Armored Core VI: YOU DIED in a giant robot

I've now seen multiple videos recreating the HUD from memory, I wonder if From told them they can do that, with a wink.

Just got around to watching and yeah, this looks fucking awesome.

Love all the elegant dash/dash-cancelling and those dive in approaches for melee attacks. Looks so satisfying and balletic. Been playing a lot of Street Fighter 6 recently, so I'm all primed for that kinda twitchy dance. Curious to see what gameplay looks like with a heavier mech.

Watching Vaati go through every AC game is surprisingly engaging

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNgY-kTPY3Q

Yeah I loved that vid. Looks like a labour of love.

He's not wrong about there being a lot of Souls DNA in this new one. A lot of it looks like Sekiro with robots

I feel prepared for this based on my deep experience with Armored Core games -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqB6rY94DCw

Lol I see I already made a Base Wars joke in this thread, oops. Anyway I'm psyched for this.

OK, I am not always detail minded, so this looks overwhelming. But also totally awesome:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcDjyestr4Y

Lots of detailed impressions out there now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAuRh6I8qIM

I agree that the amount of movement and sound going on onscreen feels overwhelming, and I'm also very psyched to get into it.

In general I really like Fightin Cowboy. I was worried for a minute that I was a fan of some secret Trumper - weight-lifting, gun-owning, used-to-vape-on-screen bro in Tennessee - but stealthy as he is with his politics, everything I've discovered indicates he's a good guy. He did a pro choice fundraiser a year or so ago, I've seen him vocally defend inclusivity and representation in games and gaming and ban assholes that disagreed, he's a strong proponent of accessibility features in games, etc.

Good to know. My From-tube fave Saint Riot is a basically a super leftist southern redneck.

Heh, starting Vaati's video now and he opens with "yes, it's overwhelming, but please give it a chance."

This game seems like it would not run well on last gen.

On one hand bang bang shooty shooty hypercolour lazer vomit space Sekiro with insane UI does not appeal to me very much. I am bad at this sort of thing and it all looks very headachey.

On the other, I am 100% playing this game the second it comes out

lol

Vaati's video is great btw, very informative.

Yeah can't wait to watch it properly

The game is reportedly 50-60 hours long, which seems exhausting, for what it (apparently) is.

But it's broken up into missions and checkpoints, I'm all good with having a long campaign. Assuming the action is compelling enough to keep going, which I'm sure it will be given that that's the whole point.

I always find these game length predictions a bit strange. A Google search says Elden Ring takes around 133 hours to 100% which actually seems like not much time at all. I'm about 90 hours into Dark Souls 1 and I'm only at the Duke's Archives. It's all relative to how you play.

Also, Vaati seemed to think that it's less about simply rushing through and beating every level, but going back and fine-tuning your mech so you get an S grade.

I totally see how that's the appeal because this was where I got the most pleasure from Death Stranding: Once the whacky-bizarre story was out the way (and I did enjoy it), the real game started when I was learning to place zipwires juuuuuust right so I could shave seconds off my delivery time.

Essentially it became a strategy building game as opposed to an action-adventure.

And I see ACVI being somewhat like that: If you focus on matching your build to a level, you will be able to beat it. But it's about tinkering and experimenting until you get it right or else you're going to fail, fail and fail again.

Yeah, it's nice that you can completely swap out your build after your first death to a boss, but I can see wanting to replay the level with a build that works for the whole thing.

Hmm, I'm trying to think of any games I've played where I've wanted to go back and play a level a different way, or with a different build, just for fun or the challenge. Coming up with nothing right now, but then, I've never played any of the From games more than once so far.

I've replayed a few of the games, but none of them had options to immediately replay a boss or to instantly swap to a different build, so this will be a pretty different beast (also replaying the level still earns you more $ to buy mech parts, so it's there for people who just want to grind).

Yeah I like the idea of being able to "re-spec your mech"* or having a sort of arsenal of different builds, and the game experience changes wildly according to this.

