The sequels in the Armored Core franchise tend to be upgrades to the base numbered title. Master of Arena is one of my favourites, in fact. I can't wait to see your thoughts on that one. The only exception to the rule is (arguably) AC2 and ACAA. But Master of Arena, Silent Line, Last Raven, and For Answer tend to be the series' most highly-acclaimed titles. Still, it's usually a good idea to import your save one way or another. And by the way, beating AC1 without Human PLUS is a -good- thing. Human PLUS is essentially the "bad ending" of the game. The point is for you to beat the game without needing to rely on it, because your humanity and free will are about the only glimmer of hope remaining in the post-apocalyptic capitalist dystopia.
... but with Human+, this game is the greatest Link Vs title of the 3 PS1 games. The Link Vs maps on this one are numerous and varied. MoA dropped tons of maps from PP and the new arenas like Moon are way too small and there's less of them. Part balancing is weird in MoA.... too many nerfs and has new, broken parts!? Also, he said Human+ grants OVERWEIGHT.... it doesn't. That's the 100% completion reward in AC1 and 2 iirc. I played these games for longterm competition with friends and family. The story isn't as important in these games for me. It's more about what I can do with the mechs in each game.
Human+ in AC 1-3+ was considered a cheat and looked down upon by the pros I met back in the day. Now in AC6 it's part of the story that you are a Human+! I always liked playing with Human+ and was so happy when AC4 started the trend that gamplay addtions from Human+ were the norm.
The first game's Chrome path (take Chrome's side, fight Murakumo) tells us that Murakumo did not develop the Human Plus technology, it predated the Great Destruction... hmmm... Also, the overweight bonus is nothing to do with H+. You get that by achieving 100% completion in each game (you start without it if you transfer your save, so you have to get it again by completing all of Phantasma's missions). The enhanced booster performance is actually just half booster drain. You don't go any faster at all, but you can maintain top speed for much longer, climb higher... all with the same build. Apart from that, nice work.
The moment you said you were having issues with the arena, I KNEW you were talking about Roughneck.😅 Got stuck in there for eternity as well back in the day!
This was the game where I trained myself to be a true Raven. Having rented in Blockbuster and completed AC1 game with human+ I bought this game with no regrets. I got all of my moves from my sensei Rank #6 Shadow from the arena.
"Doesn't feel anywhere as unfair as Nineball did" Oh man.. you're playing MoA next.. Well, looking forward to clicking on that video. The Human+ story is hilarious. But I think it is more rewarding to play without Human+. I also like that FROM rewarded people for playing the first game. You also get better at the game by playing without Human+. I do feel like PP is basically just an expansion but the issue here is again the limitations of hardware at the time. Console games couldn't just GET expansions like PC games could at the time. This was literally the best we could get in that context. For a 5 month dev time, I think it's astonishingly good, even if it was shockingly short and easy in comparison. The long green rifle is massively OP in PP, and while more balanced in MoA, still very good. Try it out.
The "Ignore Weight Restriction" wasnt actually a Human+ benefit, but a benefit from beating the story modes Armored Core 1 and 2. Armored Core 1 and 2 are very important because they are are the only ways to Human+ and the hidden parts. Project Phantasma and Another Age are incomplete Expansion Packs. Master of Arena is more like a Stand-Alone Expansion as in that game you can acquire all the hidden parts from Armored Core 1 and Armored Core Project Phantasma, but you did benefit a little from importing your Project Phantasma data. Project Phantasma introduced some new parts, like a new high-power Laser Cannon thats closer to the Grenade Launcher than the previous ones, and the FINGER Machine Gun. The FINGER is the most powerful weapon in any Armored Core Game. You get it by being #1 in the new Arena mode which kind of makes it a bragging rights reward as most of the difficulty is in the Arena. They nerfed it hard for Master of Arena and while they did bring in back in Silent Line it was so heavily nerfed it was more like a cameo/joke part.
I really look forward to seeing you play -AC 1 Remastered- Master of Arena. They learned a lot from Phantasma and it's definitely the one that is meant to lead into Armored Core 2 rather than AC 1. Stinger and Sumika were basically the first characters AC as a series had, looking back on it. (Aside from Nine Ball/Hustler One naturally.)
