The ending was actually pretty deep. For the entire game i thought the controller was this evil AI dictator that was murderously controlling humanity for some unknown purpose. But then i killed it, and the last thing it did before it died was open the doors to the pristine surface world. It didn't have to do that. It could have left humanity living underground in darkness and filth. So was the controller actually evil? Or did it actually care about humanity and was really doing what was best for us?
the missile problem is intentional in the game there are enemies that make missiles don't hit the target and jamming Rader etc. Another is they intentionally make the missiles to fly and launch very weird you need to know the proper distance and places to use your missiles. Example If you are in a tight space, you can't use missiles that shoot upward you need to use the missiles that shoot forward.
Also for some reason their starting arc is affected by the direction you're moving in. For whatever reason moving straight back, boosted or walking, makes them fly much straighter.
AC3 is definitely my favorite one. The music, the arena, the part selection, the story. Its got the best combination of all of those. Though Silent Line is a very close second, with better missions but a worse arena. My favorite little detail of 3 is that, whenever you think you're outside, you aren't. If you look up, there is no sun. But there are spotlights coming from above the clouds. Its an artificial sky, just like the theme song. I actually really like the pacing of the story in 3. The beginning is where you are just a mercenary. Nothing crazy has started happening yet, so you're just doing your job. But as you do, you start to hear and see some strange things happening. And finally, it all leads to you confronting The Controller. But that final battle wouldn't be as dramatic if you didn't have that initial period of normalcy to compare it to. And The Controller is my favorite antagonist from the series. They never fully explain what happened with it, so you get to make your own theories. Just like Dark Souls would do years later. Did it simply malfunction, and go crazy? Did it somehow decide that humanity was too dangerous, and needed to die? Was it being overprotective, and keeping humanity oppressed and in its cage because it thought that was the best option? Was this actually an intentional part of its programming, like a final test to see if humanity was capable of surviving on its own once again? Silent Line even raises more questions about The Controller, too.
I like how everyone is worried about you destroying the Controller. To the point when you actually get set up for taking the fake mission related to harm the Controller. And I had a funny idea right now. All this mess, all for the sake of finding out: is humanity still capable of taking action and making own decisions or not, after centuries of being controlled.
Nexus is recommended as a warm up for Last Raven. Since it has the same mechanics and controls (ignoring the unrefined new Heat mechanic) *and is the most forgiving of the Gen 3 games*
I played through Armored Core 3: Silent Line for probably thousands of hours. I didn't have a lot of money but I had that game, and I loved every minute of it. S ranking every mission became my goal with every mainline armored core game from that point on.
While it may not be Duel Analog, I did personally appreciate them letting you use the Left Analog Stick in place of the D Pad, even if the Controls for everything else remain the same XD AC3 was probably one of the more fun games for me, though I’m trudging through some of the others right now. Wonderful Video!
I was going to say, Ace isn't cheating. He's just got the OP Intensify optional part. Which is a part you can get and use. So it isn't cheating. Also, i was so stubborn that i refused to have any arena matches in any map other than the arena. Meaning i got stuck on ace for weeks before i finally beat him. But because of that i also got really good at the game.
AC3 added a lot of good polish to the series, but yeah its first half is pretty slow. Though I will say, its spin-offs just keep getting better. Silent Line is my personal favourite, and I'd argue that Last Raven is the 'best' in the entire franchise. I like the mech/part designs the most in the third generation, and I love how tight the controls feel. Everything feels perfectly weighty, and yet you have full control over your entire mech. Every subsequent game adds tons more parts and features. The ability to train AI and craft your own arena in Silent Line is just the coolest thing ever.
@@seb24789 yeah, that’s true for the most part. Super Zinaida is on a different level though. Her aggression is maxed out, and her loadout hits surprisingly hard. If you’re not careful, she’ll dance circles around you and get up in your face the whole time while stun locking you
I started out with Armored Core series with 2 but 3 was amazing in terms of design, vibe, music that I still play to this day, best menu music, and overall best gameplay.
It amazes me how quickly you can release these videos, especially with how nicely written your scripts are. Cant wait to see you play the rest of them! And honestly, i (personally) would really like longer and more detailed vídeos about AC in the future
AC3 and ACSL were my absolute fav. It's where I truly grew as a pilot and this is the game that changed how I viewed and played video games in general. (Thanks to an old friend who brutalized the shit out of me)
You're not done with the kino, Silent Line/Nexus and LR and ACFA right up there with AC3 imo. All of these games are among my favorite vidya ever made. Great review man. AC6 soon! aaaaa!
AC3 and SL perfected what AC2 started, even though AC2 and AA are my favorite AC games. You had unprecedented control over your AC and with real skill you could you could be totally untouchable for prolonged engagements, not just expecting to pop a shield and out dps your opponent with a meta build (in fact there is one mission in AC3 were you must complete it with no damage to unlock a part, something that's very possible in this game). Most of the best parts are available from the get go in the shop (looking at you AC6)
Last Raven is the perfect Armored Core. The portable version has the most parts in all the series. It has 6 endings, has the HARDEST boss in all Fromsoftware games. Human+ can be used with cheats if you want to trivialize the game, but the PVP is well balanced even without it.
Nice vid as always. I don't think there's time to finish these before 6, but I hope you finish this series anyway since your analysis is short and sweet and nice to watch. Silent line and Last Raven are really highlights of the series but the latter game is long because of the different mission paths/endings. You'll also get your dual analogs in Nexus but that game is also very divisive. I actually liked that shop is in the garage and this will come back perfected in LR. And I agree that Ace is one of the hardest #1 ranked arena combatants in the series IMO. If you're reading this before staring SL you should finish OP intensify before going in if you plan on using it; it's way harder to get in SL.
