Armored Core 2: Another Age

Although ACAA is not a complete new sequel, none of the missions is the same as Armored Core 2. In fact, the game boasts 100 new playable missions, lots of new weapons, and better graphics. There really is not a story line that is easy to follow, other than what you get about each mission and what each corporation is trying to do. Other than that last factor, ACAA could have been easily called AC3. The reason why From Software decided to make it seem like an expansion is beyond me.

The graphics of ACAA are a splendor. They do seem to be better and quicker than its predecessor. The explosions are bright and chunky, and the mechs are definitely cool looking. My favorite aspect, however, must be the weapon effects. The way each gun fires is different from each other, and boy are there some weird additions to your arsenal. Anything starting from a dual plasma gun to a back-up handgun is available.

The control scheme, once gotten used to, is quite innovative. Most of the time you want to run a circle and keep your adversary pinned within. Pressing L1 and L2 to run sideways, while using the joystick is a breeze to master. The only complaint I have about this game is any sort of locking mechanism. You are locked onto whatever your mech is seeing within its target reticule. There seems to be no effective way to keep a lock-onto a specific target. This makes mech battles a little annoying.

The missions are truly varied, and I have to applaud the developers for their innovative ideas. Once you break them all down into categories, missions can be reduced to the following: escort, defend, assassination, total destruction of all enemies, survive until a certain time, disarm bombs, and go from A to B. Using these as the basis for all mission types, you can be doing a variety of things such as knocking out ancient defense mechanisms, destroying submarines, and taking part in an exhibition arena match. Someone who has been hired to take you out even jumps you at one point.