A Personal, In-Depth Review of Armored Core 6

As someone for whom the series became an all-time favourite earlier this year, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is everything I could have wanted out of an Armored Core sequel and then some. Enjoy this in-depth review/analysis of Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon.
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When I decided on a whim to play through the Armored Core games earlier this year, I had no idea just how invested in it I would become, with the AC series not only quickly becoming an all-time favourite, but Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon shooting all the way up to my most anticipated game of the year.
After finally playing the full release to "completion" (rolling credits and falling deep into new game plus at the time of writing this review, but I can now say there's even more to see than I thought), I can safely say that anticipation was warranted. As a recent convert to the AC series, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is everything I could have wanted out of a sequel to this long dormant franchise and then some.
So join me as I discuss how the thrilling combat, the dizzying customisation options, the surprisingly gripping narrative and worldbuilding, and the tough battles come together to create a sequel that longtime fans will hopefully love-and whose quirks might make it a little difficult still for newcomers to get into this famously abstruse series (mentioning Elden Ring fans here for the algorithm, but don't worry-this is a review of Armored Core 6, not Soulsborne).
So yeah, sit back, relax and enjoy this review/analysis of Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon!
Thank you to Bandai Namco for providing review code.
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0:00 - The preview cycle of Armored Core 6
3:02 - I ADORE Armored Core 6
5:48 - The surprisingly gripping narrative of AC6
10:39 - Narrative choices and alignment
16:21 - The THRILLING gameplay of Armored Core 6
18:42 - AC6's quality-of-life features
20:58 - The BRUTAL boss battles of AC6
#armoredcore6 27:10 - Keyboard and mouse controls
27:58 - PC and Steam Deck performance
29:04 - AC6's bewildering customisation
30:27 - Armored Core 6 is EVERYTHING I wanted it to be
32:10 - Outro
Thumbnail by HotCyder - / hotcyder
Text intro animation by Isaac Holland - / drazgames
#firesofrubicon

[@0uttaS1TE]

Not gonna lie, out of all the reviews, this was the one I was most interested in seeing, especially given how you have a handle on the themes of Armored Core and tend to meet it halfway, rather than dismiss the delivery method as boring off the bat.

[@Rave.-]

It's been a privilege to watch you fall in love with this series, and then be rewarded with a sequel almost immediately, and feel that it's exactly what you were looking for. I had that experience with a book series once and it's truly a "stars aligning" moment. I'm happy you got to experience it. Thanks for bringing us along for the journey.

[@combativeroboguy2490]

What book series was it?

[@FelisImpurrator]

I'm curious too. What book?

[@Rave.-]

It may be a bit cliche now, due to his exploding popularity since, but I had just finished The Way of Kings fresh off of a new interest in fantasy novels. I devoured the entire book in about a week and went "holy shit I need more of this". I looked up when the next book in the series was, expecting to be doomed to a lengthy wait due to experience with other authors. Book 2, Words of Radiance, was set to launch in 2 weeks. I couldn't have timed it better.

[@combativeroboguy2490]

@@Rave.- I had a feeling, love that series so much. That must’ve been magical being able to join in on the release of Words of Radiance.

[@Rave.-]

@@combativeroboguy2490 I wish it had been Doors of Stone releasing, but thats more like several thousand stars aligning xD

[@mattbarton2341]

I love it. It’s a logo creation simulator with a mech shooter attached. Got to have something for the logos to do.

[@colinmiller513]

You are now my primary souece of armored core analysis and critique online. Thanks for hooking my attention into it so effectively!

[@romanprokhorov3875]

My thoughts exactly! When I realized that I’m extremely excited about Armored Core VI while never played any of the previous games this guy’s retrospective video was the best! Absolutely loved it

[@natethegreat7967]

You should also check out the channel “Armoredcorelore” for information on plots, factions, characters, mechs, and more from the previous 15 AC games.

[@notesscrotes4360]

24:40 Hey, it's the Char Aznable kick!

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

I want to give a shoutout to many Armored Core content creators, because they deserve a lot of love for their efforts after all the years and specially since this franchise will get more popular (this includes you, Oroboro, Zentreya, Fightincowboy and VaatiVidya): - The Lore Hunter - chrightt - Silver Glint - AesirAesthetics - Armoredcorelore - Love_Arc - Sinclair Lore - Anatolia's Mercenary - MrHappy1227 (though he is more focused on Final Fantasy) - Rubicon Dogs - Zealous (Znote) - Cleric - FromCheng - Writing on Games - Above Average Gaming

[@Dracobyte]

Great content creators indeed!