I definitely won't be finished with the videos by the time 6 comes out, but I still plan to see the series through, including 6 🙂 I'll be playing 6 on Friday when it drops, so hopefully it doesn't mess with the quality of that video when I get around to it 😅
I loved Armored Core 3 to bits. It was my first mech game. My brother and I played it for hours and hours. If the controls weren't so wonky, im sure it'd hold up much better today than it already does.
I really, really hate to tell you this, but if you struggled with the top ranker in this game, then you aren't beating Last Raven. He's.. absolute cake compared to what you have coming your way. My recommendation is that when you get to Nine Beaker that you do not skimp on it, even though it will be tempting as it has no actual story missions. Last Raven is *SO HARD* that they actually released a game before it specifically to help you get better. It's kind of ridiculous. Also, I'd love to see your thoughts on those Lost Field missions in Another Age. A little short video of going back to AA and your feelings about doing the secret final missions would be cool to see! I felt AC3 had a much faster and smoother feel to it compared to my last AC2AA play through, and blading was completely revamped, making it much more viable compared to AC2 and its very awkward invisible hard lock / auto-homing with blades. Especially since the blade dash would stop if you touched literally anything while going forward. AC3 also has introduced having the H+ blade wave technique as a standard ability now, if I recall. It just over all was a 100% upgrade in how melee combat worked. Of course.. despite that, I still went with a left handed howie as well.
I don't understand why anyone would want to play LR the way the fans talk about it. I'm happy 3 and SIlent Line became some of my all time fav games and I'm happy not playing Nexus or LR
Last Raven just FEELS really good to play with dual analog controls. The part tuning is just right and you aren't so restricted in movement like you were in Nexus. Once you learn how to play it, it's fun.
@@FSVR54 Well Nexus isn't really that hard, but it did focus a little too heavily on the heat meta, I think. Last Raven like all sequel games assumes you played the games before it. So it assumes you've built up skill after playing AC3, Silent Line, Nexus, and most of all, Nine Breaker.. Which appears to have been released specifically to help you get better as a pilot before Last Raven. After all, Nexus' ending leads directly into the story for Last Raven. It is also VERY similar to Another Age where it expects you to refit your AC specifically for every mission and it has a lot of Gotcha moments so if you aren't frugal with your ammo, you will get fucked. The fact that it expects you to already be a high skill player and it has these added challenges means you'll be replaying a lot of missions. But a lot of them aren't too difficult either. Specifically anything involving the Pulverizers is pretty easy. Which was very disappointing to me since they were presented as a custom built counter specifically designed to take down Armored Cores and then they just... didn't. It's the most challenging game by far, but I don't regret playing it and have a lot of memories from it which I am very fond of. I recommend you give these games a chance. There's no shame in saying they're not for you, but I think if you liked Armored Core up through Silent Line then you owe it to yourself to at least give these other entries a little nibble and see if they suit your pallet.
I kinda like how you obtained Human Plus in the previous games. There's something so distopian about becoming a test subject for an augmentation program just to clear your debt.
If you play AC 3 from the PsVita of the PSP version you can use dual analog sticks, & they even added some new weapons & parts in the PSP version if I recall correctly.
Your channel is awesome I played through all the Armored Core games right before AC6’s launch now i’m getting into Ace Combat i’m about to start Ace combat 3 very chill content to binge love it.
Unlike AC6 where it's not really all that noticable, missile performance in the 3rd gen games are HEAVILY effected by multiple parts on your AC. You FCS being your biggest contributor, if you have a radar attached to your AC or not, or if your AC's head has a built in radar, the tracking capabilities of the missile launcher it self, AND OP-intensify upgrades (Enhanced radar and improved accuracy upgrade). Fromsoft ingeniously slipped this little detail in that they don't even explain, you just notice it with experience. A big give away of the radar capability of a head part is to look and see if it has an antennae, and if it does, how advanced does the antennae look. The 3rd Gen games were master pieces
@@kiddfaz I absolutely respect your praise and agree it’s justified. But I can’t help but find it hilarious giant mechs need tiny little antennas to have any hope of being effective with missiles 😂 Personally I think AC6 is the over all their best AC game. But I gotta go back and play 4 again since it’s been so long. For answers was the only one in the franchise my child brain couldn’t handle. I have to redeem myself now that I’m IRL human+
@@ToliG123 well they don’t NEED antennaes, it just enhanced the performance, just like real world war machines. Battle ships, tanks, artillery vehicles, pretty much any military vehicle has antennaes to enhance battle field performance. Hell even fighter jets have them built into the tail wings I can’t get behind AC6 being the best. There was just so much missing, especially after playing masterpieces like Silent Line and Last Raven
although each AC game released on ps2 had variances. like controls. or some parts ( we can even include loss of limb) as well as menu layout and depth of gameplay. i have to say that the ps2 era of armored core was as close to perfect you can get in that era of gaming with this particular genre. With that said! as the consoles grew the game was left behind. the closest thing we had to an upgrade was 4. and that felt unfamiliar and strange in comparison to everything else. ( still a great game tho) and then when V released. i thought to myself " from soft definitely grew apart from us, all is lost" i call it the AC shaped object''. has all the marks but is basically a clone game. i will agree that AC3 gave us the best there was to offer. just more depth. last raven is a close second lol.
11:07 - Need to correct you on this one: Ace's build isn't Overweight at all. You can build it yourself and it'll operate just fine. I've used his build a number of times, part for part, without ever hitting the weight limit Ace only "cheats" in that he has the abilities of OP-INTENSIFY without having the part itself equipped since he clearly has a part that lowers the red emergency energy area associated with his generator. Otherwise, anything Ace does with that build, you can do as well.
