Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon isn't for FILTHY CASUALS (review)

[@DreaminJohn]

This review does contain some minor spoilers, but all of it is out of context. I didn't explicitly spoil anything verbally when I wrote the review. My thought process was the story although somewhat intriguing isn't the main purpose of writing this video. But rather, I thought the action and experiences were the center piece of the game. Thank you guys for your constructive criticisms and engagement I appreciate it! I hope you enjoy the video and have a great day! 😉

[@qancerclown6116]

You should never use the phrase "unavoidable damage" since there are many no damage runs already, even on Balteus and Ibis. The way they dodge things is actually pretty impressive. Pity there is no ranking system in the game, since the net code is really good too.

[@larryalmeida3267]

Who is the girl Complaining in the beginning of the video.

[@robertdesertrider2694]

To be fair; The “Next Combat” of 4 & 4A ruined a lot of the “grittiness” that AC had for me as well; albeit 4A is my favorite AC by far.

[@greatlust]

first...true...second, i look forward to more people trying this out and a potential revival of the series

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Hiya! I see the heal system getting a lot of hate, but I see it from a game design perspective: the devs want you to have a certain amount of HP which can be chipped down by minor enemies and minibosses, and missions are designed around that. But they ALSO want you to be close to death when fighting dangerous enemies. For example, taking a stagger and then getting slapped by a melee combo does a TON of damage. The genius of a heal system is that missions can have hard, dangerous encounters that can take out most of your HP bar in one go, because the player never has access to their full HP bar at once. Basically, the Repair Kit system lets the devs make boss fights more dangerous; it's a way to make the game harder, not easier.

[@LittleJohnnyBrown]

'It's not a typical from software game where you have eminence story lines, memorable characters..." Meanwhile me, crying: "Rusty, I'm sorry, I don't want to do it, but Walter is like father to me!"

[@DreaminJohn]

Rusty chad.

[@MaximilianBrandt]

Pulse armour does not protect agaisnt emotional damage

[@redsixx669]

He still calls you buddy during the whole fight ;-; fromsoft why, i got so attatched to rusty and all the redguns banter and ofc they all had to die

[@TheMagictinou]

A good reason as any to go through the game two more times to reach the true ending. Fair warning, bring your better twin shotgun/twin shoulder high-impact railgun combo to it because you're going to get your shits kicked in by the true last boss. But at least you'll get cool coral weapons, so there's that.

[@KurNorock]

I don't know man. I'm like 50 hours into elden ring and i still have no fucking clue what's going on or why i should care about any character.

[@LashNSmash]

The game has it's challenging moments, but I feel what makes AC6 a great title in my eyes boils down to a review I heard about Ace Combat 7. "It's a simulator, but not of reality. It's a power fantasy simulator. It's made to be just real enough to understand, but fantastical enough to give you something more." AC6 Doesn't bake me feel like a mech warrior, it makes me feel like I am incredibly powerful, and beating the more frustrating encounters emits this feeling of "I, a fried brain merc... was able to commit THIS.

[@draysmusicalshtposts6340]

It's why even as I unlocked more sleek parts in my first ending playthrough I stuck with my bulky, standard, mass producded parts as said in their descriptions. Merc with a fried brain in a standard issue AC taking down superweapons and ace pilots.

[@weasel003gaming7]

Honestly, AC6 feels less like a power fantasy than For Answer, and by a longshot. I haven't had the chance to play AC:FA myself, but I know from the fights that you take down machines larger than New York City, so large they had to be scaled down for gameplay purposes as the PS3 and Xbox360 couldn't handle the true scales, and Last Raven probably has some of the most anime-feeling cutscenes and gameplay in the franchise. Again, AC6 is my first entry, but I did NOT feel powerful despite picking up its mechanics quickly. In fact, to this day every Souls game ever minus Bloodborne never gave me so much nail-biting trouble that felt truly engaging. AC6 feels more like you're fighting against the odds than in a power fantasy. You've killed bigger things in almost the entire franchise, but it's not a bad thing at all.

[@leftovernoise]

​@@weasel003gaming7I highly recommend you play 4a at the very least. And 3 and silent line are great choices as well. I think I prefer ac6 to 4a but both are amazing. 4 and 4a feel like power fantasies only because imo, they are decently easy games compared to many other ac games.

[@zjuraeventide8949]

​​@@leftovernoise Tbf, NEXT's in universe are basically power fantasy mechs. They run off the AC universe equivelant of unobtanium and outclass what are meant to be former AC's. 4A's posterboy, White Glint, has an AC whose boosters form freakin' angel wings.

[@zeehero7280]

your brain isn't fried in a way that hinders your pilot ability. its fried in a way that helps it, but hurts your social skills.

[@yeetusskeetus6527]

'you will feel the need to change your loadout' Welcome to armored core, son.

[@crimsonf4cker653]

Me using dual ludlows, knife and plasma missiles on my eva 001 build

[@crimsonf4cker653]

Change what's that

[@voidgivenfocus]

"changing your build sucks and makes ac6 the least armored-core-esque of the series" I don't think this guy understands what armored core is about...

[@chidori0117]

While it is ultimately your opinion I kind of feel the exact oposite or at least differently about a lot of points: The healing kits: i dont really get why having access to healing kits removes the fact that every dmanage matters ... having healing kits is the same as having more overall health. You cant get more of them except at specific points or after dying (which would have refilled your health anyway). You still have a fixed amount of health to use during any mission. Health kits instead of an overall larger health pool just means that you have to pay attention to being burst down more. Unadvoidable damage: considering the many no hit runs out there this is just factually wrong. Difficult? maybe. Unavodidable? no Animation locking for heavy weapons: I mean it gives quadlegs and tanklegs a reason to exist ... there are bipedals with enough weight limit in the game that you dont really have to use quadlegs or tank for weight reasons so being able to hover and ignoring heavy weapon stagger is their main benefit. Being forced to change your AC builds up: Is this not a good thing from game design perspective? I know this is probably opinion based but I think its good that changing your build just makes certain encounters easier. I think most people that do get stuck on balteaus do so because they are playing with an unfavoruable build and dont have the skill necessary to compensate. I also like that most bosses are significantly easier if you play agressive and very much push to get that stagger going. It forces you to engange with the boss instead of trying to circle the outside of an arena while slowly whittling them down.This is of course again a preference point maybe some people like the latter more.

[@tigahstyle]

Right? Like making one build work for the whole game seems like it defeats the purpose of having all those AC setups. Sorry, you can't just equip a giant 2hander and wreck the whole game with one playstyle. I like trying to adjust to each boss/area. To me that's part of the CORE of a good mech game. Only thing I really don't like is when a boss dips behind the invisible wall of the arena.

[@NerdyGamer9k]

Couldn't agree more with your take. I feel so opposed to the video poster's opinions on AC6. Especially the health kits because giving players a way to heal also lets the level designers, design longer engagements. You get longer missions with more enemies, larger combat zones, and complex bosses

[@Spino-hx2mr]

IF you DON"T want to focus on AP too much, focus on incredibly high durability parts and the like. You can eat damage a lot longer and still reliably dodge attacks, it'll help save Credits too.

[@LongX49]

The healing kits add decision making during the fight. its great

[@RastaWayne-di4sj]

Where are those many no hit runs you're talking about? I haven't found a single one that is actually hitless and I believe it is impossible in this game tbh. Also been a month since your comment so there should be many.

[@zy01]

This is not a spoiler free review just in case there are some that care about the story.

[@vingerengaoma]

I already beat the game 4 times. 👀

[@zy01]

@@vingerengaoma this warning isn't for you then! Hahaha. Jokes aside. It is quite nice to know basing on your experience that there's replayability.

[@vingerengaoma]

@@zy01 I intend to beat it 100(prolly an exaggerated number maybe not) more times once I've got some personal matters dealt with. Been waiting 10 years for this game gonna give it as much of my love as any other AC I've played. :]

[@zy01]

@@vingerengaoma Bro?! Hahaha. Good luck on your endeavors!

[@kirbdini]

Thanks

[@nlomano444]

my thoughts on the repair kits: you had bigger AP numbers in previous games, and so did the enemy ACs. this game, your AP number is smaller, and forces you to pay closer attention to it in order to use the repair kits effectively, essentially making you acknowledge the damage you've taken as it comes in. if you add the AP from the repair kits to your mech's max AP, it comes relatively close to the previous games numbers.