[@eldonhill4840]

If you like the PVP side of things I'd also add -Inveigh -shift And I feel like I'm forgetting someone else

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

Thank you for the suggestions!@@eldonhill4840

[@abc4781]

Gotta add fighting Cowboy too.

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

It is on my comment before the list.@@abc4781

[@bobbiemiles-foremaniii8747]

One really small thing I'd like to see changed that would make it so much more atmospheric When we finish a mission. Give us unlimited boost so we can take off into the sunset!

[@haydentravis3348]

And deactivate the level boundaries.

[@naev0]

i try to time my assault boost so that i'm boosting out to take care of things while it fades to black

[@thomassmith4490]

@@naev0Great minds think alike

[@madremorelos1573]

You do Scotland proud, my friend. Love your writing and presentation. Keep it up dude.

[@reunio]

I've been waiting so long for AC VI, I literally had to wade through my adolescence to get here. This review is a fitting tribute but I don't think any video could do justice to the nitty gritty of building your mech and poring over even just the minute stat differences just for you to take it out on a sortie and get toasted. A series that encompasses environmental storytelling, player expression/experimentation and minute to minute action in all the right ways. Above all though I'm just glad this niche mech game gets the audience it's always deserved.

[@Aleebi]

"wade through my adolescence" accurate af 😂 how old is the raven now if you dony mind me asking? curious what the avg age fan is

[@reunio]

@@Aleebi would have been around 10 when AC4 came out, not my favourite AC generation but managed to turn me into a life long fan. Loved Formula Front for turning my PSP into a custom mecha match up PPV channel, something about watching mech combat is so satisfying. Carnage Heart EXA, that was a cool 1 too.

[@Dracobyte]

Welcome Ravens both veterans and newcomers, this is your community and your moment to make mech games more popular!

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

Yeah!

[@UltimaLuminaire]

There's nothing more I could have asked for today. AC6 is going to drop soon and now we have a big review on this channel? Yup, this is a good day.

[@eherden2169]

The game seems like the fate of the future of mech genre was hanging in the balance of its success.

[@mallow2902]

I wrapped up my first playthrough last night and I loved it. I had my doubts about the mechanical changes leading up to release, but I have to say they did people who played the old games justice. The tone and structure reminded me of Last Raven and to a lesser extent Silent Line a lot, which are my favorite games in the series, so that was extremely appreciated.

[@SameBasicRiff]

I have never seen this channel ever before, but wow, the writing is soooooo brilliant it's noticeable. Like, regardless of content even, the writing style of this video's script is literally brilliant.

[@marczwander893]

The worldbuilding is so amazing in this. They took the name of the series "Armored Core" and explored it in any way imaginable. Sure, it's the augmented person in a mech. It's the planet Rubicon 3, entirely enveloped by mechanical structures. But it could also describe the only, central thing that exists with material reality sort of enveloping it and making it visible. This is the Coral, or Core-al, the central fire that creates and destroys. And we have a piece of that in us, I believe, symbolically hinted at by our relationship to Ayre, who we meet and go into a symbiotic relationship with after a near death experience. For more research try Donald Hoffman with his take on reality and Osiris, the great flame of the Egyptian Pantheon (These are unrelated).

[@FlavourFool]

Coming from only playing the first game, and when it came out, this looks MIND BLOWING.

[@SimplyMavAgain]

Been looking forward to this one. Played my first Armored Core game just a few months ago like you did and been blasting through whichever entries i could since. I'll never know what it's like to have waited 10 years for this game, but man am I excited to see where my own journey ends up taking me.

[@zacharywong483]

Absolutely love your Armored Core videos! And fantastic, engaging script here, as always!

[@TrevorNWhite]

I was on the fence about this one, but while I can see myself bouncing off it for at least a bit because of the typical FromSoftware bosses, your rundown has convinced me to give it a shot!

[@FSVR54]

FS has made the best games of the past 12 years

[@zlodrim9284]

Even the most difficult fights are no Orphan of Kos here, and can be handled with ease. They've balanced the encounters quite well and the hardest bosses in the game are incredibly fun to fight against.

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

By far the best feature in ac is the checkpoint system. If you die to a boss, you get right back into the arena. No more bullshit backtrack

[@FSVR54]

exactly. I love just being able to quit and load checkpoint when I start a fight off badly@@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062

[@HairyHog77]

i have to say the constant spam of that kick move in this footage looks quite op

[@squadmonkey]

A huge amount of effort went into this - hats off to you Sir!