I played the AC games starting in the late 90s with the PS1 era into the PS3 era. I loved the PS2 games the most especially this one and Silent Line. I likely put in 2000 plus hours into AC3 unlocking everything and getting the highest ranks especially in the arena. The arena gets very difficult in the higher levels and that took about a year and a half to get thru. There are some fun secret levels like fighting on the surface of mars and the moon. I think AC2 was more difficult in some ways. But multilplayer was fun as well.
my method for dealing with ace was building a heavyweight hover ac and backing myself in a corner to entice him to jump on my head (AI loved to do this for some reason in portable 3) or within site close enough to flamethrower and howitzer them to death... this is also how I dealt with quite a few of the more springy pilots actually since I was still getting the movement down for the game lol
AC 3 is fascinating in that it is a twist on the original story formula. It's not a straight reboot like Master of Arena was for AC 1. But it's very much a 'What if the original game's AI didn't hide itself?' setup.
I have to wonder how ace was the toughest fight instead of royal mist Unless he got killed off in a mission before that and you didn't fight him. Also did you fight exile? Hes The Matthias of this game
I do think AC3/Silent Line is peak AC and encapsulates everything the series is loved for. Last Raven is my favorite but there is a lot to nitpick about it so I can't confidently say it's peak.
I managed to find an approach to Ace by exploiting his love to stay above you. Flying all the way up to the ceiling is suicide with his aim, so I decided to stay on the ground, then I just looked up and circled, while he tried to circle me. BB was nothing, surprisingly. For the Exile, weeeell screw Exile, I just cheesed that mf with large rockets in his face point blank. I'm kinda glad you haven't faced him. As for the game itself, hell I like it. Can't tell I like it more than 2 - this has a special place in my heart as first AC game. But what I definitely like more is music and story. Pacing is okay, there's gotta be a room for new Ravens to get used to controls. Speaking of controls, I'm not too excited about hard target locks and sticks usage later in the series (is there any though? I'm not aware, but assume it). Honestly, I just don't want to re-learn this skill, all the encounters so far pushed our limits (and patience) and forced us to get better at controlling our AC.
I don't know if someone has already mentioned it before, but it is now possible to get ACs from PS1 to SL (PS2) with a true analogue hack. Allows lateral movements with left stick and controlling aiming with right stick. It even has a spoken language option in Japanese, maintaining the texts in English. I'm just starting to try them and it's a bit difficult for me since I've been used to the classic tank-type controls for years. 😅
So for those who dont know, the ending is basically that the Controller was never malfunctioning. But it wanted Humanity to think it was, as Humans were supposed to return to the surface but were too dependent on the Controller, so it decided to make Humans think it was going to destroy layered so Humanity would break their dependence on the Controller, destroy it, and return to the surface. Edit: There was a survey team dispatched to the surface years before the events of the game, and the surface was healed, but Humanity choose to remain in Layered.
This is a translated section from the Armored Core 10 Complete Works File “The Administrator, who had hitherto been a selfless servant, suddenly began to act hostile to humanity. In response, people who had rebelled against the control of the administrators formed a counter-organization, the Union, which led to violent armed conflict between the two sides. Eventually, the administrator is destroyed by humanity, and the people finally break away from the layered. It was reconstructed from the underground to the above-ground world. However, some argue that the manager's policy shift is due to a pre-scheduled program. From that point of view, the administrators, who judged that the above-ground environment had been revived to be suitable for human life, launched an offensive action to test whether humanity had enough power to migrate from underground to the surface. And when the administrator is destroyed by mankind, the program is accomplished and humanity is rebuilt on earth. However, this is only one theory, and now that the administrator is gone, there is no way to get to the bottom of it.”
Hey fun fact! Theres actual dual analogue mods for the game, but the PVP people I've met actually prefer standard controls. The reasoning is the same as a fighting game for different reasons, its easier to have good movement with Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Directions.
love that we're hearing some kota hoshino tracks, here wish he would take more of a role in still making fromsoft music, he switched positions because he can't read musical notation, which i feel is such a shame
It's a shame that he spent so many years doing just audio design, but he actually was the lead composer for Armored Core VI's OST! Speaks a lot to the man's passion for AC music 🙂
To be fair the missile's you were using for a lot of this video weren't particularly great. We call those side winders in the community and a lot of ac games have a version of them. They got lots of ammo but are kinda pointless since they miss so much. Theoretically they are like that to avoid anti missile systems but i doubt its worth it.
Were you able to find some online pvp? Someone told me that there’s a community of people still playing pvp in these games, got some online stuff working. The real beauty of this game was being competitive with everyone around you who played. I mean it consumed our lives, we were too young to have real lives.
Ac3 story is really good. I definitely felt the impending doom coming to humanity as the controller malfunctions. And we become the saviors and the change the world needed
Honestly Nexus is my favorite because the balance is the best imo. I found this gen more enjoyable even if heat management is harsh, you can also use it to your advantage vs. other ACs.
There's a certain charm... That old school graphics forced devs of the time to really squeeze out every ounce of artistic choice that newer games and consoles just don't show anymore. Except FromSoft. Fromsoft has consistently shown they'll always put their artistic choices and story elements first. I'm glad they never changed in that regard.