[@weasel003gaming7]

AC4 was the first game to give the higher numbers, Last Raven's highest AP counts was just below 10k, and so damage climbed to meet with it. AC6 treats damage like you have one giant AP bar when your AP's actually cut into four segments, making PVP go by much faster than you'd think. This does allow PVE AC fights to last longer as well during missions and enjoy them better.

[@rebeccachambers4701]

i noticed that too even with a tough tank build it only came out to like 13k

[@hakumenx1]

​@@rebeccachambers470117k was the highest ive made

[@leftovernoise]

You still have roughly the same ap as 4th gen, it's just split up. Which is a way to keep you closer to being burst down, which keeps you on your toes

[@nlomano444]

@@leftovernoise thats what i was getting at

[@insanitymanatee2376]

Maybe, it’s just me, but I enjoyed the fact that sometimes I would just have to quit the mission and rethink my design. It’s almost like taking the time to tune your car in a racing game for those of you who have experience with that. It forced to me to pay attention to certain factors throughout the fight in order to get a better idea of what I would need to surpass the challenge, which I found to be really fun.

[@LashNSmash]

I feel like "repair kits" were simply a way to keep PvP matches from taking forever, but still giving you access to a healthy amount of AP in singleplayer (When PvP, disable repair kits, tada type mentality.

[@krischainz]

It is dibabled in pvp; repair kits only exist in the campaign, and if you choose to you don't have to use them if you wanna play like the older games

[@petervanheerden2133]

I understand their inclusion especially considering Armored core levels have never been this long. The longest mission from For Answer was barely 5 minutes

[@v.d.2090]

Interesting take. Yet, the "issues" felt like more the nostalgia from an old fan of the series looking at the changes, than truly issues with the game itself. 😁

[@hakumenx1]

Pretty much what it seemed like to me. Its nostalgia fighting against change. Him saying unavoidable damage was a tad false for me. Ive beaten quite a few while taking no damage. Him speaking on unfairness doesnt seem objective at all. We have seem demonstrations of the contrary.

[@gillsejusbates6938]

@@hakumenx1 im halfway through my no hit run, i call tell you that at least for the first half its possible (:

[@TravisSgyatt]

Right, I love videos like these. Makes me feel like a beast lol like it’s not that hard. Once you get the mechanics, boss patterns and knowing your own ac/what to bring.

[@seanponder7188]

Yeah just more people picking at things that are more their opinion than objective points of view. Is the game perfect? No none are. Is this game challenging yet fun as hell to play? Absolutely.

[@Chris-hn4lp]

@@gillsejusbates6938 I think there are going to be later missions where it will be impossible to no hit. Especially on new game++.

[@quintrapnell3605]

I don’t think we discussed the negative points properly here. Previous armor core games would grind you down and pit you against an enemy AC without checkpoints or saves but was even worse because failed missions were not repeatable until you beat the game.

[@hare75]

This reviewer didn't know all previous armored core series had many flaws or poorly designed Armored core 6 is the most polished in the series

[@real_psychosis]

Decent review, I disagree to an extent about bosses being too fast. Yes some of it was annoying but they are trying to balance things for all weapon types. If bosses were any slower it would be a cake walk due to missiles and launchers. It all goes back to changing your AC to the fight at hand. After the first ending the rest gets easier.

[@tadferd4340]

Except the bosses aren't balanced to all weapons, they are balanced to stagger. It's why the shotguns are so strong.

[@krischainz]

I like the pacing of this game as well as the posture tbh; makes pvp very interesting.

[@real_psychosis]

@Intheendyourlifeisnothing same here, the first run was definitely the longest.

[@zacheryeckard3051]

​@@tadferd4340Kick and dodge spam is honestly the best way to fight most of the bosses. Smart Cleaner can be worn down even without the stagger, it just gives you a damage window and chance to recharge your tetra batteries. Stagger is very effective, but the pulse guns are beastly even without, for instance.

[@R3TR0J4N]

ngl my 1st playthough found it annoying and figure i had to change parts, then NG+ im just trolling, then NG++ i wished theres more boss fights

[@LeQuack147]

Did we play the same game? "No immense storyline" -> 4 way fight between the major factions, with little hints towards later events in damn near every log entry -> Late-game reveal that adds a fifth -> NG+/++ Story adds a whole new angle with another major player "No memorable characters" -> Rusty -> Michigan -> Iguazu -> Carla "Stagger system unnecessary & Repairs feel like an unhealthy change" -> This is a matter of preference, but I like it. I hated earlier AC games where I could steadily be whittled down by a lightning-fast enemy that I could never actually land a hit on with my heavy weapons. The stagger system makes fights feel more like a duel than a battle of attrition, and it adds a tempo to fights that wasn't there before. You can see the devs were trying to move in this direction earlier, even back in ACV with the Overed Weapon system. "Every mistake should cost you" -> It does, especially if you're gunning for S-ranks where you can't ever actually use the checkpoints. Having to pop your repair kits before you actually reach the toughest part of a mission is a sign that you've allocated your resources poorly. And some missions, like the NG+ Dam Defense, don't give you -any-, so you have to make every hit and heal count. "Really wanted to challenge you, which feels alien" -> Armored Core: Last Raven. Just, the entirety of Last Raven. And Arteria Carpals in AC4A. (Frustration about lack of checkpoints) -> Weren't you just complaining the checkpoints and repairs were too generous?!?! "Fortunately the game is generous with checkpoints" -> *WHICH IS IT?!?!* Does it have too many checkpoints, and you hate it for that, or not enough checkpoints, and you hate it for that? It can't be both! "Looks like you're safe to get hit anyway" -> Very visibly being clipped by the shockwave, which the boss uses to signal the second phase of the fight has started "What happened to fighting giant mechs or huge airships?" -> Strider, Balteus, Sea Spider, LCs/HCs, Cataphract, Enforcer -> There's a stage that's literally just fighting warships in space with infinite boost energy "Enemies with ridiculous movesets... lacking the brutal, realistic nature of earlier game" -> You really didn't play Last Raven, did you? I know you played 4A, I can see the footage. I guess Arms Fort Answerer was perfectly grounded in reality, being an angel with laser beams. Maybe you meant Spirit of Motherwill, where the only way to approach was with a massive overboost unit and you had to make dodges that would crush your pilot through G-forces. "Praying the enemy doesn't hit you with a projectile or ability" -> Do you not hear the beep that comes before they fire off a major attack? "Bosses can cancel animations and dodge away" -> I'm sorry, weren't you *JUST* praising this in AC fights a minute ago? "They can do everything you can." You can cancel out of a few different animations too, but it seems like your biggest issue is enemies having a quick boost, which you literally have access to from the start of the game. "Can feel stuck waiting for reloads or energy bars" -> The game outright tells you to manually reload before staggering in the Balteus fight, so you can make the most of the window. There's plenty of generators that are more... generous with energy capacity or recovery. "Who wants to be told their AC design just sucks?" -> The point is that there's no AC that's the best at everything. That's why people have different builds, that's why there's so many parts. If you played the earlier games, *you should know this.* "The least Armored Core-esque of the series" -> I'm sorry, but did you miss fighting the final boss, for the fate of the planet, IN SPACE? That's in line with AC1, 4A, V, and that's just the ones I can remember off the top of my head. And changing your build to adapt to a tough fight is peak Armored Core. "The story isn't exactly Shakespeare" -> Oh we are gonna throw hands before this video is over. See my previous point. "The overall themes are still there" -> I thought you said this wasn't like the other games? "There's not much to explore" -> Flat-out wrong. Combat logs for advancing your Hunter rank, hidden wrecks that help flesh out the story, special AC parts you can't find anywhere else, there's plenty there. There's whole-ass bossfights hidden in the stages. "You can't be emotionally invested" -> *Looks at the tidal wave of memes about Rusty, Walter, even the Dafeng student pilot.* (Spends the positive side praising some of the *exact same things* he was complaining about) -> Seriously?

[@LadCorazon]

Balteus is the hard filter that teaches you the principals of the game. Assessment of risk vs reward. Assessment of your own approach and build, pushing you to change either or both if that's what you need. Balteus is only as crushing as you allow him to be. The game is remarkably kind to you, because you stagger him once you burn off his shield, serving as a great opportunity to spend all your ammo and burn him down, so long as you're actually managing your cooldowns and aren't caught reloading during the stager window. You're not expected to dodge all his missiles, but your can easily avoid most of them. And when it comes to his second phase, I got bodied left and right, but I knew exactly why. It simply came down to "How do I deal with this", to which the answer is to dodge it. He hits like a truck, but only when he hits. All of this is to say that I love the bosses. They're deeply engaging and demand you think about your approach. Never have I puzzled over a boss outside of the game in a previous AC game. I find myself strategizing while washing the dishes or doing the laundry, engaging with the game despite being away from it. If you can't find fun in that, then maybe the game isn't for you, and that's fine too. I just want to express that the game we have was exactly the goal of the devs, and they've nailed it beautifully!

