Reception
Reviewers praised the gameplay of Armored Core, highlighting the depth of customization options afforded to the player. Game Revolutions Nebojsa Radakovic wrote, "A ballpark figure for possible combinations is in the very high millions," and added, "The variety of weapons is also a definite plus."[6] GameSpots Joe Fielder similarly praised the depth of options available, stating, "Almost as charming as the gameplay are the upgradable options for the mech".[3] Kraig Kujawa of Electronic Gaming Monthly felt the amount of customization was the best aspect of the game.[20] GamePro attested that "robot mechanics will have a great time shopping through the detailed onscreen catalogs and fine-tuning their killing machines."[25]
The local multiplayer was positively received, with Radakovic calling it "a sure-fire recipe for intense death matches for the fate of the universe."[6] Adam Douglas from IGN agreed, referring to the multiplayer as "The real meat of the game".[4] Next Generation noted the immense size and great variety of the multiplayer arenas.
A common complaint from reviewers was that the speed of turning is too slow. IGN, Next Generation, and GamePro all commented on this, with Douglas describing it as his "only complaint".[4][26][25]
Radakovic praised the graphics, writing they were "excellent with a high attention to detail."[6] AllGame's Shawn Sackenheim agreed with this, describing, "Crisp texture maps with little pixelation and distortion carry visuals to a new level."[2] Next Generation had a different outlook, stating, "while crisp, [they] do lean a little to the bland side".[26] Fielder wrote, "Its graphics ... are fitting and workable."[3]
Reviewers both praised and criticized the soundtrack, which was described as being fitting and lacking depending on the source. Game Informer's consensus was that, "All the sounds are appropriate and the soundtrack is as thumping as it can get."[22] Radakovic disagreed, writing, "there is little to no background music in the game; so mostly all you hear is the sound of gunfire and metallic footsteps."[6] GamePro commented, "The effects are the stars of the audio show with great blasts and clanking metal body parts. The fusion music tries hard but quickly gets repetitive."[25]
Armored Core's story was criticized as unoriginal and underdeveloped, while some reviewers also commented on the length of the campaign. Game Informer's Andy McNamara stated, "If you're looking for something with plot, you aren't going to find it here".[22] Douglas felt that the missions were "pretty straightforward".[4] Radakovic wrote that the developers "don’t get an award for plot originality" and mentioned that he felt the campaign was too short, saying, "50 missions may sound like a lot, but they can go by pretty quickly if you know what you’re doing."[6] However, most critics felt that the inclusion of a story campaign with sophisticated missions put Armored Core a cut above its contemporary Virtual On: Cyber Troopers, which contains only small-scale mech vs. mech fights.[20][26][25] Kujawa even found that the increasing difficulty of the missions can force the player to adapt their play style as well as upgrading their mech.[20]
The game held a 75% on the review aggregation website GameRankings at the time of its 2019 closure, based on eight reviews.[17]
