the game, don't play it and don't complain. This is obviously a niche game, but it's a damn good niche game.

Then again, Armored Core was and is Steel Battalion before Shinji Mikami decided to make it a full-blown sim-esque Xbox game. This might be a bit too much to swallow in terms of story, gameplay and feel, at least for the average gamer who has never experienced the AC universe. The control alone is something that takes some time to get accustomed with. But, I can bet you anyone who appreciated Ace Combat 04, Steel Battalion or even Robotech will likely find this new expansion appealing.

You have been warned, though, this is nothing new or ground breaking, it's just more of the same, refined and refined yet again. Our review of the previous AC pretty much sums up how we feel about this one, "I just wish the series would commit to more than gradual improvement. At this pace, it looks like I'll be able to give an unqualified thumbs-up round about Armored Core 5 -- say, four or five years from now. From Software could do so much more with these games, and instead it seems committed to doing the same damn thing over and over."

Silent Line: Armored Core - IGN (2025)
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