[@neon-lake]

The review we've been waiting for

[@RougeMephilesClone]

Thanks for the review. Can't wait to try AC6 myself.

[@connorkenway09]

Been following your channel for probably more than a year and every review you make has such passion and brilliant in depth analysis put into them. I rarely agree this much with everything a content creator says.

[@dacronicspotgaming6104]

I recently bought this and oh my days what a satisfying game, im currently enjoying my first play through, plenty of deaths with boss battles but working out the boss patterns or weaknesses you can exploit with a different mech build is very enjoyable. Keep up the awesome content

[@Rave.-]

I should be building my computer right now to play AC6, not watching your review. DAMN YOU AND YOUR HIGH QUALITY, WRITING.

[@Ikcatcher]

As a newcomer, beating Balteus finally made the game click for me

[@HassanNur]

Dope review! I haven't played since ps-one so I am so gassed for this 1 more sleep!!!

[@CeetjeBeetje]

Dude, you're blowing my mind with that final chapter 2 mission footage! You can go under the floor to avoid the lasers?! I just resulted to assault boosting the whole way :P

[@BlastMagicianYGO]

If you have a quick enough build, you can glide gracefully through the air and quick boost when you get a laser warning and they won't touch you

[@brokenmirror3911]

One correction, the RLF missions actually tend to pay as much if not more than a lot of the corp missions, which makes sense since while they have less to work with, they aren't fighting to maintain a bottom line or make certain the next income report please investors, they are literally fighting for their lives, so big expenses are easier to justify especially given the desperation of their situation.

[@cataccountant]

'Tokusatsu Megazord' nightmare, huh? What's the probability that the community might start releasing Megazord Mods in the near future once they heard this and think of it as a challenge of sorts?

[@WritingOnGames]

One can hope.

[@Ixarus6713]

I literally cannot wait. Got it preinstalled and I'm ready to stay up all night just to play it. Actually... I did that last night.. I should get some sleep. Please make more content about AC6 Mr. Writing On Games! See you on the battlefield Ravens! (Also respect for the quad bazooka, laser blade and missiles build, totally going to build that myself for the maximum stagger potential and cool factor!)

[@GrandmaSwamp]

Bro you can’t just flash a limp Bizkit emblem at me while I’m eating lunch lmao. Great review and I can’t wait to get my hands on it when I get home.

[@rexlewis325]

Your a Armored Core videos have earned you a subscription, and my intense desire to dive into a series I've only ever heard about.

[@Asmogan]

Fantastic video man! Also loved your video denoting your journey with the series as a whole! The only point I'll disagree with you on brother is the take that the Keyboard and mouse is more difficult or less optimal than the controller. At no point did I hesitate or lack the intuition with the use of my keys and what they did. I mean this entirely earnestly when I say I think you lack the practice with keyboard and mouse when you say that (not a diss at all brother, sometimes people just prefer what they have more practice and experience with. Especially in regards to controls throughout a whole series of games like you've played through with Armored Core). Using Keyboard+Mouse I defeated the first Helicopter boss in three attempts and defeated the Wall boss in four attempts. Outside of the bosses I've not really needed multiple attempts to complete any mission. I did attempt to try and use the controller and that lasted for two missions before I happily and gleefully switched back to Keyboard+Mouse, not saying that the controller is lesser btw I just hated how it felt personally. Maybe I'm just above average with how I play with Keyboard+mouse where most lack the "skill," but I doubt thats the case XD. I think it's down to bias and inclination. If you've played the previous games in the series or similar games primarily on Console than I'm sure trying to use the Keyboard+mouse in this latest entry would feel terrible and even in your mind objectively worse. But thats down to muscle memory for what you've honed yourself with up til now and not much else. I have the advantage of being a newcomer and no prior pre-established muscle-memory with controller. So using the Keyboard+Mouse is easy and intuitive for me and I'm willing to bet a good number of other first timers trying it out on PC. Thats just my two cents and again not meant to be a barbed comment. Loved the video man, keep up the great work!

[@Jojopiez]

Already have it preloaded and ready to go. Excited to launch it in a couple hours :)

[@Poisedanubis85]

On NG1 And love how different things happen in some missions …Harringay protecting RLF chopper whilst it’s barraged by mts

[@miinyoo]

Right up front your Handler Walter calls you a dog. By the end, you become the animal he foresaw. All of the writing in the game is consistent and leads you toward platonic truths. Its writing is as brilliant as its gameplay and environments. Such a love letter to the whole series' development team spanning decades.