I like Armored Core 3 the best of the 3rd generation games, both early and late. Everything after it introduced problems and I think FromSoftware was just doing the minimum, patching things to release a game every year. The rebooted story wasnt something I liked, being a remake of Armored Core 1/Master of Arena. One of the big issues if not the biggest, is the removal of the Human+, and moving it to be a new OP-Intensify part. You only got after beating the game, and completing specific tasks to unlock individual bonuses. Using it meant you couldnt use any other Optional slot parts, like reduced energy weapon drain. I HEAVILY used Tank legs and Cannons until the post-game. The second was the ranking system. in AC-3 you have to go through the single player mode to raise your Rank, which allows you to fight Arenas enemies of that rank. It also locks you out of some other things as you have to reach high ranks in each mission. Trying to S-Rank every mission was very tedious, and just padded out the game to redo missions over and over for top-ranks. I remember in previous armored core games where I would try to clear the arenas before tackling the mission modes past the tutorial. Requiring the player to progress through missions then stop to go into the arena and vice-versa was just annoying. I remember clearing Armored Core 2s arena before I played Mission 2 of the campaign. The Consort System was cool in theory, but basically useless because it reduced the rank of missions. It was more interesting to hear how these MTs were actually piloted by people, and they had stories. It was also cool sometimes seeing the pilots graduate to being Ravens with their own Armored Cores. The new addition of off-hand guns were interesting, but also weak. You had a flamethrower and howitzers. The howitzers fired with a noticeable delay and slow projectile speed, meaning easily evaded against evasive enemies. The flamethrower required to get almost into Laser Blade range and hold the button, so thats 3 buttons to keep pressed in combat. In fact overall I think the only thing I really liked about Armored Core 3 overall was that some of the guns were better than in Armored Core 2. The back-mounted Laser Cannons, Plasma Cannons, and Pulse Cannons were better than in AC2, but not as good as Armored Core 1.
the ps2 games do a good job of giving AI ACs OP-Intensify before you ever come close to getting it yourself. Wait until you play the games that don't let you have it at all. Silent Line (and Last Raven) more or less require you to import your AC from the previous game too or else the early game is harder/you have access to much less parts.
I didn't find ace too difficult, I actually found a few of the other pilots more difficult, bet ace on first go to be fair with little ap left. This is probably cos I started with last raven in the franchise.
@@inquinimaris I didn't. Didn't had the patience to deal with his stealth bullshit. I've seen people beat him by using the backwards boost and machine gun trick though.
I'm currently downloading Fires of Rubicon, which may or may not change this opinion, but for me, AC3 is the best in the series so far, I'd even go as far as to put it into my top 20 games of all time.
Weirdly, AC6 reminds me the most of Gen3 than any other generation. It had a lot of Gen4 and Gen5, make no mistake. But I the designs, maneuverability, and weapons are a LOT like Gen3. Many of the parts are right out of Gen3. The combat is definitely a bit different, though.
From growing up playing all sorts of mech based video games based off of MechWarrior, these types of nerds aren't looking for a first person game with robot skins. Armored core nerds are similar to MechWarrior nerds as we are looking for a simulation experience. That is why Armored Core 3 is the epitome of robot warfare simulation on a console as the other options are Steel Battalion and that was far from affordable for any average gamer. When Square Soft left the simulation controls and adopted first person shooter I lost interest. Just didn't feel like I was hunking around a 4 ton mech anymore.
@@notcole a couple ACs From wanted you to have extra fun fighting (no spoilers) use that trick. The code for H+ is technically still in the game, almost completely unchanged, so all they have to do is flip it and presto! Extra OP AC fight.
Its funny that you consider Ace to be the strongest fight so far, as hes generally considered to be the weakest Ninebreaker in the series. Wait until you meet Daemon...
0/10 because I missed the Karasawa on my playthough and was very sad :( No, but seriously, of the first 3 gens, this was probably my favorite, I think if not for the controls that by the time I got to this one I was just sick of, it would likely be my favorite if not for AC4A.
Wow! This game is so mid. My favorite game in the Soulscore franchise either has to be Elden Ring or Bloodborne! I also can't wait for the AC6 hitless runs
The ending was actually pretty deep. For the entire game i thought the controller was this evil AI dictator that was murderously controlling humanity for some unknown purpose.
But then i killed it, and the last thing it did before it died was open the doors to the pristine surface world. It didn't have to do that. It could have left humanity living underground in darkness and filth. So was the controller actually evil? Or did it actually care about humanity and was really doing what was best for us?
the missile problem is intentional in the game there are enemies that make missiles don't hit the target and jamming Rader etc. Another is they intentionally make the missiles to fly and launch very weird you need to know the proper distance and places to use your missiles. Example If you are in a tight space, you can't use missiles that shoot upward you need to use the missiles that shoot forward.
Also for some reason their starting arc is affected by the direction you're moving in. For whatever reason moving straight back, boosted or walking, makes them fly much straighter.
AC3 is definitely my favorite one. The music, the arena, the part selection, the story. Its got the best combination of all of those. Though Silent Line is a very close second, with better missions but a worse arena.
My favorite little detail of 3 is that, whenever you think you're outside, you aren't. If you look up, there is no sun. But there are spotlights coming from above the clouds. Its an artificial sky, just like the theme song.
I actually really like the pacing of the story in 3. The beginning is where you are just a mercenary. Nothing crazy has started happening yet, so you're just doing your job. But as you do, you start to hear and see some strange things happening. And finally, it all leads to you confronting The Controller. But that final battle wouldn't be as dramatic if you didn't have that initial period of normalcy to compare it to.
And The Controller is my favorite antagonist from the series. They never fully explain what happened with it, so you get to make your own theories. Just like Dark Souls would do years later.
Did it simply malfunction, and go crazy? Did it somehow decide that humanity was too dangerous, and needed to die? Was it being overprotective, and keeping humanity oppressed and in its cage because it thought that was the best option? Was this actually an intentional part of its programming, like a final test to see if humanity was capable of surviving on its own once again? Silent Line even raises more questions about The Controller, too.
I like how everyone is worried about you destroying the Controller. To the point when you actually get set up for taking the fake mission related to harm the Controller.
And I had a funny idea right now. All this mess, all for the sake of finding out: is humanity still capable of taking action and making own decisions or not, after centuries of being controlled.
Wait till you play Silent Line & Last Raven.
Till you play AC for answer
@@hare75 LR better
Nexus is recommended as a warm up for Last Raven. Since it has the same mechanics and controls (ignoring the unrefined new Heat mechanic) *and is the most forgiving of the Gen 3 games*
I appreciate the Aoko picture
@@derpi3438same
I played through Armored Core 3: Silent Line for probably thousands of hours. I didn't have a lot of money but I had that game, and I loved every minute of it. S ranking every mission became my goal with every mainline armored core game from that point on.
