Even though the series hasn't evolved much since it debuted on the Playstation 9 years ago (has it been that long?), I still enjoy an Armored Core from time to time. It's not for the action really, the campaign mode has always been its weakest link - it's for the mech creation. One can spend days lost in a sea of parts, building war machines simply for the thrill of it. That's why it was a smart move for Armored Core: Formula Front - Extreme Battle, like Nine Breaker before it, to dump the mission structure of past games and focus on head-to-head mech duels. This works very well, particularly on a handheld. You don't want to engage in a 20-minute mission when you just need to kill some time while waiting in line at the bank. Aside from the initial mech building, which could take hours, the bulk of the game goes down in manageable 5-minute bites - perfect for stop-and-go gameplay. Of course after each battle there's usually some tweaking involved, as you strive to ever perfect your creation, but that's always been the main draw of the series anyway.
To be honest, however, most of the "tweaking" devolves into trial-and-error part cycling as you try to find the best weapon/limb/accessory for the job, forcing you to spend much more time testing your mech than you would if the game menu gave more forthcoming descriptions. It does make finding the perfect balance of hardware pretty darn rewarding, and allotting the player a stable of five mechs allows you to switch between strategies fairly quickly. How about a mech that focuses on speed and relentless machine guns to circle and disorient your opponent? Or a slow but powerful mech designed to absorb damage? A long-range fighter who uses lasers or a mid-range missile depot? With hundreds of parts available from the start, the possibilities are endless.
Out-building your enemy is even more important than out-fighting them. Matches are won or lost in the garage. If you have the right mech, victory is assured. If you have a machine that can exploit the weaknesses in your opponent while defending against its strengths, you're really just painting by numbers in the arena. If not, you'll only win by luck, for as in all Armored Cores, the computer is ruthless and unforgiving.
In many ways, the importance of mech construction makes combat seem like an afterthought, much the same way racing verses having the best car is in Gran Turismo. This is probably why, much like Gran Turismo 4's thumb-saving B-Spec mode, in which you issued some base commands to a computer driver and let the game do the steering, Formula Front has included an AI mode that puts control in the hands of the CPU. By using the AI Tune option, you can set a number of parameters for your mech to follow in combat, everything from attack range to movement preferences, as well as determine the AI's skill levels in performance areas. Best of all, you can equip specific actions to 30 second blocks of time representing the match's entire length. These actions come in the form of operation chips, which are won in matches.
On the technical front, Armored Core looks pretty good on the PSP. It's at least on par with the PS2 versions of the game, with no issues to speak of. The audio is a bit sparse, however, so you don't have to worry about plugging in those ear buds - you could leave this one on mute and not miss a thing. Controls haven't suffered in the transition and should feel familiar to anyone acquainted with the series. The problem is, how much will you be "playing" Formula Front? The most enjoyable aspects of the game are all relatively passive - building the mech, tuning it, playing the game in AI mode. You always feel slightly disconnected with the game, which detracts from lasting appeal. Of course, a long list of computer opponents, as well as an ad hoc multiplayer mode, should keep those that skew AI control happy. You can also exchange teams and created emblems wirelessly.
Bottom Line:
Armored Core: Formula Front - Extreme Battle makes for a decent handheld title if you can handle the learning curve. It retains everything that keeps AC popular, but sadly, also retains most of its flaws. If you are a fan of the series you'll appreciate being able to take a tiny version of the game on the road with you, particularly if you meet up with other AC fans for wireless play. If you aren't, there isn't much here to win you over, but it'll scratch an itch if you're looking for a sort of Virtua On with a level of customization to rival MechWarrior.
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| 7.8 |
Posted: 2006-03-11 08:02:00 PST