Not sure if you wanted to master the old style controls as a challenge/for authenticity but in the options submenu in system you can rebind controls to strafe with dpad and turn/look up and down with the face buttons and finally shoot/blade/change weapons/boost with the R/L1&2 which is a more like the analog stick controls introduced much later in the series. This configuration also makes it much easier to "bunny hop" which is the optimal way to move with bipedal legs since it allows you to stay mobile while being super evasive. Playing this way is really night and day different and it's really impressive that this old PS1 title allowed this kind of fluid and elegant movement system even though it seems clunky at first.
Yeah, I'm intentionally sticking with the original controls so I experience the game the way first-time players would've back in the day. I was going to rebind them through an emulator to be able to use the analog sticks, but felt like it would be too different of an experience from those that played on original hardware.
@@notcole you can still rebind your buttons in game though, right? I'm sure a lot of people started the game, and then immediately changed the controls
I recently played though Project Phantasma(and MoA) importing both the H+ and the non H+ profile and honestly H+ really does change the game. -I got into more areal battles with other ACs -Since the weight limit is off, you can equip the fastest, lightest legs you have and heavy generators and boosters and become speed - Arena fights become more dynamic since enemies will switch up their arsenal and fights become more anime I will say tho, while i love Project Phantasma, I think the enemy AI is kinda strange? a lot of ACs get stuck on geometry and or against walls and if you know how to Boost Jump, more often than not, you'll completely outpace them. Thankfully MoA fixes most of that. great video by the way!
Am Glad you're making a Review Videos on the Ps1's Armored Core Games. I didn't played the 1st one but I played AC Project Phantasma and Master of the Arena. Made me love Mecha genre games during my younger years.
My intro to the series was AC 6 and loved it so decided to play the original games on emulator so far i've beaten 1 and 100 percented Project Phantasma and i can honestly say that i actually like the 1st gen more than the 6th gen although some of the enemies in the Phantasma arena are OP and the controls take a bit of getting used to.
Huh, I recently played this game on a fresh save and it didn't take too much for me to get through the arena. There were a few tougher opponents for sure, but overall, I thought the difficulty was very manageable. You can absolutely get to the top of the arena without the need for Human Plus. Anyways, I do like Project Phantasma more than the original game in terms of its overall gameplay. However, I do like how the first game handles the lore side of things more. I hope you enjoy Master of Arena, as I think it's overall the best gen 1 game.
Yeah,but I bet it's easier for people like us who likely learned it when we were younger and had more time on our hands. Or at very least, I'm describing my own experience. My former roommate got a PS2 not too long ago. I picked up AC3 Silent Line and could play it just as well as I could years ago, lol. Muscle memory is amazing.
As someone who transferred their save the arena still sucked ass later down the line cause they get perfect aim rockets and have meta builds that are hard to compete with.
lol I beat the entire arena before i did any of the missions, i basically stormed through the story with the finger gun not just from how strong, but from how better i got at the game, the third place was rough to beat, i'm proud of beating all of them without human plus
Man.. I was expecting epic music and sound effects in AC6.. Armored Core: Project Phantasma , such a great game in PS1 fighting against Roughneck - without HumanPLUS - since I only played AC:PP and never played the original. You just have to be very nimble and use machine gun or maybe the high dmg laser rifle, Evangelion 01 style using PS1 controller. And ofc, it took many many attempts. Pilots after Rough neck is mostly easy.
When I was faced with an opponent that liked the sky or used weapons that had an arc, I’d use the Garage. If they stayed grounded, the Minefield. Otherwise, I use the Space Dome. And for easier wins? The large missile, Karasawa, magazine and moonlight.
I somehow scrapped up 75 bucks for a disc for the original Amored Core and I love it. Here’s hoping I can afford Project Phantasma by the time I finish with the original
The only good way I found to do rough neck is just go on some map with some building cover and run out his ammo, although i later found out verticle missles kinda trivalize a lot of fights so those might work too
i've been struggling my way through the arena for a while now. a few weeks maybe? not playing every day, but wow. it's incredibly difficult even with human plus. as soon as i land, i'm getting blown up, and then while i boost around, i usually can't see my opponent, even if i keep getting hit. win or lose, it tends to happen fast
These expansions of the first armored core, they have disappointed me, even though the addition of arena was cool, but the amount of field missions suck compared to the base game. A hack for armored core 1 where it brings together all the missions from all three armored core games with extra features would be the best way to play this game, I love to see that!