[@ripdito]

words cant do it’s beauty justice

[@josflorida5346]

Im getting it tomorrow! Cant wait!

[@Dwesk]

Great video! I'm a newcomer to AC series myself but my love for From Soft games started the moment I stumbled across Demons' Souls on PS3, and besides playing through all the modern fromsoft games multiple times I also played through King's Field 4 as well as Shadow Tower Abyss recently and genuinely found them to be great if a bit archaic games. Thing is, KF4 reviewed extremely poorly at the time and as a whole FromSoft games have had pretty middling reviews across the board for most of their games up until Demons' Souls. Now I know the previous AC games were far from perfect and probably weren't easy to get into either but there's a drastic contrast between them averaging at around 65 metacritic vs this one being at very respectable 87 (hell, a lot of my favorite modern games are below that, Death Stranding included), now that you have played both AC6 as well as the older installments would you say this one in particular deserves the 8-10/10s across the board while the older games were more deserving of the considerably lower ratings or do you think a lot of it has to do with either the respect and accolades that FromSoft have accumulated over the last 15 years, or the game actually being a better experience for newcomers and veterans alike compared to previous installments? A bit of both? I want to believe it's more of the latter but I feel like a lot of japanese games or games in general, particularly from like the 00s era seem to be far more misunderstood than if they were to be remastered/rebooted with a bit of modern polish, Nier's remaster/remake comes to mind, alongside some others. But yeah, would love to hear what you think in retrospect to the whole series and general video game journalism landscape shift to appreciate games like this more, giving them a fairer chance.

[@larsnyman2455]

ThorHighHeels’ ideas about the Sophisti-Future aesthetic of the era might pique your interest…

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

I refused to get out of my comfort zone on my first game. I did at first but i just really loved my horrible plasma build. The final boss pushed me to a breaking point and i pulled out the double zimmermann and the pointy stick. The fight became trivial. On ng+, i finaly let go of my original ac and started to truly experiment. Ive come up with multiple builds. They each feel distinct and are fun. As my understanding of the game grew, i was able to update my horrible plasma build and made it much more efficient. With this new found understanding of the game, i rebooted that boss fight that broke my morals and beat them fair and square and i was able to fully enjoy the fight. Bless this game

[@1995HunterKiller]

I love how you gotta beat the first boss before you even get a tutorial lol The game makes you earn the right to play it

[@88qwop]

beautiful review. thamks

[@nicholasgrey5225]

That final shot on the worm was one of the best most intense moments I’ve had in gaming in a while this game was a masterpiece in my opinion

[@coolbrotherf127]

I don't think most people will have to worry too much about controlling the game with the keyboard if they want to. Other PC mech games use pretty much the entire keyboard and people play those games just fine. Personally, I wouldn't want to use anything else.

[@dotmbarricade3424]

For most people this is going to be thier first mech game tbh. For us it's just another Tuesday

[@zeiphie]

I could just thumbs up the top comment but I feel like it would be doing this channel and my own feelings on this documented journey a disservice. Thank you for taking us on this ride with you. I myself have only played one AC title before and it was AC3 Nexus when I was 13. At the time I was at an age were game developers were just logos to me and I got games because the box art was cool. The game broke me, I never finished it. But the hours I spent pouring over the shop agonizing over parts that didn't fit the mission parameter but I just liked the look of and getting my emblem juuuuussstt right stuck with me to this very day. I'm MUCH older than I was back then and gained a lot of perspective on gaming since and I can't even express to you the instantly familiar feeling jumping back into AC6 was. Instant goosebumps. This game and series is truly something special and while it really may not be for the masses the genuine love and reverence for the series in this new entry is on full display. I'll play the game properly this time, and I'm sure a whole new generation of Ravens will be born from this excellent installment for months to come.

[@Doubleagentaron]

Never played armor core, always saw footage of it, never new the name, when I figured a new one was coming out i was really excited and my friend bought it for me Didn’t know anything, didn’t look up any gameplay, it’s fucking sick

[@heatrayzvideo3007]

I just got AC6 a month ago for my birthday. I'm really enjoying it so far, it's so much more fun than I thought it would be. I hope they re-release the first 5 mainline games again on stores.