*II the Zoo

How is that different from, say, Hades? Just that it's not random?

I've not really played Hades, so I dunno

Yeah, I dunno, maybe that's not the best comparison. I'm still curious how this game, with all its action and explosions and particles and bits and pieces, will run on past generation consoles.

I think it's the opposite of Hades, you get to meticulously build your builds and they're persistent. It seems like a lot of the game is designing & choosing the right mech for different missions.

I really have no idea what I am in for.

Yeah I think it sounds like you build up a little collection of mechs suitable for different situations. And then you're like "Hmm, let's try this tank on this flying boss hmmm nope, that's no good, okay let's try this hovering one" etc...

I watched the Skill Up video on this, and it was a lot more nuanced (and therefore mixed) than some of the aforementioned videos. Skill Up guy is not an OG AC fan, so came at it as someone not ecstatic to have the series back but someone who has literally never played any of these games before. Right off the bat he stresses this game is absolutely not a Soulslike, but also provides some useful perspective that there has not been an AC game since before From's 11-year run of Souls games, so even though it has nothing to do with Dark Souls and its progeny, it does seemingly benefit from all From has learned and developed over the past decade-plus.

Anyway, I respect the guy's honesty. It keeps expectations in check, no matter how well designed the game ultimately is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1PRT-nGI4M

I need this. Unfortunately I am going on vacation tomorrow. :,-(

Lucky for you it's not coming out for a month. It would be ideal for me if it came out right now though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uWSDQeRrYk

Some 3v3 PvP. Looking good.

On reddit they're freaking out about the hard lock on and tank builds. Whatever, I'm excited.

Although I had a sinking realization that 3v3 pvp will likely involve voice chat, which I absolutely refuse to engage in.

What if you just bleeped and blorked like a giant robot?

Reddit is a great place for people who don’t know anything about game design to gather and criticize shit they haven’t even touched yet.

I imagine you’ll be significantly more effective having comms in group pvp, but no real reason to engage if you’re playing 1v1.

Mostly I don't want my wife to have the image of me wearing a headset and talking to profane children while blowing up giant robots, lol.

I go away for several days on the day this comes out. Dang

We could always set up an Ilxor PvP group, assuming it works that way

I’m into it ^

Let's do it! Apparently the concern now is that it only works that way, instead of having matchmaking yet?

Here's some sensible tech info about the different lock on modes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-Nl4Ymnvl4

Reading some of the reviews, I gotta say I'm quite looking forward to short missions and being able to retry bosses from checkpoint without long runbacks.

Btw I'm Mr_Kitka on PSN if anyone wants to try some casual arena pvp. :)

Just got very excited to see I could download the game and then super let down when, after sitting up til 1am, realising it wouldn't actually let me play it for another 24 hours.

I'll add you Jordan

I'm clubstoic

Can't wait to get your reactions. The way I've always played the Souls games is to basically pick a character path and stick with it, with a few minor tweaks here and there. This game seems to not just encourage but demand tweaks and customization, with tons of options, before every mission/boss, which is a little daunting to me.

In lieu of not being able to play the game yet, I watched a few promo gameplay videos on my nice big OLED TV and it was jaw-dropping

Josh, I'm guilty of that too, I tend to find something I like and stick with it without trying out all the other weapons I'm picking up. Souls games make that harder though, since you've committed to your character stats and upgrading weapons takes a lot of resources. For this one I'm promising myself that I'll experiment with lots of different builds, and I'm hoping it feels freeing to be able to adjust for different levels and bosses.

These seem like helpful tips...the weapon bay is interesting, being able to choose between either having shoulder weapons at the ready vs two alternate arm weapons that you can swap out at will.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjvwUAsvvFw

Coming in with my inevitable "If I didn't like Bloodborne, should I still play this?" post.

I'll let you know once I actually play it, but my impression is that there's really no comparison. Buuuut from what I've gleaned of your tastes, it might not be your thing? It seems to mostly be about combat mechanics and building mechs, not much emphasis on the story, world design, etc.