Hace como 10 años que no lo jugaba,y volvi a jugar de vuelta,esta vez jugue al ac1 consegui la partes ocultas,despues jugue al acpp fui a la arena,y nunca vi en ningun lado la configuracion que hice en el robot,tanto experimentar me divirtio y aprendi detalles,el primer rival en la arena dio un poco de pelea,despues cambie a esa configuracion pum! derrote como a 30 rivales,y nisiquiera me esforce-en el pasado termine todos los juegos de ps1 termine las arenas,sufri un poco,hay una forma de cheese enemigos de la arena,es un poco menos divertido pero es muy rapido,yo siendo piloto soy un 7 pero siempre le busco debilidades a los armored core,al 3 me la pase en nada arena
I find it interesting how you felt satisfied by Project Phantasma and not the original, for me Project Phantasma felt way too short and lacked much in terms of story, and I felt horribly underwhelmed by the final boss as I first tried it with over 75% of my AP remaining with my LW gremlin build
My only issue with the game is the overwhelming advantage that Weapon Arms give you. And I refuse to believe that Necron could realistically win against half of the Arena's participants, considering how busted some of these are. I played through the game (Also had to use weapon arms for the Final Battle) and now am stuck at Gepard. And the one before him I also only managed with weapon arms. Gepard himself uses a pair, which fire large Projectiles dealing a bit more than 1000 damage, which combined with their AoE melts any AC. And yes, I don't have Human +. But that shouldn't be a requirement, considering that it's rather easy to not go into debt
ohh right you didnt start a loaded save so no Karasawa -_-.... ohh well if you want to "finish" the arena through cheese the Forest Map has mines and the AI is dumb.... match those 2 together finishing the Arena in PP gives you... the WA-FINGER the MG that burns ALL including your credits
Yes, the FINGER is a terrifying weapon up close. It's combining a shotgun and a machine gun together that melts through any AC with low shell defense by firing 5 rounds at once with machine gun rates. That being said, very difficult to use outside of arena due to potential ammo cost.
I actually didn't really like Phantasma as much as AC1. While we had some awesome new parts to play with and the Arena, Phantasma's story and world felt far less interesting than the original AC. The original AC is you being caught up in power struggles where you're a middleman, a soldier to the highest bidder, and there's plenty of grey and grey morality. Phantasma, there's clear good and evil going on considering you're fighting the DOOMSDAY ORGANIZATION and that Project Phantasma will be bad for the world as a whole if it completes. There's clear good and evil here without any kind of question as to who is in the right here.
you'll reward in this if you 100% for this is no more overweight isee you improved your driving skill but you need more training try using narrow and deep lock box the smaller the better and improve your side dashing you do that by shoulder bottoms and the left or right dpad depends on your going while still locking your lock box side note Human+ is not cheating because ac4, a4, 5, since human plus there is gone it's passive
human+ is such a genius way of doing a easy mode! The way that it was integrated into the lore made my jaw drop when I first experienced it!
The sequels in the Armored Core franchise tend to be upgrades to the base numbered title. Master of Arena is one of my favourites, in fact. I can't wait to see your thoughts on that one.
The only exception to the rule is (arguably) AC2 and ACAA. But Master of Arena, Silent Line, Last Raven, and For Answer tend to be the series' most highly-acclaimed titles. Still, it's usually a good idea to import your save one way or another.
And by the way, beating AC1 without Human PLUS is a -good- thing. Human PLUS is essentially the "bad ending" of the game. The point is for you to beat the game without needing to rely on it, because your humanity and free will are about the only glimmer of hope remaining in the post-apocalyptic capitalist dystopia.
