Armored Core 2

PlayStation exclusive

The genuine sequel to the original Armored Core. Thrown into the world of AC mechs, you must complete the objectives set for you by a range of different companies, each with a hefty pay packet attached. If the mission is completed, the money goes towards upgrades and repairs to your mech.

Released: 3 August 2000
Platforms: PlayStation 2
Genres: Action Shooter Tactical Third-person shooter
Developers: FromSoftware
Publishers: Agetec
Series: Armored Core
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action Science fiction
Country: Japan
Age ratings: ESRB T
Composers: Kota Hoshino

About

Armored Core 2 is a 2000 third-person shooter mecha video game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 2. It is the fourth entry in the Armored Core series and an indirect sequel to Armored Core: Master of Arena. In North America, Armored Core 2 was a launch title for the PlayStation 2. A direct sequel, Armored Core 2: Another Age, was released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2.

The story takes place almost 70 years after Master of Arena. Following the colonization of Mars, a powerful organization called the Frighteners overthrows the government at the behest of their leader, the enigmatic Leos Klein. The player is a mercenary who is tasked with dismantling the Frighteners and defeating Klein.

›Story

Sixty-seven years after the events of the Subterranean Era in prior games, Earth's second largest corporation, Zio Matrix, acquires plans for a research project on Mars, dating back before the Great Destruction. Using these plans, Zio sends a research team to Mars to begin the Terraforming Project, which causes the Martian surface and atmosphere to approximate that of Earth. Other corporations learn of the project and quickly follow Zio Matrix, bringing with them the competitive environment that existed on Earth, and the employ of the mercenaries of Nerves Concord.

As the three companies' war comes to a close, the most powerful, Zio Matrix, attempts a coup against the government, which has regained control through its elite mercenary team, The Frighteners, led by Leos Klein. But in the chaos that ensues, the Frighteners turn on the government, assassinate the new leader of the LCC, and take control of powerful Disorder technology. The player character is tasked with confronting them and saving the human populace of Mars.

Keywords

mecha
vehicle customization

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Armored Core 2 is a third-person shooter in which players pilot machines called Armored Cores. These Cores can be fully customized with different parts, weapons, and paint schemes to create a unique loadout. Players must balance their loadout to ensure that they aren't too heavy or are using too much power. In order to purchase more parts, players must earn credits through missions or the Arena.

Missions are largely unchanged from the original Armored Core. Players are given an objective to complete in open levels and can complete the objective however they choose. Enemies can consist of automated machines called MTs, mysterious unmanned weapons called Disorders, or other Armored Core pilots. Upon completion, repair and ammunition costs are deducted from the reward payout. If a player fails a mission, those costs are directly deducted from their overall balance.

Story

67 years after Master of Arena, Earth's second largest corporation, Zio Matrix, acquires plans for a research project on Mars, dating back before the Great Destruction. Using these plans, Zio Matrix sends a research team to Mars to begin the Terraforming Project, which causes the Martian surface and atmosphere to approximate that of Earth. Other corporations such as Emeraude - Zio Matrix 's equal and rival - and Balena - a smaller corporation - learn of the project and quickly follow Zio Matrix, bringing with them the competitive environment that existed on Earth, and the employ of the mercenaries of Nerves Concord.

The Earth Government - via the Nerves Concord - deploys Large Scale Enterprises of the Central Committee(LCC for short) as its puppet corporation to establish their control over Mars's economy. Meanwhile, the player character takes missions from all the corporations, gradually rising in fame due to his efficiency.

Reception

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. NextGen's Chet Barber wrote that the game was "Definitely one of the best titles currently available for PS2. Certainly worth owning, unless you're turned off by the complex mech-building system or you hate mechs entirely." In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 33 out of 40.

Reviewers praised the graphical quality of Armored Core 2. Game Informer's Andrew Reiner called the lighting effects and environments "absolutely incredible." GamePro's Cheat Monkey wrote that "the graphics bring the AC world to life." GameRevolution's Shawn Sanders found the "particle effects [to be] impressive". AllGame's Jon Thompson, on the other hand, didn't find the graphics to be as groundbreaking as his peers, writing that "it still looks acceptable."