Armored Core 2

The Good
If you have never played any games from the armored core series, you are in for a treat but if you have played other mecha games, get prepared to get used to some of the nagging mechanics that come with controlling your robot or mech. AC2 is one of the 1st games that came out for the PS2. Being in the batch of the first generation of PS2 games, the graphics are very impressive and the art direction is very vibrant but not entirely original. AC2 does best what AC has done for the past couple of years since the birth of its series - upgrading the hell out of your core. Although AC2 lacks in new features, it does add a few wrinkles to add some flair to the game. Some of these "wrinkles" include the ability to super Overboost for a short amount of time, radiators, extensions, and core parts. Boosting gives you that added advantage of passing by (or passing through) a heavily gunned territory. Radiators give your ACs that added ability to dissipate heat and retain cooling during heated battles.

The Bad
While utilizing the Overboost looks really fun, your'll find yourself precharging before Overboost for 10 minutes before you get into the uncontrollable stops as you play through the rest of the game. Since most of your missions are comprised of sneak and destroy or covert operations you'll find yourself using this ability less and less. But in the arenas (where you'll fight ACs 1 on 1), it is really useful. Most of the time though I use it just because it looks so damn cool. As for graphics, this is a really good start for 1st gen PS2 games. It isn't as vibrant or detailed as some 1st gen games (i.e. Bouncer), but it does its job really well. There are the occasional hiccups in performance when a couple of very detailed ACs pose for the screen but other than that it is a huge upgrade from ACs cardboard box of yesteryear. There are also times where it can get slow during times you need to go fast and not get shot but those times are far and rare in between. The missions are plentiful but not very original. Most of the time, you'll find yourself protecting something or obtaining the item. There is the occasional one against all odds but the missions are done moderately well.

The story in AC2 continues from the original but there is nothing worth noting from this sequel that stands out from other games of this type.

Exerpt: A war was waged that required the surviving inhabitants of the planet to seek refuge underground, which is where all the battles from the previous Armored Core games took place. Now, it's decades later. The surface that was once uninhabitable is beginning to blossom again. The corporations, noticing that their underground resources were nearly spent, decide to form an alliance. Working together, they're able to begin repopulating the surface.

The Bottom Line
The story is not that great but AC2 has a variety of game modes and it is a good solid game for your collection, especially if you're into this type of game but for those who aren't into mecha games, you need to look elsewhere.

The Good
What's great about this is that you can customize your AC with hundreds of parts. There are 50 missions altogether, and 54 AC pilots you can challenge.

The Bad
Paying for ammo and repairs in almost all missions. No damage effects, and you have one way to melee attack.

The Bottom Line
If you feel like blowing up stuff, have a challenge when fighting other ACs, and have time on your hands, Armored Core 2 is just for you.