... but with Human+, this game is the greatest Link Vs title of the 3 PS1 games. The Link Vs maps on this one are numerous and varied. MoA dropped tons of maps from PP and the new arenas like Moon are way too small and there's less of them. Part balancing is weird in MoA.... too many nerfs and has new, broken parts!? Also, he said Human+ grants OVERWEIGHT.... it doesn't. That's the 100% completion reward in AC1 and 2 iirc. I played these games for longterm competition with friends and family. The story isn't as important in these games for me. It's more about what I can do with the mechs in each game.
Human+ in AC 1-3+ was considered a cheat and looked down upon by the pros I met back in the day. Now in AC6 it's part of the story that you are a Human+!
I always liked playing with Human+ and was so happy when AC4 started the trend that gamplay addtions from Human+ were the norm.
The first game's Chrome path (take Chrome's side, fight Murakumo) tells us that Murakumo did not develop the Human Plus technology, it predated the Great Destruction... hmmm...
Also, the overweight bonus is nothing to do with H+. You get that by achieving 100% completion in each game (you start without it if you transfer your save, so you have to get it again by completing all of Phantasma's missions).
The enhanced booster performance is actually just half booster drain. You don't go any faster at all, but you can maintain top speed for much longer, climb higher... all with the same build.
Apart from that, nice work.
The moment you said you were having issues with the arena, I KNEW you were talking about Roughneck.😅 Got stuck in there for eternity as well back in the day!
8 Months later, another Raven here. Same issue. Weaponarms in general on the later levels are scary af.
This was the game where I trained myself to be a true Raven. Having rented in Blockbuster and completed AC1 game with human+ I bought this game with no regrets. I got all of my moves from my sensei Rank #6 Shadow from the arena.
"Doesn't feel anywhere as unfair as Nineball did"
Oh man.. you're playing MoA next.. Well, looking forward to clicking on that video.
The Human+ story is hilarious. But I think it is more rewarding to play without Human+. I also like that FROM rewarded people for playing the first game. You also get better at the game by playing without Human+.
I do feel like PP is basically just an expansion but the issue here is again the limitations of hardware at the time. Console games couldn't just GET expansions like PC games could at the time. This was literally the best we could get in that context. For a 5 month dev time, I think it's astonishingly good, even if it was shockingly short and easy in comparison.
The long green rifle is massively OP in PP, and while more balanced in MoA, still very good. Try it out.
The "Ignore Weight Restriction" wasnt actually a Human+ benefit, but a benefit from beating the story modes Armored Core 1 and 2.
Armored Core 1 and 2 are very important because they are are the only ways to Human+ and the hidden parts. Project Phantasma and Another Age are incomplete Expansion Packs. Master of Arena is more like a Stand-Alone Expansion as in that game you can acquire all the hidden parts from Armored Core 1 and Armored Core Project Phantasma, but you did benefit a little from importing your Project Phantasma data.
Project Phantasma introduced some new parts, like a new high-power Laser Cannon thats closer to the Grenade Launcher than the previous ones, and the FINGER Machine Gun. The FINGER is the most powerful weapon in any Armored Core Game. You get it by being #1 in the new Arena mode which kind of makes it a bragging rights reward as most of the difficulty is in the Arena. They nerfed it hard for Master of Arena and while they did bring in back in Silent Line it was so heavily nerfed it was more like a cameo/joke part.
I really look forward to seeing you play -AC 1 Remastered- Master of Arena. They learned a lot from Phantasma and it's definitely the one that is meant to lead into Armored Core 2 rather than AC 1. Stinger and Sumika were basically the first characters AC as a series had, looking back on it. (Aside from Nine Ball/Hustler One naturally.)
Not sure if you wanted to master the old style controls as a challenge/for authenticity but in the options submenu in system you can rebind controls to strafe with dpad and turn/look up and down with the face buttons and finally shoot/blade/change weapons/boost with the R/L1&2 which is a more like the analog stick controls introduced much later in the series. This configuration also makes it much easier to "bunny hop" which is the optimal way to move with bipedal legs since it allows you to stay mobile while being super evasive. Playing this way is really night and day different and it's really impressive that this old PS1 title allowed this kind of fluid and elegant movement system even though it seems clunky at first.
Yeah, I'm intentionally sticking with the original controls so I experience the game the way first-time players would've back in the day. I was going to rebind them through an emulator to be able to use the analog sticks, but felt like it would be too different of an experience from those that played on original hardware.