[@LadCorazon]

@@RandoLePerson Actually I'm stuck on that fight rn in ng+, and I gotta be real, despite the genuine difficulty, it's not really that hard. I personally keep getting filtered because it's sword attack tracks you up until it's actually whipped out. I could identify the issue, I just need to adjust my reflexes. I'm telling you, the bosses are easy once you work them out. Read the tells and move accordingly.

[@Mr_Slime842]

@@LadCorazon Personally, I recommended dual wielding the big handguns, perfect ratio of stagger, speed, and range to lock her down. And it's just funny to watch one of the hardest bosses in the game get f'ed up by handguns, for more fun I even go in quad wielding them.

[@w1mark275]

The real trick to Balteus is he punishes you for being too aggressive with your rushdown. Given he's a missile spammer which tries to outzone you, your first instinct is to try to close the gap as quickly as possible to pressure him, but this is falling into his trap. Instead you want to circle him and flank his sides where it will be much more difficult for the missiles to track you as they have to constantly readjust their trajectory. His double missile salvo is his most dangerous because he tries to trap you in between a ring of missiles, requiring you to quickly dodge in the opposite direction to dodge both salvos. The worst spot to be his directly underneth him when he fires his missles because the rockets will be approaching you from all directions at the same time, although if he's already fired his missiles moving underneath balteus is actually the safest spot as his missiles will never friendly fire him. (but if you are too close to balteus they can fly under him instead of overtop balteus which is why you should never be under balteus as he fires his salvo)

[@One_S.O.L.]

Personally, I find that being aggressive with Balteus makes the fight easier. His missiles can only track you so much, and he fires less of them when you're close. Instead, he spends more time trying to put distance between himself and you.

[@w1mark275]

​@@One_S.O.L. Yes you're right, in hindsight my advice doesn't really make much sense because it was early on in release and before the nerf patch. The trick to balteus is you just want to stay close to him and wait for all of his missiles to deploy before you try to dodge them. If you time it correctly you don't even need to know where his missiles are, just simply go behind balteus as the missiles start tracking you. This should work for his double missile salvo as well. If you are too far away from balteus, head diagonally towards balteus and once the missiles reach you, quickboost in the opposite diagonal towards balteus. If you have a melee weapon, you should be trying to get as many hits in while it's off cooldown as it's the best way to deplete both his pulse shield and its health. On his second phase, as long as you are ascending in the air and circling him its flame sword shouldn't be much of a problem.

[@hachikuji_mayoi]

I think it's just good design to actually push players to adapt to bosses by changing their build, it prevents you from just ignoring the building part of the game and makes you try out different playstyles. I also really don't get the complaint about heavy weapons limiting movement, that's just basic balancing and you can still move while firing them if you change to tank legs or tetrapod. If you want to use them with a light build you should suffer the consequences.

[@kirk_vergara]

Facts, turned the review off after that. Like dude didn’t even get in depth with the system yet is a veteran in AC.

[@krischainz]

Yes, dude wanted to beat the game with one build. You can do that by the time you are in new game plus but first run you have to switch up your build, or get good.

[@nulls5408]

Personally, I see the repair kits and stagger system as not only an means to increase the skill ceiling - but an means to allow new strategies to be possible that overwise wouldn’t have worked in the older games. Making this games probably one of the most rewarding combat experiences I’ve seen from fromsoftware, without restricting your personal combat style made through trail and tribulation.

[@matasa7463]

While I too wish for giant enemy mechs and taking down huge ships, I really appreciate having to fight those super fast and dangerous ACs. It really does feel like you're being attacked by a Superweapon.

[@dagonofthedepths]

Honestly couldn't agree less on how this is the least AC game. I mean AC 4 was a total departure form gen 3 and it caught the same flak for that. I feel like we all have nostalgia googles when it comes to these games we forget how gen 4 was received and how different it was from the series. Gen 5 also had that thing where you were fighting stuff that way out classed you. For example, making you fight a NEXT when your in a normal type. I don't know, I agree with the sentiment but a lot of your critiques and examples feel off to me. Like the weapons that stop you from moving. You got tank and tetrapods that cancel that. There are ways around a lot of the stuff your saying and I'm not saying I do any of those things, I'm married to my reverse joint ac but really, that's like complaining AC3 has back weapons that force you to kneel with bipedals unless your cheating.

[@DreaminJohn]

I haven’t played AC 5 so I wouldn’t know what the fights were really like. From playing previous titles however, fights were pretty difficult and fast. But they felt like it would take maybe 3 tries to get down. 9 ball definitely not 3. As for build, I stuck to the medium AC bipedal build. It’s my favorite for versatility and aesthetic. If my opinions felt off then not much I can say. I didn’t clip things like using big cannons or my sword attacks on faster enemies but I think you get the point.

[@dagonofthedepths]

@@DreaminJohn Well I guess I'm not being totally fair. V had the same structure as 6 (go through a hard mission then get resupplied and fight boss) but that was more because the game was designed for co-op first so enemies took and did way more damage than they should so if your soloing it there was no way you could finish a mission without using really 4-5 very specific builds. I would say 6 is the hardest I ever played. I heard Last Raven was up there, but I feel like the wording is what got me. Like I played the game so I know what your trying to say, swing a blade and having an enemy just hyper dash out of the way or pausing mid air to fire a grenade only to have the guy side step that while hitting you with their own shell sucks, but that's all a get good issue which I don't like saying as it sounds dismissive but it kind of is. It's just getting good is really painful in AC6 and I do think that's an issue. Along with it's wild difficulty roller-coaster.

[@DanzIndz]

Honestly, i disagree. This game is a lot more old gen than last gen tbh. Combat if you exclude the current meta, is a lot tighter with a lot of circle strafing and bunny hopping. This is solely AC combat The single player stuff are a mix of every AC games out there from the generic delete MT squads to multi layered missions

[@LittleJohnnyBrown]

True. This game is just as Armored Core as 4a or 3. Also there are like 15 AC games all with their own gimmicks, some silly some not and I don't understand why this game in particular stands out as the "least ac". People keep saying this bs like "it's not armored core, it's Dark Souls with mechs" and I'm like "you fool! Dark Souls is Armored Core with humans"

[@sameerdodger]

@@dagonofthedepths This video a perfect example of how people on the internet try so hard to get the 'meta' opinion first. Not sure why everyone and their dog has to be a video game reviewer/critic these days. All I hear in this video is "omg dood this game isn't perfect btw!!" - as if anything on Earth has ever been perfect.

[@Nularius79]

First, I appreciate this content as it comes from a vet AC. I agree on most of the points here, and I've played AC since PS1. However, I think that expecting a game to be the same after all these years is just not the way to do it if you want your game to pick up new audiences. I definitely agree that this game is absolutely the least of the versions of the AC of the past, however, we can't really help it. All the new things they added is just part of the evolution of the game. Furthermore however, it still somehow balances things out in the end (thanks FROMSOFT for being you), because even though how ridiculously unbalance the boss fights are (especially in the later Acts), there's still a way to cheese them. I found one cheese by way of weapon combination that focuses on stagger - which to your point sucks - but is the only fair weakness all bosses have. Across all bosses, their stagger meters still feel the same, so if you can figure how to fill that meter up fast, you already got the key in beating this game. I already got all unlocks and endings, and I definitely enjoyed it after playing more than 100 hours. In the end, it was fun! The only ultimate gripe I have on it is the cheese on the stagger system, because once you figure it out, variation goes out the window, as you'll be too dependent on that system to beat the game. I don't see any other way of beating the ridiculous boss fights w/o it - which means all other AC builds that don't focus on stagger, will be useless. Shoutout to Pale Horse and Nineball for being embedded in my head as the nightmares of AC.

[@zuurek6907]

You don't have to focus that hard on stagger, it's an emergent property of playing the game correctly. You would have to go out of your way to equip weapons with the lowest impact stats possible in order to not stagger the bosses

[@BlackMammoth25]

Which goes to show that they need to nerf the boss fights and their stagger bars to allow more variation in AC design to shine through. The mechanics generally feel like Armored Core, but the game just revolves far too much around boss fights. Seems like you can’t get through three missions without a boss fight.