[@justinl8791]

My experience with this series is why I LOVE video games so much. A dystopian cyberpunk universe where life is cheap, money talks, AIs ruled EVERYTHING because humanity fucked up & disputes are settled with giant fucking robots + superhuman cyborg pilots. It's been a constant through my teenhood & now OLDMANHOOD. This is a glorious return from one of my favorite game developers, from a time when they don't ONLY make fantasy ARPGs. They can bring on DLCs if they have plans for it. I still wanna see if our choice with Ayre is for the better. OR WORSE. MAIN SYSTEM, ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE.

[@LostWallet]

you know the best thing about this game? the NPC enemies voice start panicking when you walk all over them.

[@lesslighter]

I decided to go Gen V mode and the 2 laser blades you unlock at chapter 1 are something else entirely open with a long reaching blade and then swoop in with the starting blade, makes me think once I unlock other blades I'll start to experiment on how to combo them efficiently. One thing I don't like is how you have no feedback on the energy meter running out sure you have an audio cue but its an audio thats "weak" I swear seeing my energy bar on the reticle like gen 5 AC would had been a better approach

[@KingFate20]

Keyboard + Mouse definitely feels mint. Especially if you have a mouse with thumb buttons. All my weapons are on the mouse, QB is Shift, AB is Ctrl, Space is jump, I just use Shift and ignore Tab. The only thing that might be awkward would be the self explosion abilities (don't remember the name because I just never use them), I think the input for them is Ctrl + R. Probably gonna replace R with E since I just use Mouse 4 and 5 for my shoulders. Only thing I have found is that I don't think Lock works. When I click the scroll wheel I think it snaps to the target a little, but it immediately goes away with the tiniest mouse movement so its practically impossible to use in my experience. That's fine though because I can't think of a single situation where I would have wanted it considering how insanely snappy and precise the mouse movement feels IMO. If they get behind me I can just whip the camera around in a femto-second so I cant see how lock-on would be helpful with looking at things with a mouse is so instinctual at this point (you don't even really have to aim much, the just have to be on screen).

[@woolyhorn2553]

Perfectly encapsulated my thoughts entirely. Bar the fact that I can't find criticism of having to buy weapons in duplicate. Great work x

[@WritingOnGames]

Thanks for watching-I do actually mention that though, haha

[@andresmullerbeck2427]

All my yes on boost kick. I was one missile away from death against balteus in the middle of a salvo with all my weapons reloading, and a boost kick is the only reason I won.

[@josephwilson6272]

I love this game! Can't wait for the next one 🎉

[@Mrholysymbol]

As one of those fans who waited a decade it was ABSOLUTELY worth the wait, ive just finished NG++ as of last night. Ive gotten every ending, every combat log, every part, done every arena mission, and am currently working on s ranking every mission to 100% the game and i still want more the game is incredible and i cannot praise it enough a

[@fhjunior6183]

Thanks for the vid

[@sipofsunkist9016]

this game went up a whole notch when i learned you can quick turn WHILE ASSAULT BOOSTING!! find a narrow corridor with sharp turns and try learning to AB thru it without stopping! its so fun!!!

[@exquisitemeat5845]

3 hours into getting wrecked by Baltheus. Annoying. Infuriating. AWESOME

[@loupinconnu]

I have to say as someone who didn't consider a keyboard at all, but switched when I had issues getting my controller to work. Keyboard and mouse feel very good. I recommend switching the keybinds so you don't need 6 fingers on your left hand, but as long as your mouse has 2 extra buttons, it should be fine.

[@definitelynotnev]

I'm glad I gave myself a couple sessions with the game before I watched this. I think you talked about nearly every single one of my first impressions so far. I knew within the first 30 seconds of having control that I was going to love playing this. I don't have any crazy hardware for my PC (RX 580, Ryzen 5 3600) and this game runs way better than Elden Ring on launch (and to this day).

[@vivid_swatch2091]

Game runs like butter on my Ryzen 7 3800x and RTX3060ti too

[@sigelsegal2297]

Ngl, This is my first experience with the series and at the first boss I died like 3 times. It's not until I took a break and then came back guns blazing that I realized this game doesn't want you to hold back

[@SnthwaveSunset]

With how well the game is doing, i hope it will pave the path for more ac games, im here for the ride. My ex sold me on ac with for answer when they handed me the controller randomly

[@Nilnot]

Really want it to be tomorrow so I can play this game

[@bitarctic4859]

Great video. As a PC player with a drifting controller, Ive actually been playing solely keyboard and mouse. I will say it feels very natural for me at this point, the shoulder weapons, namely multilocking felt clunky for me at first, being q and e, so I rebound them to my side mouse buttons (although out of muscle memory I still use the default keys more often than not). Otherwise, the keyboard and mouse setup now feels so natural that I cant even really imagine playing the game with a controller. I do still keep accidently healing when trying to scan tho, lol

[@dogg92]

Other than nuking every interaction objective I come across (by pressing E) the controls are pretty intuitive. I think FromSoft really nailed the feel of mouse and keyboard in this game.