@@notcole you can still rebind your buttons in game though, right?
I'm sure a lot of people started the game, and then immediately changed the controls
I recently played though Project Phantasma(and MoA) importing both the H+ and the non H+ profile and honestly H+ really does change the game.
-I got into more areal battles with other ACs
-Since the weight limit is off, you can equip the fastest, lightest legs you have and heavy generators and boosters and become speed
- Arena fights become more dynamic since enemies will switch up their arsenal and fights become more anime
I will say tho, while i love Project Phantasma, I think the enemy AI is kinda strange? a lot of ACs get stuck on geometry and or against walls and if you know how to Boost Jump, more often than not, you'll completely outpace them. Thankfully MoA fixes most of that.
great video by the way!
I beat the arena in this game without human+. Brutus is easily one of those iconic fights, like some sort of an arena speed bump.
Am Glad you're making a Review Videos on the Ps1's Armored Core Games. I didn't played the 1st one but I played AC Project Phantasma and Master of the Arena. Made me love Mecha genre games during my younger years.
My intro to the series was AC 6 and loved it so decided to play the original games on emulator so far i've beaten 1 and 100 percented Project Phantasma and i can honestly say that i actually like the 1st gen more than the 6th gen although some of the enemies in the Phantasma arena are OP and the controls take a bit of getting used to.
Huh, I recently played this game on a fresh save and it didn't take too much for me to get through the arena. There were a few tougher opponents for sure, but overall, I thought the difficulty was very manageable. You can absolutely get to the top of the arena without the need for Human Plus. Anyways, I do like Project Phantasma more than the original game in terms of its overall gameplay. However, I do like how the first game handles the lore side of things more. I hope you enjoy Master of Arena, as I think it's overall the best gen 1 game.
Yeah,but I bet it's easier for people like us who likely learned it when we were younger and had more time on our hands. Or at very least, I'm describing my own experience. My former roommate got a PS2 not too long ago. I picked up AC3 Silent Line and could play it just as well as I could years ago, lol. Muscle memory is amazing.
As someone who transferred their save the arena still sucked ass later down the line cause they get perfect aim rockets and have meta builds that are hard to compete with.
lol I beat the entire arena before i did any of the missions, i basically stormed through the story with the finger gun not just from how strong, but from how better i got at the game, the third place was rough to beat, i'm proud of beating all of them without human plus
I win arena without human+ ✌️
Same here. Human+ is something but there's a different feel to beating someone that has them while not having augmentation
I did it too, absolute sufering
Wow
I did it with base mech 🤌
at first rough neck pissed me off too, but I got good enough to beat him and that was what took me to the top. amazing game.
Man.. I was expecting epic music and sound effects in AC6.. Armored Core: Project Phantasma , such a great game in PS1 fighting against Roughneck - without HumanPLUS - since I only played AC:PP and never played the original. You just have to be very nimble and use machine gun or maybe the high dmg laser rifle, Evangelion 01 style using PS1 controller. And ofc, it took many many attempts.
Pilots after Rough neck is mostly easy.
Beat the arena without the human plus, Brutus and Dark Rider are the two most memorable fights for me.
When I was faced with an opponent that liked the sky or used weapons that had an arc, I’d use the Garage. If they stayed grounded, the Minefield. Otherwise, I use the Space Dome. And for easier wins? The large missile, Karasawa, magazine and moonlight.
The only last boss of AC that has the best laser weapon. THE DISCO LASER!!!
Like the first game, Project Phatasma was a heavy favorite, mostly due to the villain, Stinger. I even remade him in AC6.
My first armor core game was 3
So watching you play these older ones is so fucking cool, wish I had some of the old hardware to go back and play them
Proj Phantasma was what introduced me to AC and I love it!
I'm a tired meme format, I see Armored Core and I click.