[@tadferd4340]

Especially since the weapons with high stagger also have high critical damage to staggered enemies. The weapons need a major balance pass.

[@krischainz]

​@@BlackMammoth25stop using pistols in boss fights; bad choice of weapon unless you are a sweat. Use the big boy guns and melee options in the game

[@BlackMammoth25]

@@krischainz I don't use pistols. Point still stands.

[@Regufyz]

Armored Core has been evolving ever since. So this being very different is no suprise. And yet FROMSOFT nailed it

[@GeorgePerakis]

As someone who has played the following previous games in this franchise: Nexus, Last Raven, 4 and For Answer This game is the highest quality game in the franchise in my opinion. It doesn't have the frustrating mission design of Last Raven, it's a lot more refined than Nexus, the story is much more interesting than 4 and every landscape isn't just a barren wasteland like For Answer. I haven't played 5 or Verdict Day, because I've never heard good things about those games, but It's very clear that this game had a much higher budget than any of the previous games in the series and also much more experienced developers. The boss design is also frankly just a lot more impressive than any of the previous games and in my opinion more satisfying. It always feels like the odds are against you, but not insurmountable. The main gameplay hurdle isn't just desperately trying to keep the enemy in your lock-on box, so your fingers are free to use the extensive and satisfying movement system to weave through enemy projectiles and fire your own weapons with care. I haven't played any of the oldest AC games, because their control scheme is frankly garbage, and I will never understand how anyone can defend those games when they don't even let you use the analog sticks built into your controller. I tried playing 3 once, learning the control scheme was like learning to operate a forklift except less intuitive. In conclusion, I don't think anything except thick nostalgia goggles can stop you from enjoying this game if you're an Armored Core fan. I know I just spent some time basically trashing the old games, but I did massively enjoy what I played, which was all played this year in anticipation of 6, and I don't regret getting into this series, I just think this game is the best it has to offer, currently. Here's hoping for Armored Core 666 or whatever they're going to call the sequel. Maybe they'll skip that to avoid confusing non-followers of the series and go straight to 7, who knows. But From is big enough now to have multiple development teams working on multiple project simultaneously, so we might well get a sequel sooner rather than later. Or maybe we won't. 84% on Steam? Only 28 thousand reviews? Ungrateful bastards. 10 more years of nothing but Souls games it is I suppose. The fantasy nerds are more numerous and have lower standards than the mech nerds, it seems. Elden Ring 2, 3, 4 and 5 are in our future.

[@EmpReb]

Ironic that most of the people who negative review could get past the chopper.

[@scarletdreams4228]

Imagine being stuck at the tutorial boss for more than 2 hours 😂

[@tadferd4340]

​@@scarletdreams4228Especially since the Tutorial Boss is literally just "apply sword to boss."

[@tp1saikou]

Bro, Nexus is pure trash. Any game will feel like a masterpiece after playing Nexus.

[@terricon4]

Heavy weapons tend to have slight stun/recover times to handle them, good thing, because when I equip four of them I can literally one shot half hte bosses in the game when on a tank chassis, since if you fire them in too quick of a sequence, they can quickly stagger and ACS lock an enemy, and then while vulnerable the next two shots from yoru hands/shoulders will just do insane damage. Last time I fought Raven, I killed him in less than five seconds, ram, shoulders, hands, ram, he was dead... kinda OP honestly, but in theory if I do this I'm on a super slow frame myself, but the AI really hasn't been reliably keeping it's range and harassing me like they need to in order to counter that build, almost all bosses want to get up close at some point for a cool melee or such move now... And it hurts them against these builds. Still, the ballance and issues are all over the place so yes, there are issues here. Minor story spoiler now, The Coral stuff, I see it as less spiritual, and more like, hey... is a cyber/uploaded human mind still human? Also... truly Alien Alien organism/thing... this Coral is basicly an alien organism that is completely foriegn to us, not harmful because of intent, but simply dangerous because of it's underlying nature. So do you try to live with this alien thing that could be dangerous, or destroy it to avoid the danger it poses, losing that potential of a possible future where maybe we could work together or better use it? Right now 99% of the uses for it are for war and military purposes though... is that good use, or what about other methods? It's not your typical AC story, but not completely that far out either imo. Still haven't finished the third playthrough that apprently really brings the coral story subject up though, so my perspective may change.

[@kevo300]

The mission where you fight those pca commanders is the only AC pilot that made me switch up tactics because the fast ones AI is good.

[@Atëris87]

Just finished the game with the natural ending. I would recommend it for gamers who aren't afraid to try over and over to get to the end, it's not impossible. the missions that I struggled with I had to repeat like 5-6 times max 8 and that's it. I'm known to not give up, but as I finished I was left with ( that's it? I needed more) so overall I would say 7/10.

[@Jdogspeps]

The game gets much better on second/more playthroughs, imo. a lot of new more difficult missions, new other stuff. you'll see!

[@Atëris87]

@brotherhoodofassasin thabk you so much for letting me know. I will try in try it again on the weekend

[@oshimia6746]

Yeah, you really don't want to stop with the one ending. There are 3 endings built into the game, and you can only get the third one in NG++

[@lesslighter]

what do you mean lacking memorable characters? "I heard you were looking for me" nineball/H-1, Cera Cross/IBIS, Zinaida, "I'm Dominant" Evangel, "let's fight raven" Leos Klein, "Let's see if he's worthy of the title Last Raven" Jack-O, "hey theres no need for words" Joshua O'Brien, "100 Million, Done" Old King, "war is part of my existence" J, "Ore wa Fatoman" Fatman, "Buddy" Pi... I mean Rusty, "Main Booster Malfunction" Maximilian Thermidor/Odstarva

[@pitied3744]

Theres a lady in my head that calls me Raven

[@daemonhunter100]

Armored Core doesn't have a real set identity, each AC game/generation had differences. I still remember the people upset when AC4 was introduced and how vastly different it was to the previous titles. And the V/VD with its differences too.

[@brandons2199]

This game rewards you for good mechanics, executing your plan of attack, and your build, this is my first fromsoftware game and it’s pretty much the quality I expected

[@MegaDragon1983]

It may not be the exact game people remember before, but let me remind everyone that it's been a decade, so they're dipping their feet back into it. Hopefully the future games will become better quality. Not to say this one sucked or anything, but there was a lot more they could have achieved. I am now a new Armored Core fan and will enjoy seeing how this series moves onward. I am extremely invested into this universe.

[@threesofthree6100]

8:48 I'd argue that's always been part of Armored Core's appeal. As opposed to just slamming your head into a brick wall, you step back and realize that you're not appropriately equipped to fight Nineball your first run through as he bunny-hops fucking circles around your heavy build and demolishes you in no time flat. So you change your build to something that can better keep up. That's always been one of my favorite parts of these games. Realizing that what I'm doing is not necessarily optimal and having to hit the drawing board again. It's always been one of the selling points for me, personally. My first playthrough of an AC game has always been about trying different builds for different situations. It's not usually until the second or third that I start to focus on "getting good" as the Souls fanboys would say.

[@otamatonefan8996]

I'm a casual gamer who isn't for absolute top-tier stuff, rather more for creativity. But maybe the better term for the angry people out there, would be soft-skinned fragile egos. Casual gamers do come in many flavours, just the loudest taste beyond sour and spoilt.

[@freethinker--]

AC isn't the futuristic military shooter it used to be, it's now a science fantasy shooter.

[@CptPhilippnes]

A thought has occured to me with your review. With the game being not so AC in terms of content but at the same time it still gives off the feel of being a mech pilot, is it possible that Fires of Rubicon was Fromsoft testing the waters to see if the mecha genre still has a fanbase? Bear with me but as a mecha fan outside of Armored Core, there is a trend of dying down of mecha games and entertainment. What if Fromsoft made AC6 to both reignite the fanbase for AC and mecha games in general?

[@IRUKANJI]

I believe this honestly. I'm not sure if this game was ever meant to make money. Armored Core was always a small but reliable niche game with poor sales that were just enough to make money but not Darksouls money. If they're testing any waters it is whether or not the gaming public at large can still feel optimistic enough about the future to play a sci-fi mech game compared to a medieval setting.

[@zacheryeckard3051]

Did you forget that Ready stance was a thing in 4 and FA and that super heavy weapons monopolizing your attention and killing your movement being tamed by tank legs was a thing in V?