[@iiisixstringiii8285]

I'm usually a controller user (xbox), but MnK really is soooo smooth. Tutorial boss took me 7-8 tries with controller, but MnK took me 2 tries bc of how agile it made me feel. Only issue is fighting AC's. They're smaller and harder to keep track of with MnK. But I'm getting better at it. Hard-lock on MnK feels strange at first bc u can't move the mouse kinda. I prefer soft-lockon most of the time.

[@bitarctic4859]

@@iiisixstringiii8285 same. this is actually my first fromsoft game using the mnk controls evet

[@iiisixstringiii8285]

Yep. Same. I've been practicing MnK for about an hour every play session before picking my controller back up. I'd stick with MnK entirely, but my hands start to get worn out, haha. I'm just not used to it. But it's getting a little easier. I hope all goes well for you if you're sticking with MnK. I really think it gives you a huge advantage once it starts to really click. Would probably give you and edge in PvP from what I've been hearing.@@bitarctic4859

[@Crocogator]

God. I love giant robots, but I don't think AC is for me. I can appreciate it from a distance. (front mission 4 remake pls)

[@smurfdaddy420]

I'm the exact opposite. I'm completely uninterested in giant robot mech stuff but this game looks AMAZING. The fast paced combat, boss battles, and crazy customization has got me so hyped. What makes you not want to try this game out?

[@Crocogator]

@@smurfdaddy420 You know, that's a good question. I get choice paralysis very easily, so it might be the SCOPE of customization that deters me. Also, bad computer and no current gen console but that's beside the point I guess lol

[@smurfdaddy420]

@@Crocogator understandable, the amount of customization can be daunting at first but they do a pretty good job easing you into it. its such a fun game man, if you ever change your mind I would DEFINITELY recommend it. I never thought I'd be into a mech game so much but here I am lol.

[@Crocogator]

@@smurfdaddy420 If I get the means, I'll give it a go. ...I think my partner has a PS5 at his work that just got traded in that needs 'testing'.

[@jimmietherustle3622]

Boost kick is boss, yo.

[@meddlingmage23]

Note on the target assist: I didn't use it until I saw a video about it, because it wasn't around in AC1-AC3/Nexus. And I still don't use it, because apparently, it lowers your accuracy when you're using it. Ppl need to get used to a game sense of where your opponent should be relative to you. Like a radar in your head. Hell, it's easier for ppl to look around now with mouse. I still use pad due to all the years on pad.

[@vindictus8355]

There is so much to love about this game that i could go on for hours. Thanks so much for the review, you always manage to describe things in such a digestible yet rhetorically elegant and fantastical manner that never ceases to be captivating. Glad i wasnt the only one who felt the narrative was a standout. Im gonna be honest these bossfights and the fast paced combat afforded by a bipedal lightweight build have usurped bloodborne as the most fun ive had playing a game. Hope fromsoftware continues to lean towards speed and dexterity rather than the slow and methodical when designing the dance that is “dodge roll” combat.

[@pragmat1k]

With regards to the PC port, I specifically upgraded my PC for this game after seeing the chapter 1 final boss in previews. It ran great. Weirdly, launch day and the day after the game would freeze after about 2 hours and need to be restarted, but after that it never froze again. Even when i went back and replayed early missions for credits. I'm on NG+ at the moment. Still having an amazing time. I will say I miss dual back weapons and weapon arms. Was worried they wouldn't be in the game because of the new control scheme and they are not. :(

[@scipher99]

I have played every game in the series and AC6 is by far my favorite. Not having to buy a console and this being ported to PC is great for me on a 13900K and 4090. I just capped the frames at 120 and it has run flawlessly. I hope this picks up enough interest for DLC so more parts can be added with arenas and missions, sort of like how Ace Combat adds aircraft and missions.

[@cody3335]

You’re channel is going to blow up.

[@Akabane101]

Strange question but, can you play with the HUD disabled like in the initial gameplay trailers? Would be cool to just focus on visual queues with bosses or to explore the maps without it.

