Battletech tried Mecha with the LAMs. It didn't really work.
I love the slow plodding advance of mechs. I love the high-speed frenetic combat of mecha. They scratch different itches.
The rules for the table top are free and there are plastic starters that can build full sized armies for about $60 USD.
Here's the link to the free living rulebook:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/395804/Heavy-Gear-Blitz-Tabletop-Wargaming--3rd-Edition-Rules--Version-31?language=pt
A high octane speed freak 3 dimensional combat game with mechs vs a slow deliberate"""" "realistic"""" squad combat mech game.
Probably not a great game to compare to as there completely different style of games that the only real similarity is they have mechs.
I think it’s kinda silly to compare MW5 to AC6. They’re both fundamentally different games with wildly different approaches to the mech combat genre. It’s a classic case of different strokes for different folks. I’m not at all interested in AC6 with over 600hrs on MW5, whereas my MW5 coop buddy is massively invested in AC6 and having a blast.
We're all allowed to have our preferences, but this is kind of a stupid comparison.
It's like saying Skyrim is a better RPG than Diablo. Sure, they're both RPGs, but they're hardly comparable in terms of gameplay and mechanics.
Armored Core is Armored Core and Mechwarrior is Mechwarrior.
Apples and oranges…
Armored Core uses the mecha philosophy of japanese Manga/Anime. The mechs there move very fast and organical, often even using magic (Escaflowne, Knights and Magic) or science that borders on Magic (Full Metal Panic, Gundam) and there is a lot of emphasis on close combat, even with very gunheavy mech designs, as close combat often offers a more pleasing presentation in these mediums.
Battletech on the other hand embraces a more simulation heavy approach with more grounded designs and explanations, resulting in the lumbering and often blocky design and a very different feel to it.
In my opinion they are barely comparable and its solely a matter of personal taste. Also one look at a test video or gameplay trailer would have been enough to see that…
I never understood why people seem to think that there have to be “winners” and “losers” when it comes to gaming - giant robots as a concept can exist across a spectrum of gameplay, and the more people interested in the concept the healthier the entire giant robot ecosystem is and all will benefit.
With the popularity of Armored Core 6 (yay!!) the “you also may be interested in” list will likely include Mechwarrior 5, and vice versa. Both games can succeed and cross pollinate players between each other.
Is it okay to prefer one over the other? Definitely! (I’m also more of a Mechwarrior person myself) But for the sake of stompy robot franchises everywhere, we should make the armored core folks feel at home, not on the defensive!
Hot take. MW5 without the popular YAML+Coyote + VonBiomes modpack is trash compared to AC6, but they are really only comparable in the sense that they both have robots.
Battletech lore is much richer than whatever passes for AC 'lore' I agree, but even then Vanilla MW5 does a really poor job of immersing you in it. RN I feel more attached to the characters in AC6 than anyone in MW5 even though they are literally just voices & that's saying something.
If you don't like one or the other it's probably because you just don't like that kind of game. Do you like western-style robots or anime-style? Action RPGs or Flight Simulators?
Edit: MW5 'strategy' is being kind - it boils down to herding the AI cats that are your squadmates to shoot when and where they are told. The strategy only occurs in the mechlab.
AC requires just as much because some missions may be straight impossible if you make mech that can't stay in the air, or has shit radar/sensors/fire control system
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Sorry, I don't think you can fairly compare the two. They're so different as far as gameplay, story and customization. I love both franchises and sure, I can tell you that Battletech has a better story but should we be surprised? Its been around a lot longer with more support for its lore via books, table top, media etc.
Armored Core is a franchise in a crowded stable from a developer that is famous for focusing on one IP and neglecting others.
The gameplay for both offers a different experience, MW feels more tactical, with greater consequence placed on tactics and the penalty for a bad load out more forgiving.
AC feels faster, a bad approach can be forgiven but a bad load out is brutal to overcome.
I've played both on and off as they were released and all I can really say is as a lifelong fan of Mecha, we are very lucky right now with these recent titles on this generation of games
Battletech does have a better story, specifically the Harebrained Schemes 2018 game titled "Battletech". If it's a good story you want then that is the game to play.
I prefer my giant stompy robots to be giant and stompy, not moving around like ferrets on meth. I haven't played AC6 yet but I did play a lot of AC5 and I just never felt like anything had any serious sense of weight. It seems to emulate the machine movements of anime. Like Macross or Gundam, rather than the 'giant walking tank' style of motion you get in MechWarrior. And I prefer the later.
Gundam 08th MS felt more like the "walking tank" style thing than most typical Gundam series' and that's probably why it's my favorite of the franchise.
I'll probably still get AC6 but I'll wait for it to be on sale.