[@Warpded]

I've been loving my time with AC VI. Granted, this is my first experience with the series. The bosses thrash me until I can deduce what load out I should counter. I usually play a super lightweight build with reverse joint legs, but that's not the answer to everything. I fully realized that with Juggernaut. Noticed vertical missles could easily get around that super tough front plate. So now I always observe, plan, execute. Tinkering with your AC until you find what combos you like is very satisfying

[@vilikoivu7179]

Literally the whole criticism section is why I loved Armored core 6. I disagree with all your opinions, I guess I wouldn't like older Armored core games then. But still a good video.

[@zefellowbud5970]

Honestly i think its just a bit biased. Like this game is still very much has alot of aspects of the older games imo. Like changing your mech build in failure is not part of armored core? Bruh CHANGING YOUR MECH IN TRIAL AND ERROR IS ARMORED CORE! Ok maybe not with checkpoints, but changing and building your mech to be better has been part of even the old games. As for the “unrealistic bosses” the ones here is basically like the bosses in AC verdict day. Where you basically play a Normal vs NEXTS, so what we are experiencing is very much present in the old games. The old games were plenty absurd and unrealistic in their own way. Only difference now is we can have more “animated” bosses

[@sameerdodger]

I played AC2 when I must have been like 14 and it was so hard for me to wrap my head around. It was fun but I couldn't get passed like the 5th/6th mission, you just end up failing a load, going into debt and restarting. They've fine tuned the game and modernised with what they've learnt from the Souls games (and Elden Ring). You can make things hard without being tedious bs. If people are really that upset that it's not like the old games then, well they should just play the old ones! They're not going away!

[@bohenian]

I kinda have to disagree on the bosses not being good. I hoenstly want a boss to feel like I am fighting a super-advanced mech that can keep up with an AC than a big pile of metal that can be taken care of by just blading its feet (like in AC4FA where there are certain bosses that you can literally blade 3 times and then they die). Granted, I haven't played V. But I do miss those missions where I have to deal with super big war machines which you need to take down little by little (like the Spirit of Motherwill). There is only one in this game and I wish there was more.

[@xgamermarco]

When fighting the final boss for Fires of Raven it took me 3 hours to beat; 1st to figure out what weapons worked and didn't, 2nd was to learn the moves and opening, 3rd was to refine it till i beat it with I ended with dual shotguns and the impaler, cuz it made the boss so easy i got to use to it when i switched to a different style i got gutted hard and went back to that dual shotgun due to how effective, kinda make it hard to try new styles unless you really start from the beggining slowly learning the new style

[@coracusa2771]

So at 4:22, I just want to address something about what you said, every mistake does cost you, it costs you resources and ammo, it costs you time, and even though you have self healing, yes the mistakes aren’t as fatal, but at the same time you can’t rely on self healing due to the limited amount, every mistake costs you, every songbird burst missed means some damage gone, every hit taken leads to you potentially getting staggered and immediately killed, while self repair kits can be useful, they are simply another resource and something to be spent and wasted if not used right, thank you for your time and I might revise this as I finish watching the video (P.S. I have bad grammar this late at night, sorry for any inconveniences)

[@coracusa2771]

Just finished it, great review man, I really only disagree with this one thing personally, but it’s a well done review, I hope you have a goodnight!

[@non-foldingchair270]

Bosses aren't necessarily difficult if you build your AC for that specific boss. Which you wont know the first time but you'll die and get to assembly again to adjust. Also sidenote the bosses in the game HATE missile boat ACs. See yall in the expansion sequel(as they always do)

[@manueldelbono202]

I Hope they'll do as they did back then (6 monsths from the main game)...

[@CptTexas1]

except Ibis. Bitch dances around missiles (including the highest guidance ones)

[@deathrex007]

The Missile Boat AC is the the build that I used to beat V.1, Cel and the Final boss for the ending that I got.

[@MagicE13]

Spoilers - I think... The way it plays out I thought the Coral was a kind of Nano Cloud Storage that have the potential to produce energy. Hence the Allmind, you are not physically piloting your mech, you are linked via 'wi-fi/Bluetooth' Allmind is an extension AI of that system and the Coral are the actual minds/memories of Rubiconians in a more advanced state of that system. That what I got anyway...🤫

[@YoutubeAccountok]

You're in the mech (1 mission proves it) and Allmind has nothing to do with Coral

[@ashenhunter1]

AC6 is the ultimate male fantasy

[@MEISINGER888]

Filter-copter's got nothing on soldier of godrick tutorial boss!🤣

[@tadferd4340]

Armored Core 6 is the Dark Souls of Armored Core. That's only half a joke. My first ending was literally the Armored Core version of "Linking the fire." There is literally mech estus. I like the game despite the balance issues. Swapping weapons ends once you grab the Shotguns. The spongy bosses and reliance on the stagger system really shouldn't be a thing. I do think the Enforcer is designed by an asshole. F that boss.

[@kingswift45ify]

Some aspects do separate the game from its predecessors however the play style of this game is a mixture from all of the titles from ac1 to ac5 i absolutely love it as a veteran

[@nickgennady]

It’s amazing how sexism against men is just tolerated by many. Yha a lot of games are “power fantasy” but who cares. I bet she loves the MCU which is same shit.

[@ixiahj]

If you're having trouble with a boss, it means your AC isn't built right for it. Notice you can change your gear every time you die at check points? That's what the game wants you to do. Customize the AC to be specifically effective against the boss. Like that sea spider one. Its completely resistant to energy attacks. But when you put on the double gattlings, its health depletes easy.

[@Draculas-knight]

What ? And use brain cells ? Heresy !

[@ixiahj]

@@Draculas-knight Sometimes the game doesn't let you change builds as much. I think the reason why Balteus is so hard is because when you first fight the thing, you don't have a lot of parts to work with. And you have to get over that boss to unlock new parts.

[@Draculas-knight]

@ixiahj The best parts for balteus are already available you need pulls riffles pulls cannons and tank body (yes legs included) and trust me it's a breeze all these parts are already available no need to beat the boss to progress

[@tadferd4340]

Beat both Balteus and Sea Spider with Plasma Rifles and Plasma Missiles. Energy weapons work fine for them.

[@larryhouse3776]

Balteus takes about 20 seconds to beat with pulse guns (bubble guns) and shoulder mounted rockets. He's the easiest boss in the game with the right build, but easily the hardest with the wrong build.

[@myrtlekenazjanairo9411]

I'm a casual gamer who does game at least 1-2 hrs a day after a job well done. The truth is, no matter how much you suck at the game you get better. For me though, I'm already used to fast phased and timing games so AC6 is for me.

[@sesshomaru618]

Yo NGL, I absolutely love the fact that you put that Tekken Airport song in this video. I haven't heard that song in a while, but I immediately recognized it.

[@DreaminJohn]

If you know you know.

[@Godsslave777]

I agree with this review 👍🏻 I personally rate it 7/10 but like the game a lot it’s just bit hallow imo

[@rossbautista6316]

This AC game is a homage to all previous gens: Boss formula of nexus and lr is there; Quick gun totting of 4 and FA; and the boost kick and stealth mechanics of V. This game's even a relief from all the Open-World niche released yearly.

[@Koleuz2]

8:45 I managed to beat the game with only one AC build. Of course, it is a build I was working towards (wanted to remake my very first build in the first AC I ever played) and it was fine for the full playthrough. Some bosses were thougher than others, but I never felt the need to change my AC, aside from when I got a part I wanted for the build. All in all, it was a blast, I plan to make a build that is the exact opposite next, but not until I'm tired of my old AC that has been with me for over a decade.

[@jqdash]

I went from playing gen 1 in the 90's to gen 6 in the 2020's. AC 6 still feels like AC, that has evolved with the times.

[@gallantstryker9897]

Biggest challenge aside from the chapter 1 boss for me. Was definetly ibis. My friends that played chose to adapt and use a heavy tank build. Me? I stayed true, used a light weight melee build. Took me a long time, but the satisfaction was immense.

[@wolfiewoo3371]

imo, armored core lost its gritty realism when you had NEXTs flying around at mach speeds with crazy energy shields and giant impractical walking fortresses. AC 6 seems like a logical conclusion to me. Wait, you don't want the game to tell you your AC design sucks? But what's the point of having all these customizability options if the game doesn't encourage you to use them? Do you just want to build any AC you want and have it work regardless of the mission and carry you through the whole game?