[@hirobeez]

If I had access to it as a kid, I feel AC would be one of my favorites, at least as conveyed by your videos on it. It's the kind of gritty mech action I would appreciate for the vibes as much as the cool factor. I remember quite a few years before I got my hands on Dark Souls that some "opinionated" people dismissed the flavor of Dark Souls because for them that approach to storytelling was near heretical, thus not even worth considering it valid. As long as people are willing to give it a chance, and enough people have to motor skills and time to dedicate to it, this AC has the potential to be the first time this series had the perfect chance to shine. Here's hoping for that. As an aside though, I'm always bewildered by ER varying performance, since on an old i7 with a GTX1060 I have quite a good time with it. Maybe I just don't know what I'm missing, but it sure is confusing.

[@Jonderlei]

I finished all three playthroughs and then moved on to cyberpunk and was having fun and about to start the DLC but AC6 was still pulling at me and now I havent played cyberpunk in two weeks and played through all three playthroughs again and got all the S ranks. I should be moving on to that dlc now but its just so hard to put AC6 down

[@termanaterbob]

That first time AllMind said "Welcome back Raven" I cried. I played the PS2 and 3 games as a kid visiting my friends. It became became a distant but dear love (my family only had an og Xbox with a minimal number of games). Split screen PvP was my bread and butter as a kid and getting to experience Armored Core and it's unique PvP now with my brothers and dad is everything I could ever have asked for.

[@zanychelly]

I’m using the Dualsense Edge, with the back buttons mapped to be X and Square 27:25

[@ribsi85]

Man I can't get over how dorky the tank tracks/legs/base looks. especially flying. It looks like a guy standing upright, holding a gun, wearing a tank as a skirt. This is clearly the optimal design. Playing any other way is just hamstringing yourself.

[@night1952]

From games are just special, now that you've played all of AC you might want to check out King's Field 4 or Shadow Tower Abyss.

[@zlodrim9284]

In regards to difficulty, I found BALTEUS and the Spider to be the most difficult bosses the game has to offer, mainly due to what gear you have available the first time you meet them. Ibis, Rusty, Walter and Ayre, even Sigfried when he becomes BALTEUS on steroids, are all manageable and showcase how FromSoftware retained the spectacle, while not going overboard with difficulty like they did in ER. So AC VI: Fires Of Rubicon serves as a nice contrast to Elden Ring, both for its linear and focused design, as well as in how the game handles its boss fights and how much thought went into balancing encounters this time and how newbie friendly they made this entry. As a tourist to the series who made Fires of Rubicon his first title, I was wonderfully surprised to see how much I loved it and how quickly I made the transition into its world as the next pilot to take the wings of Raven and show just how I can fly on these borrowed wings. NG+ has been incredibly fun, I am currently in the middle of my NG++ run and the game just keeps getting better and better, much like Sekiro did. NG almost feels like the introductory chapter to the rest of it, and once again From Software showed my everybody loves and respects them and just how good at their craft they are. Hope we get at least another entry after they're done with the DLC content that will come sometime in the future. Good video examining how the sixth entry fits with the previous five, really enjoyed watching it and is currently among the best ones covering the game!

[@SSpider41]

2nd gen and 4th gen are my most played. This game is a solid in between in terms of speed. Going in knowing how to dodge the middle barrages makes a world of difference.

[@joeykriegler1878]

Awesome review!

[@InMaTeofDeath]

Yeahhh I decided early on that the moment the game gave you access to new parts I farmed until I owned everything. I'd rather waste time farming for a bit to have the parts forever than waste time deciding what parts to sell/buy.

[@lornbaker1083]

It is constantly Entertaining for an old Raven like me who can remember the armored core one era, Listening to these rookies scream and cry Like little fledgelings in the nest who have yet to be tossed out and Either learn to spread their wings or fall to their doom. And yet I still feel very proud. Knowing that the game series is so good that even now, it still brings young, Little hatcheling ravens to the nest. With a desire to fly as strong as we old ancient gods. The nine breakers the alphonse runners The lords of the Silent line. We stand as you claim and scream and struggle. And we are smiling because we know we had to go through the same things that you did Little bird. No one was ever born a raven. No one will ever be born raven. To become one of us is to become a scavenger of battlefields. An old phrase that we used to say was. We don't get to pick our meals. We can only scavenge what carcasses we find on the battlefield. Because a raven never gets to pick their meal. And so seeing this game. Seeing this giant influx of people from the fantasy world of the souls games trying to wrap their heads around the literal insane hyper psced combat nonsense, that is being an armored core pilot. What can I say except it brings an smile to this old raven's beak. You will learn like we have children. You will Take flight and be the next generation. Or you will die in misery. For people like us there is no other alternative. Survive and thrive or die in misery. If that is the fate of all ravens. So welcome to the nest children. It won't be very fun. But you're going to love every minute. that is why there is a cult of the nine ball called the nine breaker.