While it may not be Duel Analog, I did personally appreciate them letting you use the Left Analog Stick in place of the D Pad, even if the Controls for everything else remain the same XD
AC3 was probably one of the more fun games for me, though I’m trudging through some of the others right now.
Wonderful Video!
AC 3 and SIlent Line are the peak of the series imo
there is a duel anolog mode mod its on cd romance
Thank god for emulation
I was going to say, Ace isn't cheating. He's just got the OP Intensify optional part. Which is a part you can get and use. So it isn't cheating.
Also, i was so stubborn that i refused to have any arena matches in any map other than the arena. Meaning i got stuck on ace for weeks before i finally beat him. But because of that i also got really good at the game.
AC3 added a lot of good polish to the series, but yeah its first half is pretty slow. Though I will say, its spin-offs just keep getting better. Silent Line is my personal favourite, and I'd argue that Last Raven is the 'best' in the entire franchise. I like the mech/part designs the most in the third generation, and I love how tight the controls feel. Everything feels perfectly weighty, and yet you have full control over your entire mech.
Every subsequent game adds tons more parts and features. The ability to train AI and craft your own arena in Silent Line is just the coolest thing ever.
“Ace will be the hardest encounter for the series”
Super Zinaida has entered the chat
Never played LR myself, but isn't every single AC in that game a full OP-I death machine that makes Ace look tame? Except the player of course.
@@seb24789 yeah, that’s true for the most part. Super Zinaida is on a different level though. Her aggression is maxed out, and her loadout hits surprisingly hard. If you’re not careful, she’ll dance circles around you and get up in your face the whole time while stun locking you
Super psp zinaida has entered the chat*
Nine Ball Seraph: **AMATEURS**
Ace may be tough, but he was easier to deal with than Kaiser. Fuck Royal Mist.
I started out with Armored Core series with 2 but 3 was amazing in terms of design, vibe, music that I still play to this day, best menu music, and overall best gameplay.
It amazes me how quickly you can release these videos, especially with how nicely written your scripts are. Cant wait to see you play the rest of them! And honestly, i (personally) would really like longer and more detailed vídeos about AC in the future
AC3 and ACSL were my absolute fav.
It's where I truly grew as a pilot and this is the game that changed how I viewed and played video games in general. (Thanks to an old friend who brutalized the shit out of me)
Silent Line is divisive, but I think it's the best.
I have more nostalgia for 3, but like SL more.
They're basically the same game. I like them equally, because they are so samey
You're not done with the kino, Silent Line/Nexus and LR and ACFA right up there with AC3 imo. All of these games are among my favorite vidya ever made.
Great review man. AC6 soon! aaaaa!
What if the controller did not really go mad / power hungry but set itself up to be destroyed.
AC3 and SL perfected what AC2 started, even though AC2 and AA are my favorite AC games. You had unprecedented control over your AC and with real skill you could you could be totally untouchable for prolonged engagements, not just expecting to pop a shield and out dps your opponent with a meta build (in fact there is one mission in AC3 were you must complete it with no damage to unlock a part, something that's very possible in this game). Most of the best parts are available from the get go in the shop (looking at you AC6)
Last Raven is the perfect Armored Core. The portable version has the most parts in all the series. It has 6 endings, has the HARDEST boss in all Fromsoftware games. Human+ can be used with cheats if you want to trivialize the game, but the PVP is well balanced even without it.
Nice vid as always. I don't think there's time to finish these before 6, but I hope you finish this series anyway since your analysis is short and sweet and nice to watch. Silent line and Last Raven are really highlights of the series but the latter game is long because of the different mission paths/endings. You'll also get your dual analogs in Nexus but that game is also very divisive.
I actually liked that shop is in the garage and this will come back perfected in LR. And I agree that Ace is one of the hardest #1 ranked arena combatants in the series IMO.
If you're reading this before staring SL you should finish OP intensify before going in if you plan on using it; it's way harder to get in SL.
I definitely won't be finished with the videos by the time 6 comes out, but I still plan to see the series through, including 6 🙂
I'll be playing 6 on Friday when it drops, so hopefully it doesn't mess with the quality of that video when I get around to it 😅
I always thought the ps2/ps3 controller just wasn't good with dual stick for shooting.
I loved Armored Core 3 to bits. It was my first mech game. My brother and I played it for hours and hours. If the controls weren't so wonky, im sure it'd hold up much better today than it already does.
You also forgot to mention the music is peak. Milk is a banger and Artificial sky IV is a mastapiece
I really, really hate to tell you this, but if you struggled with the top ranker in this game, then you aren't beating Last Raven. He's.. absolute cake compared to what you have coming your way. My recommendation is that when you get to Nine Beaker that you do not skimp on it, even though it will be tempting as it has no actual story missions. Last Raven is *SO HARD* that they actually released a game before it specifically to help you get better. It's kind of ridiculous.
Also, I'd love to see your thoughts on those Lost Field missions in Another Age. A little short video of going back to AA and your feelings about doing the secret final missions would be cool to see!
I felt AC3 had a much faster and smoother feel to it compared to my last AC2AA play through, and blading was completely revamped, making it much more viable compared to AC2 and its very awkward invisible hard lock / auto-homing with blades. Especially since the blade dash would stop if you touched literally anything while going forward. AC3 also has introduced having the H+ blade wave technique as a standard ability now, if I recall. It just over all was a 100% upgrade in how melee combat worked. Of course.. despite that, I still went with a left handed howie as well.
I don't understand why anyone would want to play LR the way the fans talk about it. I'm happy 3 and SIlent Line became some of my all time fav games and I'm happy not playing Nexus or LR
Last Raven just FEELS really good to play with dual analog controls. The part tuning is just right and you aren't so restricted in movement like you were in Nexus. Once you learn how to play it, it's fun.