[@mikeestill1672]

This is my first AC game (but pretty decent at Elden Ring). In my initial opinion as a stupid noob, it seems like having to stagger bosses it what makes it a little savage. Seems like you're wasting ammo and it's not even draining their health UNTIL you stagger them. On top of that, some bosses have that pulse armor you've gotta drain too. I was stuck on PCA SP for like four days!!! Uggggghh

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

Pre-patch Balteus was NUTSO hard. My only experience with From Software to this point was Dark Souls Remastered in the 'rona quarantine, and a little bit of Dark Souls 2, so it took me a bit to get used to the controls... which is to say, Balteus beat my ass for 6 hours when I fought him on the day of release. I played 14 hours that day, and proceeded to play for 14 hours a day for the next two days, sleeping for 14 hours between, because this game is awesome, and while I chilled a bit after that, I beat the final ending by the end of the week. I had set aside time for it, but after playing the campaign 5 times in total in under two weeks, I needed a break and a half, and that's where I am right now. It's a great game.

[@wyldeman7]

The balteus fight rules so hard. The visuals and the music are so epic. He whipped me a few times, I switched to bazooka and a laser sword beat him the next try. He doesn't like the sword at all.

[@lakendrickwilliams840]

I appreciate the changes as a fan from day 1 of armored core. This is actually more digestible than previous entries, and yes I’ve beat them all. Armored core fans are complaining about it not being armored core enough and soulslike players are complaining about how it’s not like recent fromsoft games. I wish people could just appreciate a new game the same way we welcomed the changes of God of war.

[@8bitflea]

Bro that song you played in the beginning always gets me hyped! Imo this is the best AC game made to date.

[@traphimawari7760]

mecha is a mans romance, we simply have a fascination towards machines and mechanisms I am glad people are getting in touch with their inner mechanic with this game

[@relevanttangent8442]

As a long time Armored Core fan who played Daemon X Machina because it was the closest thing to Armored Core for a while, there is a lot that From Soft could have messed up on but did not and is why i greatly enjoyed this game. Daemon X Machina should be taught in schools on how not to be a spiritual successor. To argue against your issues against this game: I love the energy system and not having to stop every five minutes to recharge femto for my boosters or energy weapons. I love how every mission and boss was balanced knowing that i could have a max of three repair kits rather than having a repair system where i hide in the corner to repair myself because the devs couldn't be bothered to balance the game. Finally, i love how genuine the story and the characters are. Every character understands that you are in the business of killing and they respect your accomplishments as a player. Every rival AC pilot who shows up looking for trouble can be killed and the game respects you by letting you kill them. There are no anime shenanigans where someone beats you in a cut scene or decides to let you live promising they'll "show you their hidden power" the next time you fight. Armored Core respects its players while Daemon X Machina does not and I'm glad we're in a timeline where Fires of Rubicon exists.

[@redohealer2]

Honestly, I feel like people got a little TOO comfortable for the other souls games and as a result they now expect it be that very same thing in any and every FromSoft game going forward.

[@jacobmcguire106]

Dude, the game needed repair kits. They don’t exist in PvP or arena so your critique is not that valid of it. I love the bosses and the stagger mechanics of the game. The old armored core needed to evolve, im sorry man. You say it’s not for casuals, but you spend half the time complaining about “fairness”. Lol I’ve never felt anything fair about any of the previous armored cores…are you sure you’re a fan of the franchise?

[@Alice_Haukea]

So here's where I'm at with everything. I still think 4 Answer is the best armored core game. As for AC VI.... I have my complaints about certain things. Definitely feels like the game is pandering more towards Souls fans in an effort to get new fans. Here's the thing with that; If molding Armored Core to be a bit more similar to Elden Ring or Dark Souls keeps the franchise alive, then I can accept it. That is ultimately what it comes down to, do we maintain an old school elitist attitude and just accept that our franchise is long dead, or do we accept changes and the revival of the IP? I choose the later.

[@codyeverett102]

You know what would be cool if they did an anthology and brought all the games into one game and let folks play a remastered 1-5 with 6 or so

[@justjordan6147]

Bro thatd take hmmmm 1-2 years and even then that wouldn't be possible because that BOUTTA TAKE MY

[@TheCrayzeeMan]

Real talk I think this was an experiment to see if AC will sell now that Fromsoft built up their rep as the masochist's choice and since they're no longer a console exclusive studio. If it made little money or didn't sell, it would probably be dropped for another decade or completely. But judging by the internet's reaction to the game we might be getting a new running franchise for Fromsoft and brother I'm here for it.

[@DestroyerApollyon]

get good. no attack is unavoidable. I'm an AC vet and love this game, it's so Armored Core that ACV wishes it was. AC has never been as "realistic" as you're pretending that it is. The old AC games had way slower recharge speed and running out of energy was way easier to do and was way more punishing. Changing your loadout and modifying your AC is an integral part of the series, why are you complaining about the best part? You're acting like this game is actually hard, It's far easier and less frustrating than the other games in the series. I mean do you remember Last Raven? have you forgotten how hard the Nine-Ball variants were? AC6 is a lot fairer of a game.

[@Ramotttholl]

My favorite fight in this game is the Strider one.. as it feels more like a giant boss fight from an AC (Ace Combat) game rather then a boss rush. and sadly that strider fight is easy im new to Armored Core games but i really loved it till i got stuck on AAP and CELL. when it really of 8:33 hit me together with. some builds are just straight up the best for low skilled ppl. (double single/double fire cannons with gatling for example.) and once you got one of those builds. the drive to upgrade and change stuff around is kinda gone if your not into making wierd builds and making them work.

[@miketurner2095]

There's a very similar mission in AC4 or AC4 Answer. The boss fight is actually you fighting your way to the strider.

[@tadferd4340]

I'd love the Strider more if my PC could run it at more than 15 frames. :(

[@larryalmeida3267]

Thank you for making this video about Armored core 6 , I just started to be a fan last year a friend of mine from work gave me a gift , it was a Physical copy of Amored Core 2 for the Playstation 2 , and enjoyed it , and last Month I purchased a digital copy of Amored Core 5 , for the Xbox 360 it was $20.00 , right now I'm still playing part 5 , but I'm definitely getting AC6 fire of Rubicon later on.

[@seishiro_09]

Im new to the series and fell in love (just finished the 3 endings). Might now try the older titles as I’m curious coz on why ppl say AC6 is not an AC game anymore.

[@thavionhawkmkii4509]

- Repair Kits are a Skill Check not a Crutch. Default they give 4,000 AP and you have three of them. That's up to 12,000 AP(More with Tuning) you can simple add to your mech's rated AP. I call it a Skill Check because you can play without using them which takes skill, or you can learn when and where to use them for the best value remembering they have a cooldown and can't be used while firing. - The movement and speed of AC6 is like a restricted AC4. Very fast movements, but do to the restrictions on total energy you can't zip around at hundreds of miles per hour all the time. - The limits on parts in the early game is not a new thing in Armored Core. Progression unlocking new store items, items from fighting in the Arena or ones found on missions are all things that existed in AC or ACPP(Second game and first with the Arena) - Restrictions on fighting in the Arena behind story mode progress are also not new. See ACMA(Master of Arena aka the Third Game) - It's on PC, runs at 120fps, Has Ultra Wide Screen support, fully reprogrammable Controls for both Game Pad and KBM... Yes to all of these.

[@LazyLabneh]

adapt or die. Can’t keep the same formula after 10 years. AC6 is pretty awesome.

[@ryojimata3708]

I remember playing the first 3 AC games I loved them as a kid. When I picked this up and started playing, It brought back so many memories and it's made me feel better playing games than I actually have in a good while.

[@EmpReb]

I'm now a fan of the this series even thought I never had played Armored core since when I was really young and didn't get that title but loved every other mecha like game I could get my hands on when older. I bounced off Elden Ring but this game got my heart gripped by that AC's hand so hard. I for one like how insane the boss battles are as some other vets who like this game have said. "You are supposed to have different ACs for different jobs" So I do as I go through NG+ I have been breaking out boss cracker builds to perfected Anti certain boss builds. MisterSpidey got wrecked after my ibis pilebunker skills came in to make him learn I do know how to smash a bug. Not since Nier Automata I have had such a good game to play and want to see all the stories endings(like Nier you go through it three times but I noticed some changes in NG+ already).

[@justjordan6147]

IM about to became the best pilot ever in Armoured core 6, but a mans grateful that so many people are saying good things about the game cause this game will probably help this boy give all new games a try. :)

[@ViJt-oq5nq]

The stagger mechanic isn't much different from the overheating mechanic we used to have, if anything I'd argue it's too powerful. Changing your parts for advantages against the content has always been a core gameplay aspect... It's why we've got a shit ton of parts... I'm pretty sure heavy weapons requiring your mech to brace is also an old mechanic. It's also a balancing mechanic as heavier mechs can eat the recoil of heavy weapons better than lighter ones. Some of these critiques makes you wonder if you even correctly remember playing AC...