Coming in with my inevitable "If I didn't like Bloodborne, should I still play this?" post.

― The Banshees of Ed Sheeran (Leee), Thursday, August 24, 2023 7:44 PM bookmarkflaglink

that's like asking "if i didn't like super monkey ball, should i still play yakuza?". they're very different games, this isn't a sekiro vs elden ring situation

do you like any mecha games?

if you're (rightly) hesitant to blindly dump $$$ on a genre you have no previous experience with, you can always try one of the older ps1/ps2 entries on an emulator, watch an LP, or wait for other people's opinions

having said that i'm sure it will have plenty in common with souls games as well:

ravens we are so fucking back pic.twitter.com/SY6joHbGnx

— helena (@yagihimesama) August 23, 2023

This game is going to be exactly like Elden Ring

I finished playthrough #1, now ripping through ng+. There was a particularly epic fight against redacted late game boss, where I ran out of ammo for the first time and ended up punching it to death, with my cannon falling off after firing the final shot, crazy.

Nice. I played about 2/3 of NG+ and then Baldur's Gate came out so I haven't played in a while. Will probably go back.

New patch just dropped and it looks like they nerfed Balteus and 2 other roadblock bosses. Buffed a few weapons too.

Ohhh, I did just steamroll Balteus in ng+ before going to work and I thought it was just because of my endgame build. Oh well, I'm kinda glad I beat it pre-patch (similar to pre-nerf Radahn).

Can someone explain how the scan thing works? I recently did the level with the undercover mechs that seem to hide themselves inside walls. I'm scanning, but it's not really clear what the scanner really is meant to be showing.

You mean the one with the stealth mechs that are invisible at range and can seemingly teleport in the first part of the stage? That's a bit of a weird one-off, it tells you to use your scanner to find them initially, but I don't think it works in the boss fight when they're clinging high up on the walls.

I found the scanner to generally be of limited utility, it's best in the enclosed hallway/tunnel levels to see if an enemy mech is around the corner, or hiding on the ceiling before you drop down somewhere. Not sure if it actually highlights the chests where you find parts, but I don't think it ever helped me find one.

Oh I think scanning might also highlight any mission targets, ie when you have to destroy some inanimate object? Not entirely sure if it's necessary or not.

xp, yeah that's it. the scanner didn't seem to help at all. It was mega confusing. The only way to spot them was to just haphazardly shoot in the rough direction the lazers were firing from until I got a lock

Haha yeah, I would go to the wall they were shooting from and try to jump up directly below them like an excited dog (I think I eventually switched to quad legs on my first playthrough to get up there more easily). Definitely died a lot, it was fun to blow through it in ng+.

If Balteus has been nerfed I hate to think of what he was like before that.

It's great that I can respec between checkpoints, but it's sort of a shame that going back to the shop means starting the mission again and having to do the same bullshit every time I want to experiment with a different build. Maybe that's too much of an ask though.

Anyway, I can somehow get him down to a slither of health but somehow die right at the end. Happened a half dozen times yesterday with a lightweight build I was using. So so close!

Well I finished ng++ and I think I can put this game aside now. Glad I played through all the endings and appreciated the new missions/variations that get peppered in along the way, but my sore hands will be happy to move on to something with less frantic button pressing (partly my own fault for sticking with the laser handguns and not something with rapid fire).

I have been enjoying this game but in small doses. The levels are alot easier than the bosses.
I got up to Balteus and hit a bit of a wall. I looked up a guide that suggested a very light mecha, and I was frequently getting it down to the last 10% but he'd come and wreck me in the Nth minute.

I've seen a more tanky, heavy build suggested, but I guess the frustrating bit about re-speccing is that this is fine mid-mission, but not if you want to go to the shop. I also doubt this big tank build would be any good for the level preceding Balteus, so it's a given I'd have to sell all my current stuff, then buy everything for the tank build plus a build to get through the level.