Blade wave being standard is actually a late 3rd gen thing not early
@@FSVR54 Well Nexus isn't really that hard, but it did focus a little too heavily on the heat meta, I think.
Last Raven like all sequel games assumes you played the games before it. So it assumes you've built up skill after playing AC3, Silent Line, Nexus, and most of all, Nine Breaker.. Which appears to have been released specifically to help you get better as a pilot before Last Raven. After all, Nexus' ending leads directly into the story for Last Raven.
It is also VERY similar to Another Age where it expects you to refit your AC specifically for every mission and it has a lot of Gotcha moments so if you aren't frugal with your ammo, you will get fucked.
The fact that it expects you to already be a high skill player and it has these added challenges means you'll be replaying a lot of missions. But a lot of them aren't too difficult either. Specifically anything involving the Pulverizers is pretty easy. Which was very disappointing to me since they were presented as a custom built counter specifically designed to take down Armored Cores and then they just... didn't.
It's the most challenging game by far, but I don't regret playing it and have a lot of memories from it which I am very fond of. I recommend you give these games a chance. There's no shame in saying they're not for you, but I think if you liked Armored Core up through Silent Line then you owe it to yourself to at least give these other entries a little nibble and see if they suit your pallet.
@@procow2274 Ah, I never used it, so I'm not sure where it came back. I'm a left hand fire arm kind of man, ya know?
I kinda like how you obtained Human Plus in the previous games. There's something so distopian about becoming a test subject for an augmentation program just to clear your debt.
If you play AC 3 from the PsVita of the PSP version you can use dual analog sticks, & they even added some new weapons & parts in the PSP version if I recall correctly.
DAMN I'm missing a lot of context regarding his personal journey with the franchise lmao
Your channel is awesome I played through all the Armored Core games right before AC6’s launch now i’m getting into Ace Combat i’m about to start Ace combat 3 very chill content to binge love it.
Unlike AC6 where it's not really all that noticable, missile performance in the 3rd gen games are HEAVILY effected by multiple parts on your AC. You FCS being your biggest contributor, if you have a radar attached to your AC or not, or if your AC's head has a built in radar, the tracking capabilities of the missile launcher it self, AND OP-intensify upgrades (Enhanced radar and improved accuracy upgrade). Fromsoft ingeniously slipped this little detail in that they don't even explain, you just notice it with experience. A big give away of the radar capability of a head part is to look and see if it has an antennae, and if it does, how advanced does the antennae look. The 3rd Gen games were master pieces
@@kiddfaz I absolutely respect your praise and agree it’s justified. But I can’t help but find it hilarious giant mechs need tiny little antennas to have any hope of being effective with missiles 😂
Personally I think AC6 is the over all their best AC game. But I gotta go back and play 4 again since it’s been so long. For answers was the only one in the franchise my child brain couldn’t handle. I have to redeem myself now that I’m IRL human+
@@ToliG123 well they don’t NEED antennaes, it just enhanced the performance, just like real world war machines. Battle ships, tanks, artillery vehicles, pretty much any military vehicle has antennaes to enhance battle field performance. Hell even fighter jets have them built into the tail wings
I can’t get behind AC6 being the best. There was just so much missing, especially after playing masterpieces like Silent Line and Last Raven
Thats the first video where i got the story of AC3. Thank you very much
Don't forget about the amazing OST 😀
Grew up with AC3 and SL. Came out when I was still in high school and it is still my favorite. AC6 is an absolutely amazing soft reboot, however.
You’re speaking style is well paced and easy to understand. Good commentary as well.
Hope the algorithm favors your channel!
although each AC game released on ps2 had variances. like controls. or some parts ( we can even include loss of limb) as well as menu layout and depth of gameplay. i have to say that the ps2 era of armored core was as close to perfect you can get in that era of gaming with this particular genre.
With that said! as the consoles grew the game was left behind. the closest thing we had to an upgrade was 4. and that felt unfamiliar and strange in comparison to everything else. ( still a great game tho) and then when V released. i thought to myself " from soft definitely grew apart from us, all is lost" i call it the AC shaped object''. has all the marks but is basically a clone game.
i will agree that AC3 gave us the best there was to offer. just more depth.
last raven is a close second lol.
11:07 - Need to correct you on this one: Ace's build isn't Overweight at all. You can build it yourself and it'll operate just fine. I've used his build a number of times, part for part, without ever hitting the weight limit
Ace only "cheats" in that he has the abilities of OP-INTENSIFY without having the part itself equipped since he clearly has a part that lowers the red emergency energy area associated with his generator. Otherwise, anything Ace does with that build, you can do as well.
1st and favorite AC series. Arena ACE, Barchetta and especially the Exile fight was still one of the best to beat.
I played the AC games starting in the late 90s with the PS1 era into the PS3 era. I loved the PS2 games the most especially this one and Silent Line. I likely put in 2000 plus hours into AC3 unlocking everything and getting the highest ranks especially in the arena. The arena gets very difficult in the higher levels and that took about a year and a half to get thru. There are some fun secret levels like fighting on the surface of mars and the moon. I think AC2 was more difficult in some ways. But multilplayer was fun as well.
my method for dealing with ace was building a heavyweight hover ac and backing myself in a corner to entice him to jump on my head (AI loved to do this for some reason in portable 3) or within site close enough to flamethrower and howitzer them to death... this is also how I dealt with quite a few of the more springy pilots actually since I was still getting the movement down for the game lol
AC 3 is fascinating in that it is a twist on the original story formula. It's not a straight reboot like Master of Arena was for AC 1. But it's very much a 'What if the original game's AI didn't hide itself?' setup.
I have to wonder how ace was the toughest fight instead of royal mist
Unless he got killed off in a mission before that and you didn't fight him.