[@sipofsunkist9016]

19:00 oh i would have been losing my mind there lmao

[@corespartan7506]

As an (AC4 Answer) and (ac5/verdict) vet this is absolutely my favorite AC Game to date.

[@onyxseal24]

This will be my first AC game and i cannot wait to play, no sleep for me tonight.

[@IM0001]

Been a fan but still need to catch up on the AC games as I have started but never gotten around to finishing AC1 for years now. Also grabbed all the AC Games for the PS2/3 before they became unobtanium to go back and play through just the same. AC6 really does feel and play fantastic though. Yes the bosses can be hard, but they are not anywhere near insurmountable. And the overall feel of the controls both on M/KB and Gamepad really do work an feel really good. One thing that is amazing is how great the game looks, runs, and plays on the Steam Deck. I actually feel the controls on the Deck feel better than the offset stick setup of an Xbox gamepad or even the lower sticks of a PS5 gamepad. It just seems to fit on the Deck perfectly. The only real bonus to playing it on my PC with a 3090 at 100+FPS is the fact that the game does also perfectly support Ultrawide right out of the box making it one of the better AAA releases that I can recall in a while. FromSoftware really put in some good work here and I do hope they make another within 10 years because man is this game fantastic.

[@Trinioutsider34]

This was a great review👍🏽.I hope we get DLC for this game down the line. Because I’ve never skipped on the Dark Souls and Bloodborne DLC. Fromsoft is one studio I don’t mind dropping money for.

[@Trinioutsider34]

@@Largentina. Yes, I did finish the game and it seems there will be DLC for it sometime down the road.

[@ROBALHC]

Sekiro don't get DLC 😢 I hope AC6 get at least one 😢

[@Trinioutsider34]

@@ROBALHC, I think the reason why is because Sekiro was meant as an off. It did get an update with free stuff though.

[@watyhu99]

I never looked up meta guides for bosses and stuff, but man, my friends were surprised to find out after struggling for over an hour, I finally beat Ibis with dual linear rifles, and dual laser drones. tried so many other weapons that hit harder but they just kept missing and weren't fast enough Played keyboard mouse and no auto lock the entire game. I re-mapped the shoulders to the side buttons on mouse. felt batter than using anything else, controller felt waaay too sluggish

[@harryturner5872]

I’m staying up with snacks ready for the release I’m loosing my fugin mind

[@amyisexisting]

I know this is probably repetitive considering your username but I just have to say, the writing and descriptions in this video are really good

[@WritingOnGames]

That's very nice of you to say. Thanks a lot!

[@Cube2000]

1:10 I’m surprised that people thought this mission was a letdown, given that it’s the first AC duel that you have to complete. It makes sense mechanically to have it be a relatively simple fight since it’s so early in the game and players might still be coming to grips with the controls and their own mech setup (as opposed to the prologue mission, which gives you a fixed loadout that is designed to win against that copter boss).

[@dingus2k]

not going to watch this now as I will be mass consuming AC6 content when I’m able to play later this year, but I had to drop in to comment and like for our guy Seamus ❤

[@mr.reggit4060]

It's so cool seeing someone with a completely different taste for games then yourself. I tried this game, passed the tutorial boss and a few missions later I realized that I never wanted to play this game again. The main reason for not liking the game is due to the movement. I really never got the sense that I was piloting a giant robot. There was no weight to the player character or enemies either. The only way you could tell that you got hit is that if you're health went down. You think that if you got hit that you would see some kind of slight movement.

[@mb2776]

I never played any AC title, I just love mechs and stuff, gundam u know it. even telling from some previews, the game and everything looked awesome so it's not that complicated, I'll probably buy it!

[@mr.kiurlo]

From a guy that really wanted to try the armored core on pc, and for now played AC1, a bit of AC Project Phantasma and AC 3, with only the keyboard, it would really help if you could tell me, if is possibile to rebind the buttons ? It's a really stupid question but very important XD

[@jtreview7506]

god watching reviews after beating ng++ feels so weird cause I feel like i took directly opposite choices to like half of them to beat the same roadblocks

[@Stoned_apeTheory22]

It's funny, what I'm getting from hearing the discussion about the story, it kind of reminds me of the story from AceCombat. Also called AC lol