[@justjordan6147]

I cant think of how to make a better punish system than just adding the stager I mean hey at least they give ya free damage :O

[@ViJt-oq5nq]

@@justjordan6147 One thing I don't really like about stagger is how it so strongly favors kinetic based weapons over energy, that part I feel could use some balancing or more pros/cons. I do rather have some additional mechanic to the game vs just chip damaging the boss from distance tho.

[@johnkalyvas4838]

Stagger was also a thing in early Armored Cores but there was no stagger bar. All solid (non-energy) projectiles staggered you on every hit, and the effect of the stagger depended on the weapon's damage and the stability of your AC. I prefer this system because you can take a few hits before staggering instead of getting juggled around constantly.

[@tp1saikou]

I clearly remember that I hardly changed the frame parts and beating the games. Even playing 6 I only do minor changes to the frame.

[@amsher9876]

Honestly I find AC6 perfect in terms of difficulty. I was mainly stuck at Chapter 2 and 4 end bosses for 2-3hrs. I do not have any previous exp with older AC games. I have become a fan of From Soft games through sekiro, ER and DS3, maybe that's why I find it easy.

[@lynchmobb119]

Armored core fan stop crying because a game is slightly different challenge

[@emo565]

You can cancel out of animations too, I didn’t realize it until I did it by accident mid slash attack

[@KamekazeKuban]

So I first picked up AC when 4A came out. I made it 5 or 6 missions in feeling like a god, only to get pistol whipped like a blind kid by The Spirit of Motherwill and this happened, A LOT. I remember deleting my save data so I could pick a different faction since they had differing set ups (if I’m remembering correctly) all to multiple failures. I loved the game but I didn’t know what I was doing wrong, so I traded it in and never touched or thought of the franchise for a LONG ASS TIME. Don’t know what caught my attention about this one but having gotten a refund from Baldurs Gate, I immediately picked up 6. It had been out for a week and murmurs made it to me me that this was souls levels of hard (one of my least favorite styles of games) but it didn’t deter me this time. Then I get to the end of the tutorial mission and got dunked on hard but it didn’t feel as hard as the Motherwill mission. Gradually I got more health off it with an occasional less than stellar run or two in the middle and eventually I beat that damned helo 😂 after that I was pretty set until the chapter one boss. I know I’m not the best at the game so I know I can build some absolute trash ACs and in times of severe difficulty, I turn to the internet, I look at what works and then I try to put my spin on it to see if that was a step in the right direction. If not I match the build exactly and then it works out after a couple goes at it since I’m getting used to a different style. I don’t think it’s cheating though, I see it as getting quality intel on the mechs on Rubicon. I did also spoil the endings for myself because I wanted to know if I could just outright side with Arquebus. I think after I got out of the military I was able to just see things from a warped perspective. Humans need coral, Arquebus is trying to get coral, Arquebus is the good guys. Everything else is a hindrance. We need the resource at whatever means necessary. I kept asking myself during chapters 1 and 2 “are we the baddies” and then I’d laugh and just “Shame” in the Hot Fuzz bit as he loads his shotgun 😂😂😂 I’m glad I picked it up after about 15 years. It’s a great franchise and I’m happy I can finally enjoy it to a much better degree than I did as an older teen/young adult. I don’t think I was as mature (in both life and as a gamer) to appreciate what the developers have done. I love the tedious process of building an AC, I’m finding out how I can test builds better and what I can do to just be a better player. I hope we don’t have to wait too long for the in between game or 7. I’d love to be a merc on other fronts. Anyways sorry for the dissertation. Hopefully it’ll push some people to keep at it and keep trying. Greatest game this year for me 😂

[@rpamungkas13]

I agree with the over reliant of the staggered meter. It makes the most optimum way to play is just to paired what ever heavy stagger weapon with the highest damage one. I also think the implementation of the fcs is problemetic. In a game where you weave in and out of the enemy oftenly, dividing the accuracy based on range feel clunky. Especially if it is a mid range specialized fcs, if you are too close or too far suddenly your accuracy is dropping. Also this game Qol features are lacking. Why there is no pvp matchmaking? Why you cant insta equip weapon when you buy it? Why you need to reset the entire OS for changing? Why there is no explanation on weapon icons? Why you need to actually die to change your build and no restart while changing build button? And many more. Yea this game is a rough diamond. I still love it, but I feel fromsoft is close to create a perfect AC game.

[@clearnote7585]

The aiming range main purpose is for pvp. Like you have to stay out of your enemies range when keeping yours and build your strategy base from that

[@Sorain1]

"Why there is no explanation on weapon icons?" Actually their is. You need to get context help going, scroll over to the right, move up to the right height for the icons, and move left onto them. Why it's that way I don't understand, but that's how I got answers. Mind you, some of them are so similar that doesn't help much, but the info is there.

[@Jamman4life]

Thank you for the review it was interesting to hear a view from a previous AC fan, I'm new to the series but oddly enough I didn't have a problem with the bosses being too quick but that was probably because I was using a lighter mech build, I kind of enjoyed the fact I could switch up my build for the situation.

[@jambothejoyful2966]

Your complaints about AC fights and Boss fights 1 you complain it’s too difficult to apply pressure to Bosses. I believe this is a result of you misunderstanding the intended play style; the player is supposed to react, notice when the enemy is over extended and to seize that moment with a devastating offensive rush that breaks the enemy posture. The developers did not intend for you to be constantly draining your energy to chase down a boss, wait for an opening. 2 you claim that boss attacks are unpredictable? This couldn’t be further from the truth. Your example, the defense craft in the explore depth 2 mission, only required 3 attempts for me to memorize its entire attack pattern, and there are plenty of audiovisual AND situational cues to avoid the next attack. (Ik you could argue that attack memorization doesn’t belong in an armored core game, but that is an opinion and I enjoy it) 3 “AC fights feel grittier and more realistic” personally I had the opposite experience. AC encounters were always too easy in my playthrough; very rarely did it take more than 2-3 attempts for me to obliterate the story ACs such as Michigan and snail. In fact, the first time I killed snail in the story it took about 30 seconds, same with Walter. I only ever felt challenged in the game when I fought the “Larger than life” feeling bosses like ayre, cel 240, and balteus Note:(nr 3 could be a result of my crippling pilebunker addiction)

[@bizophone]

It needs the garage music from AC1 and then it would be perfect.

[@kureyzee2489]

I think Fromsoft is trying to get AC into the mainstream so they can have a different game branch off instead of just producing soul games so they try to appeal to the "casual" gamers as much as possible. IMHO the negative points you listed are what made the game much more appealing. 1.) The story ain't great and you're correct that it is a disappointment if somebody plays for the story itself, but at the very least it has one and it's quite intriguing. It shows that even though gameplay carried, they still put in the effort to have a story in the game. 2.) Bosses are unfair. You are right, they are unfair and they challenge you in ways you don't expect and I loved it. You mentioned that logic is thrown out of the window and they don't feel "grounded" unlike when you're fighting the "AC-type" bosses (which is close to what the original AC series do). The unfairness and ridiculous moves of the boss are what makes it worth playing the story mode. Arena and Nest are there for you to fight against someone/something on equal grounds. If I go to the story mode I expect to have a different experience and I want it to be challenging. Although I agree that fighting more colossus bosses would be great. I really enjoyed taking down the giant strider. 3.) Staggers and repair kits. They are there to give you a better chance fighting against unfair enemies. If you want to make it seem like the old ac game as you mentioned, you can make it a challenge and simply not use the kits. Atleast for casuals who wants to get into the game and check what the veterans are hyping about, the stagger and repair kit is a nice little help. This also makes the game a bit more viable for casuals and generate more interest towards the game. As for the music, I think the current music is great as it makes me feel like I'm in a cold desolate place. But the music sample you've shown was awesome, hope they would add those if they do a dlc or sequel. Although the game is doing well, with the amount of advertisement that they have, It's safe to say that they really are trying to make AC as one of their next big game series again. I hope they succeed because I would love to have more.

[@zefellowbud5970]

Honestly the way i see it the bosses in this game fit quite well. Your essentially fighting NEXTS in this game. Except they run on coral instead of kojima particles. The bosses feel in line with the setting under the idea that they are this worlds version of NEXTs and we are playing normals Think how the ancient weapon bosses and black glint was in AC verdict day. You play a Normal AC fighting a NEXT AC Regarding the story though yeah kinda wished it had more of the faction choices like in AC FA so ill agree with you there. I disagree with how making you change your build makes it the least armored core. Building your mech IS armored core.