Also did you fight exile? Hes The Matthias of this game
I do think AC3/Silent Line is peak AC and encapsulates everything the series is loved for. Last Raven is my favorite but there is a lot to nitpick about it so I can't confidently say it's peak.
I managed to find an approach to Ace by exploiting his love to stay above you.
Flying all the way up to the ceiling is suicide with his aim, so I decided to stay on the ground, then I just looked up and circled, while he tried to circle me.
BB was nothing, surprisingly.
For the Exile, weeeell screw Exile, I just cheesed that mf with large rockets in his face point blank. I'm kinda glad you haven't faced him.
As for the game itself, hell I like it. Can't tell I like it more than 2 - this has a special place in my heart as first AC game. But what I definitely like more is music and story. Pacing is okay, there's gotta be a room for new Ravens to get used to controls.
Speaking of controls, I'm not too excited about hard target locks and sticks usage later in the series (is there any though? I'm not aware, but assume it). Honestly, I just don't want to re-learn this skill, all the encounters so far pushed our limits (and patience) and forced us to get better at controlling our AC.
I don't know if someone has already mentioned it before, but it is now possible to get ACs from PS1 to SL (PS2) with a true analogue hack. Allows lateral movements with left stick and controlling aiming with right stick. It even has a spoken language option in Japanese, maintaining the texts in English. I'm just starting to try them and it's a bit difficult for me since I've been used to the classic tank-type controls for years. 😅
So for those who dont know, the ending is basically that the Controller was never malfunctioning. But it wanted Humanity to think it was, as Humans were supposed to return to the surface but were too dependent on the Controller, so it decided to make Humans think it was going to destroy layered so Humanity would break their dependence on the Controller, destroy it, and return to the surface.
Edit: There was a survey team dispatched to the surface years before the events of the game, and the surface was healed, but Humanity choose to remain in Layered.
This is a translated section from the Armored Core 10 Complete Works File
“The Administrator, who had hitherto been a selfless servant, suddenly began to act hostile to humanity. In response, people who had rebelled against the control of the administrators formed a counter-organization, the Union, which led to violent armed conflict between the two sides. Eventually, the administrator is destroyed by humanity, and the people finally break away from the layered. It was reconstructed from the underground to the above-ground world. However, some argue that the manager's policy shift is due to a pre-scheduled program. From that point of view, the administrators, who judged that the above-ground environment had been revived to be suitable for human life, launched an offensive action to test whether humanity had enough power to migrate from underground to the surface. And when the administrator is destroyed by mankind, the program is accomplished and humanity is rebuilt on earth. However, this is only one theory, and now that the administrator is gone, there is no way to get to the bottom of it.”
Yup AC3 is still one of my favorites and the best of the old controllers layout
Third gen, best gen!
...
I'm not saying this was my first Armored Core game, but I'm definitely not saying it WASN'T my first Armored Core.
Armored Core is analogous to Monster Hunter, each entry adds more, but the third generation is the sweet spot.
5:20 All of third gen has a map in the mission select iirc
If I had to rank my favorite Armord Games it would be 2>3>FA>MoA>AC>AC:PP>4. Only played a bit of gen 5 and haven't played late ps2 games.
Hey fun fact! Theres actual dual analogue mods for the game, but the PVP people I've met actually prefer standard controls. The reasoning is the same as a fighting game for different reasons, its easier to have good movement with Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Directions.
love that we're hearing some kota hoshino tracks, here
wish he would take more of a role in still making fromsoft music, he switched positions because he can't read musical notation, which i feel is such a shame
It's a shame that he spent so many years doing just audio design, but he actually was the lead composer for Armored Core VI's OST! Speaks a lot to the man's passion for AC music 🙂
To be fair the missile's you were using for a lot of this video weren't particularly great. We call those side winders in the community and a lot of ac games have a version of them. They got lots of ammo but are kinda pointless since they miss so much. Theoretically they are like that to avoid anti missile systems but i doubt its worth it.
Keep the videos coming man. I've always been a mecha fan, but I've always been the world's worst AC player. So I'm living through you.
Were you able to find some online pvp? Someone told me that there’s a community of people still playing pvp in these games, got some online stuff working. The real beauty of this game was being competitive with everyone around you who played. I mean it consumed our lives, we were too young to have real lives.
Ac3 story is really good. I definitely felt the impending doom coming to humanity as the controller malfunctions. And we become the saviors and the change the world needed
Can't believe you didn't mention the Seraph or Phantasma fights.
Honestly Nexus is my favorite because the balance is the best imo. I found this gen more enjoyable even if heat management is harsh, you can also use it to your advantage vs. other ACs.
Last Raven will BREAK you.
It was my first Armored Core game. Probably put 1000 hours into this game.
3/SL is the peak!
9:48 I could see how D-14’s name could be misconstrued 💀 also Birthyear game woohoo ‘02
AC 3 is the best, let's hope AC6 finally surpasses the king.
There's a certain charm...
That old school graphics forced devs of the time to really squeeze out every ounce of artistic choice that newer games and consoles just don't show anymore.
Except FromSoft.
Fromsoft has consistently shown they'll always put their artistic choices and story elements first.
I'm glad they never changed in that regard.
I like Armored Core 3 the best of the 3rd generation games, both early and late. Everything after it introduced problems and I think FromSoftware was just doing the minimum, patching things to release a game every year.
The rebooted story wasnt something I liked, being a remake of Armored Core 1/Master of Arena.
One of the big issues if not the biggest, is the removal of the Human+, and moving it to be a new OP-Intensify part. You only got after beating the game, and completing specific tasks to unlock individual bonuses. Using it meant you couldnt use any other Optional slot parts, like reduced energy weapon drain. I HEAVILY used Tank legs and Cannons until the post-game.