How do you all feel about the build system? Do you find it easy to get your head around? I don't find the different parts easy to distinguish from each other and they all have quite cumbersome names, so it's kind of difficult for me to experiment. Instead it seems I'm reliant on online guides to tell me how to build my mecha.

Then again, it's early days for me. I've a lot to learn

Very soon you'll have enough money that you won't have to sell parts to make new builds, and can keep different saved mechs that you can easily switch to at a boss checkpoint (you could replay earlier missions to get that together if you want, the 'Destroy the Tester AC' one is popular for being very short with a decent payout).

I end up liking the build system. I don't even really look at the names, just the blue lines and numbers. Basically I go for a combo of legs + weapons that I want, and everything else is just to support that (with maybe more attention to the generator, especially if I'm using energy weapons). Again it got easier once I had a bunch of saved builds that I could tweak slightly at a boss checkpoint, rather than making builds from scratch.

Strictly anecdotal, but I feel that a couple of years after release people are still excitedly talking about "Elden Ring," but a couple of months after release far fewer people are talking about "Armored Core."

The reasons are:

Baldur's Gate 3 came out the week after and I think that just ate into everyone's play time
A much more linear storyline means less to discuss. Unlike Elden Ring.

I haven't really played much - I got to the second boss and then started BG3. I fully intend to get back into it.

It's a far shorter and more contained game that Elden Ring, and I haven't felt compelled to keep playing the multiplayer after finishing it (3x). It was still very memorable though.

I did end up really liking the story elements, there are some straightforward elements but there's certainly a lot left to the imagination about the various characters, and the AC reddit was still chewing on it last time I looked.

Yeah, I suspect I'll get to it at some point. But even setting aside "Baldur's Gate," there has been a steady stream of stuff that seems to have gotten, or will get, more attention. "Lies of P" or "Lords of the Fallen" for From nerds, "Spider-man 2" or "Alan Wake 2" for tech-chasing single player nerds, "RE4" remake and "Tears of the Kingdom" for franchise nerds, etc. There will always be distractions. Just arm-chairing, but I suspect it may be a combination of limited appeals: a long-dormant cult franchise, the still relatively niche appeal of From, factoring in how this game apparently deviates from formula, the reportedly now fixed frustrating early boss checks, and so on.

Yeah, funny because the front end of this year didn't seem especially fruitful for games and I ended up mostly going back to things like Dark Souls 1 and Sekiro. Then suddenly it's all go!

It's finally discounted (down to $40) but ... I just can't do it. Looks too frenetic, doesn't look fun, and I still have "Returnal" to play when I feel like self/controller punishment.

i played the first chapter and it was good (although really really hard at times, even by from standards) but what put me off continuing in favour of other games (bg3 actually came out weeks earlier on pc though) was that having to redesign my mech constantly to adapt to each level was such a hassle, it's just so complicated and difficult to assess what was an effective upgrade or not.

i'll get back to it eventually

That's what I find most frustrating, or unappealing. The last thing I want to do is constantly swap out 5 million different builds, depending on the battle. To each their own. Hell, there are people that really seem enthused about Balders Gate's character creator, but I couldn't give a shit about that stuff. I've tried watching a couple walkthroughs, and the first episode is almost always entirely creating a character.

UFO otm. I wish it were easier for me to tell one head set from another but it really is like trying to find the exact right replacement screw for secondhand flatpack furniture sometimes

I find From games tough enough without needing to juggle stats and builds.

I really wouldn't worry too much about the details. The main thing is picking legs and weapons (and maybe an appropriate FCS), and then just fill in the rest whatever will let you hit the weight/energy requirements.

I quickly hit a point where I had a few saved build templates that I liked, and I would just switch between those for the rest of the game. With occasional upgrades when I would get access to new weapons or wanted to try a different approach on a boss.

I thought I would find it stressful because I like to forget about stats in Souls games as quickly as possible, and avoid complicated builds. But honestly I found it much more relaxing than being locked into a build. It's fun to try things without having to start a new character and play the whole game over.