[@justjordan6147]

havent seen the story of other armoured cores but this one seems one to me cause id rather have cganellege fighting mechs ten fricking demigods with the power to give ya a heart attack and die

[@Sorain1]

I've been getting a similar vibe. We're using a (mostly) real robot mecha, and other AC's are on the level. But most of the bosses are pulling that NEXT level super robot nonsense. the CEL 120 is pretty literally a Qubeley from Zeta Gundam, with all the funnel spam that implies. (I do appreciate how fragile that boss is, it's an Akuma style 'huge damage and powerful moveset, but has no defenses' type.) It's a lot less absurdly unfair compared to Verdict Day's 'Take your recycled low tech garbage pile and fight this mostly functional NEXT' matchup, or so it feels to me.

[@zefellowbud5970]

​@@Sorain1 from what ive seen verdict day is basically telling you to die lmao. ive seen lady in vortex. and sheesshhhhh that said god can't wait the for answer/verdict day or generational sequel for this generation

[@CorgiusLord]

Long will the Galaxy remember the Fire of Raven.

[@midwestleek]

1. Use assault boost and quick turn alot. 2. Bring a melee weapon always. 3. Boost kick often. 4. Dont use bullets when theirs cannons and lasers (unless its a shotgug)

[@sikevillain]

This game is amazing. Just beat Ch 1 of the game and that last boss was insanely fun to fight.. wrecked me just 6x before i pulled it off with just a sliver of health left.. heart pounding mech action is so good 💯

[@sikevillain]

@@zacharywilhelm2462 thanks handler lol 🫡 I can't wait to dive back in after I get off work!!

[@kilo1901]

I’ve been told that this has Spoilers so I’ll be back when I beat the game.

[@DreaminJohn]

gud game gud

[@devilkingaming4619]

Im not an old school AC fan, and am very much more a fan of DeS, DS, BB and ER, but i had a blast with AC6, the bosses were a ton of fun and my only real dissapointment was how easy enemy ACs were. I have been thrilled to sink multiple play throughs into this game and I liked the story and especially the 3rd ending

[@GodofMelon420]

If you free fall straight down while being targeted you can miss getting hit by missiles, lasers etc

[@lasthope9295]

My biggest issue with the game is, it can be played by casuals if you run dual mini guns and song birds. It feels like there aren't any weakness with that heavy build. Your able to no brain the game and beat bosses on your first attempt, often without using all your repair kits. While light builds feel way cooler and take more skill, heavy builds have nothing to stop them. No need to learn the movement set of a boss, no need to adapt to how they play, as you beat it first time through, and having little to no weakness or difficulty. IMO tank builds need to have more weaknesses, than just less dodges. (When those dodges don't have Invincibility frames [I frames in this game would be weird, so shields have a purpose])

[@skywing221]

Trust me, that tank build isnt going to last at the latter stages and NG+'s

[@bowley4]

I could agree with you for PvP, but otherwise what do you care if some casual wants to steamroll the game? Doesn’t affect you. If you’re so good just don’t use those builds, that’s perfectly fine. But you would prefer PVE aspects get nerfed just so you can say “yeah go play something else casual!” And then they don’t make more AC games cause the funding gets cut cause nobody bought it? If you don’t like mini guns don’t use them, If you’re good enough to not need repair kits that’s great, don’t use them! But some kid trying out a mech game for the first time shouldn’t have people shitting on them just cause they weren’t playing AC games 15 years ago…

[@lasthope9295]

@@skywing221 Yippee, Ig ill have to experience it myself, thanks for the heads up!

[@lasthope9295]

​@@bowley4 The thing is why did they nerf weapons/builds in Elden Ring? When ever someone has beaten Elden Ring or Malenia they say "I beat (Elden Ring / Malenia)" the next thing their friends says "Cool! Did you use Rivers of Blood/Mimics Tear/Comet Azure?" Because at release they destroyed everything and artificially made an "Easy mode", they got nerfed heavily (still strong, but not broken OP) Although its only PvE people loose value in the accomplishment in beating a game when its not that difficult if you use smt OP. This doesn't affect people personally, but how others beat the game, and no longer view it as difficult. Take for instance beating Shadow of the Tomb Raider, compared to Sekiro. When you beat Tomb raider people say, "cool, how'd you like the story?" compared to Sekiro people say "How did you beat the final boss?!?" When the game comes with an artificial "easy" mode, it ruins the achievement of beating the game, and why Fromsoftware has often nerfed broken weapons or builds. I wont be surprised if they do the same with tanks, or make if difficulty is not the goal of the game, buff light builds. Im not saying the game is bad, im just saying its far easier than Elden Ring, and if the game is suppose to be difficult, they have some "RoB" and "Mimics tear" to tweak in this game.

[@kierinsusukaii4745]

subscribed to you solely because your overall message and the finishing words of what you said... "I'm more dedicated fan to the Armored Core series than the souls series"

[@danielcruz4960]

I'll be honest I feel most people misremember the AC franchise as a whole, you have always been slower than the enemy, changing loadout was always core, and the only thing that I agree on is that you can't play AC6 as the old ones because it is not the old ones, if you feel you can't catch up to bosses is because you lack skill, bosses move way faster because those bosses are usually drone and don't have the limitations of having pilots to worry about but there are many ways to catch up, even balteus missiles are quite easy to dodge and lets be honest AC story has never been it's strong point but I personally prefer this story to some of the old

[@uffu2490]

Personally, I feel the reason why its so tough is because it’s skills based and each level attempts to teach you something new. So, for me, one of my biggest issues with the game is, like you said, changing parts over and over and over. (It gets so tiring and frustrating). Ironically, however, the reason why it’s one of my favorite Software games is due to the skill gap. You are put through so many tough bosses and, as a result, you’re forced to learn the mechanics. Its such a rewarding feeling and I’m in love with it.

[@LordRazer3]

I lesson to the voice inside my head. Her plans are as crazy as the one's outside but this one isn't going away anytime soon

[@nathanpossberg4812]

I love the vid, but oof there are some takes in here I think are a miss. It's an amazing game, that does indeed feel similar to my memories of old ones. In prior armored core games you often fought prototype or secret mechs that didn't feel like a level playing feild. Always have you needed to swap up your build to be most effective at different sorties. Most of the bosses are mechs that you can build precisely the same, and they follow the same rules as you. There are maybe 5 or so enemies not using the exact same rules as you, and for those you will only get trapped if you refuse to change your tactics. It's not that your AC "sucks" it's that it "isn't optimal for this specific task".

[@freemansaquatics5326]

OG AC fan here...the resupply and checkpoints are my only gripes because AC originally if you missplanned you failed, then were punished and if you messed up too much you would go bankrupt..the resupply and checkpoints only exist because of casual complainers....im happy with the changes other than that

[@tratamarack441]

The problem with these bosses, i think, is that they aren't something that this type of AC was supposed to deal with, like you can clearly see if you want to S rank mission on bosses, you don't really have any reliable anti-boss weapon except for the melees and the Cannons, i always instinctively grab them and put ABBOT FCS when i'm stuck with a non-AC boss to abuse that stagger mechanic into a piledriver punish. But at the same time, throwing Nexts at them is going to be an overkill. So they just get in the middle, with infinite boost movement, that is almost not enough, and stagger bar. Fuck 2nd balteus tho, that melee laser's range and tracking is fucking insane, i hate that shit more than the water fowl dance. The only thing i don't like about the story is the thing that happened after fighting the ibis thing, a single bolt that took a good 2 second to detonate can incapacitate you instantly? i call that bullshit. You wouldn't have survived half of what the game throw at you before that point if you're that easy to deal with.

[@neightneight1280]

Classic AC - empowered Ravens to customize their FCS; for shape AND Distance! You could make a flight-based Targeting-Reticle- wide OR short. Now it's a damn Time-Crisis circle..

[@jeanpierrepolnareff9919]

I absolutely loved the game. My only complain is weapon balance caused by the stagger meter. Energy weapons are extremely situational, rest of the time youre better of with hard hitting stuff like zimmers, sonbirds, pilebunker, etc... If you want to play in ng++ you reeeally need a high speed double zimmer and pilebunker build. If u dont, prepare for infinite retries in bosses.

[@tadferd4340]

Double Zimmer with double Songbirds or double Stun Needle is very effective.