I somehow scrapped up 75 bucks for a disc for the original Amored Core and I love it. Here’s hoping I can afford Project Phantasma by the time I finish with the original
@@wieldylattice3015 i got it for free
The only good way I found to do rough neck is just go on some map with some building cover and run out his ammo, although i later found out verticle missles kinda trivalize a lot of fights so those might work too
I ranked 1 at the arena without human+
What i did was only 1 place, the cave where they cannot fly around like sh*t.
i've been struggling my way through the arena for a while now. a few weeks maybe? not playing every day, but wow. it's incredibly difficult even with human plus. as soon as i land, i'm getting blown up, and then while i boost around, i usually can't see my opponent, even if i keep getting hit. win or lose, it tends to happen fast
It definitely takes some time to figure it out, but I know that if you stick with it you’ll get it down 🙂
@@notcole the night before 6 dropped, i finally managed to get 100% and get the finger. looking forward to master of arena, when i get around to it
These expansions of the first armored core, they have disappointed me, even though the addition of arena was cool, but the amount of field missions suck compared to the base game. A hack for armored core 1 where it brings together all the missions from all three armored core games with extra features would be the best way to play this game, I love to see that!
Hace como 10 años que no lo jugaba,y volvi a jugar de vuelta,esta vez jugue al ac1 consegui la partes ocultas,despues jugue al acpp fui a la arena,y nunca vi en ningun lado la configuracion que hice en el robot,tanto experimentar me divirtio y aprendi detalles,el primer rival en la arena dio un poco de pelea,despues cambie a esa configuracion pum! derrote como a 30 rivales,y nisiquiera me esforce-en el pasado termine todos los juegos de ps1 termine las arenas,sufri un poco,hay una forma de cheese enemigos de la arena,es un poco menos divertido pero es muy rapido,yo siendo piloto soy un 7 pero siempre le busco debilidades a los armored core,al 3 me la pase en nada arena
I find it interesting how you felt satisfied by Project Phantasma and not the original, for me Project Phantasma felt way too short and lacked much in terms of story, and I felt horribly underwhelmed by the final boss as I first tried it with over 75% of my AP remaining with my LW gremlin build
My only issue with the game is the overwhelming advantage that Weapon Arms give you. And I refuse to believe that Necron could realistically win against half of the Arena's participants, considering how busted some of these are. I played through the game (Also had to use weapon arms for the Final Battle) and now am stuck at Gepard. And the one before him I also only managed with weapon arms. Gepard himself uses a pair, which fire large Projectiles dealing a bit more than 1000 damage, which combined with their AoE melts any AC. And yes, I don't have Human +. But that shouldn't be a requirement, considering that it's rather easy to not go into debt
ohh right you didnt start a loaded save so no Karasawa -_-.... ohh well if you want to "finish" the arena through cheese the Forest Map has mines and the AI is dumb.... match those 2 together
finishing the Arena in PP gives you... the WA-FINGER the MG that burns ALL including your credits
Yes, the FINGER is a terrifying weapon up close. It's combining a shotgun and a machine gun together that melts through any AC with low shell defense by firing 5 rounds at once with machine gun rates. That being said, very difficult to use outside of arena due to potential ammo cost.
try these again with true analog?
ACPP is actually the prequel of AC1....not a sequel
I actually didn't really like Phantasma as much as AC1. While we had some awesome new parts to play with and the Arena, Phantasma's story and world felt far less interesting than the original AC.
The original AC is you being caught up in power struggles where you're a middleman, a soldier to the highest bidder, and there's plenty of grey and grey morality.
Phantasma, there's clear good and evil going on considering you're fighting the DOOMSDAY ORGANIZATION and that Project Phantasma will be bad for the world as a whole if it completes. There's clear good and evil here without any kind of question as to who is in the right here.
2 its done 13 more, goodluck
you'll reward in this if you 100% for this is no more overweight
isee you improved your driving skill but you need more training try using narrow and deep lock box the smaller the better and improve your side dashing you do that by shoulder bottoms and the left or right dpad depends on your going while still locking your lock box
side note Human+ is not cheating
because ac4, a4, 5, since human plus there is gone it's passive
1v1 me when you get to For Answer, I'll wait
Calling human+ easy mode? Pretty stupid seeing as how it works in PvP. Sounds like a necessary thing to me
Yeah, if you suck, lol
@dangerousdays2052 - More abilities make any AC game that much better.... grow up, fake masochist 👉🤡