The second was the ranking system. in AC-3 you have to go through the single player mode to raise your Rank, which allows you to fight Arenas enemies of that rank. It also locks you out of some other things as you have to reach high ranks in each mission. Trying to S-Rank every mission was very tedious, and just padded out the game to redo missions over and over for top-ranks.
I remember in previous armored core games where I would try to clear the arenas before tackling the mission modes past the tutorial. Requiring the player to progress through missions then stop to go into the arena and vice-versa was just annoying. I remember clearing Armored Core 2s arena before I played Mission 2 of the campaign.
The Consort System was cool in theory, but basically useless because it reduced the rank of missions. It was more interesting to hear how these MTs were actually piloted by people, and they had stories. It was also cool sometimes seeing the pilots graduate to being Ravens with their own Armored Cores.
The new addition of off-hand guns were interesting, but also weak. You had a flamethrower and howitzers. The howitzers fired with a noticeable delay and slow projectile speed, meaning easily evaded against evasive enemies. The flamethrower required to get almost into Laser Blade range and hold the button, so thats 3 buttons to keep pressed in combat.
In fact overall I think the only thing I really liked about Armored Core 3 overall was that some of the guns were better than in Armored Core 2. The back-mounted Laser Cannons, Plasma Cannons, and Pulse Cannons were better than in AC2, but not as good as Armored Core 1.
The controller scheme did take me some getting used to. I assumed it would use both analog sticks logically. I was wrong.
hardest so far, my sweet summer child, wait till last raven
If you thought ACE was bad, you should fight Exile. His anti-lock-on is a real B and he dogs you constantly!
XD Pirates! XD
"I'm got a minigun!"
"I've got a Jar of Dirt!"
XD
I have fond memories of AC3.
parking lot and cave maps were life savers in early games to counter the games artificial difficulty.
You never even played this game 😂
the ps2 games do a good job of giving AI ACs OP-Intensify before you ever come close to getting it yourself. Wait until you play the games that don't let you have it at all.
Silent Line (and Last Raven) more or less require you to import your AC from the previous game too or else the early game is harder/you have access to much less parts.
Ac3 was my 1st ac game. I loves it
I didn't find ace too difficult, I actually found a few of the other pilots more difficult, bet ace on first go to be fair with little ap left. This is probably cos I started with last raven in the franchise.
No crazy boss? Did he skip Exile? That guy makes Ace look like target practice.
I wanna know how you beat him, unironically.
@@inquinimaris I didn't. Didn't had the patience to deal with his stealth bullshit. I've seen people beat him by using the backwards boost and machine gun trick though.
@@seb24789 Yeee, I feel that.
Aside from AC6, AC3 + AC:SL were probably the best. Silent Line is basically an expansion for AC3.
I'm currently downloading Fires of Rubicon, which may or may not change this opinion, but for me, AC3 is the best in the series so far, I'd even go as far as to put it into my top 20 games of all time.
see you on Rubicon 😎
Weirdly, AC6 reminds me the most of Gen3 than any other generation. It had a lot of Gen4 and Gen5, make no mistake. But I the designs, maneuverability, and weapons are a LOT like Gen3. Many of the parts are right out of Gen3. The combat is definitely a bit different, though.
Ya, but dat AC:4A speed doe
We don't talk about Zinaida...
Master of Arena is gold.
To me AC 3 was the most balanced of the old games. I enjoyed a lot.
I'm enjoying this series
From growing up playing all sorts of mech based video games based off of MechWarrior, these types of nerds aren't looking for a first person game with robot skins. Armored core nerds are similar to MechWarrior nerds as we are looking for a simulation experience. That is why Armored Core 3 is the epitome of robot warfare simulation on a console as the other options are Steel Battalion and that was far from affordable for any average gamer. When Square Soft left the simulation controls and adopted first person shooter I lost interest. Just didn't feel like I was hunking around a 4 ton mech anymore.
Where can I find artwork that you use for thumbnail? It looks wallpaper worthy
here you go king: www.pxfuel.com/en/desktop-wallpaper-fotxo
@@notcole Thank you
Milk is my favorite armored core song lol
rightfully so, it’s a banger 🙂
agreed it's a solid 8!
I know I probably won't get an answer, but what is the name of the song that plays at 14:02, I've been looking everywhere but it keeps evading me
I believe it's called Administrator 🙂
@@notcole Thanks, by far one of the best tracks in the game
Personally AC2 (NOT AA) is my favorite that I've played.
Just wait until you play armored for 4 and 4 answers.
11:38 that is actually incorrect. Ace has straight up H+, as he has other optional parts equipped, which is impossible with OP-I.
even better 🙃
@@notcole a couple ACs From wanted you to have extra fun fighting (no spoilers) use that trick. The code for H+ is technically still in the game, almost completely unchanged, so all they have to do is flip it and presto! Extra OP AC fight.
Been playing psp port while waiting on tarkov raids. I fear of breaking it from moving around so much xD
I’ve only played this game on PSP. It’s as painful as you think it is.
I love tank controls.
Apple Boi!!!
Apple Boy Cosplay = Best Build
Its funny that you consider Ace to be the strongest fight so far, as hes generally considered to be the weakest Ninebreaker in the series. Wait until you meet Daemon...
Yo fight Exile dawg
0/10 because I missed the Karasawa on my playthough and was very sad :(
No, but seriously, of the first 3 gens, this was probably my favorite, I think if not for the controls that by the time I got to this one I was just sick of, it would likely be my favorite if not for AC4A.
I love the Karasawa in AC2, it was such a badass weapon with a badass design.
Streets ahead...
Pretty much yes
The hardest economic in the series 💀
Wait Ace is Hard? harder than Royal Mist???? no freaking way
Wow! This game is so mid. My favorite game in the Soulscore franchise either has to be Elden Ring or Bloodborne! I also can't wait for the AC6 hitless runs
Again, when you get to nexus and last raven you'll cream. but by then you'll probably just be playing 6 at that point.