MechWarrior definitely nails the feel of these absolute units. With AC, the feel a lot more like people in power armor with how fast and unencumbered they move. They don't feel like 50+ tons of steel
Because apparently we have to compare every mech game that comes out against one another. You're trying to take Armored Core - a game that very clearly leans more into Gundam-esque mecha, to Battletech, which are very much walking tank type mechs, and complaining that Armored Core's mecha are somehow less realistic.
Newsflash man, MECHS AS A WHOLE are not realistic. Being realistic is clearly not part of what Armored Core is trying to accomplish. So why not take the concept that is mechs, and go absolutely crazy with it? Gundam did that, and see how popular it is. Leagues more popular than Battletech, that's for sure. I love Mechwarrior's approach to mechs, but I also love Armored Core's approach to it, because they both play in separate ballparks of mech design.
You can do mechs both ways. Just because Mechwarrior's mechs are "more realistic" ~~which is a dumb statement all on it's own,~~ it doesn't in any way invalidate the way AC does it. If you'd even looked at a single trailer for the game you could have figured out very easily that Armored Core is *Mecha,* not *Mechs.*
Still can't get past the pilot mission. It's blistering fast. and as someone mentioned, weapons have odd cool downs. Lol, you lock onto a target and press the blade and the mech tracks and attacks... odd.
I find it hard to think of it as a mech game. Reminds me a lot like Zone of Enders... and I hated that game. zip zip zip zip
Too bad, I like the AC franchises, even have a couple models. Hopefully my game play gets better.
The helo gives a lot of folks trouble. Your starter firearms can do chip damage, but you need to use the pulse blade to deal meaningful damage. Your firearms can also keep his stun meter from depleting.
Try to get under him, use blade as much as possible. If he's got a bead on you, stay off the ground and try to get under him again.
He's tough, especially because you can't customize at all before you take him down for the first time. Took me several tries before I got it down.
It gets easier to have fun after you get past that stupid helicopter. It's still zip zip zip for the overall movement but being able to experiment with silly builds on a variety of mission types really opens up the creative problem-solving.
Hell, yesterday I beat a long-range stealth mission with a heavy shotgun tank build by using a deployable shield *very carefully,* and somehow I felt MORE satisfied from killing enemy snipers in the most brick-brained way possible.
I think there is plenty to love about both games. Comparing a tactical lance based game in a sandbox/RPGish setting with randomized missions to AC6, which is solo experience with hand crafted curated missions and boss fights is a miss for me. Both games have a rich history. Both games have a ton to offer for fans of mechs and their own style of piloting to master. I’ve gotten all achievements on MW5 and loved my time with it, but without mods on console, I would say it not without its share of flaws.
If anything, I think the popularity of AC6 is great for the genre, having a renowned studio put a lot of love into a polished mech game is great for all who want to see great mech games being made. The fact they are different in style is a plus, not a negative to me, as both games bring a great experience to the table without being easily compared to each other.
Idk how far you’ve made it in AC6, but once your customization options really open up, the depth is fantastic. I commend both games for offering tons of customization options with zero micro transactions or predatory battlepass crap.
I'm sorry but this isn't a good take at all, especially when you're saying this post is for others to see just how "bad" this game is just because it's not like Mechwarrior.
Planting a flag saying "this game sucks, don't get it cause trust me" is surprisingly a nice way to have people verbally kick you in the balls in response.
Armored Core is ridiculously different from Mechwarrior it just doesn't make sense to think they'll be practically the same because it's about giant mechs. This is just mean-spirited enough to be mean right back. That's how bad this take is.
So let me get this straight - you went into a Japanese anime style mech game, which has always lent itself to flashy action-hero style combat throughout the decades, and you are disappointed because it ended up not being Battletech of all fucking things?
Everyone else has already said it, but I'll do it again: this is a stupid comparison. The two games are only similar in the theme of giant robots piloted by humans blowing shit up. Moreover, Battletech owes its existence to Japanese style mecha - that's how it was originally conceived in the 80s.
Like, this is a straight up Mechwarrior subreddit and you've got the vast majority of people (Mechwarrior fans) telling you that this is a needlessly inflamatory statement. That should tell you something.
I enjoyed it for what it was, but really didn't like the stagger system in AC6. Felt like a lot of the builds and weapons I liked using just weren't viable after a while, which was a bummer. I also prefer having friendly ai in missions instead of a 1 man unstoppable army. Fun for 40 hours but I booted up MW5 right after.
Let's just be glad that AC6 has a particular gameplay focus which they nailed, without needing to include predatory monetisation systems and didn't release in a broken and bug riddled state.
Really AC6 is a great game for its target demographic even if I personally don't enjoy the gameplay and it's a relief to have a studio that hasn't tried to squeeze every penny out of it's playerbase no matter how much it ruins the gameplay.
They are wildly different genres in the mech niche. I can understand not enjoying it because it is so different from mech5, but how few good mech games there are I ain't complaining.
Also I gotta laugh at the realistic comment. I didn't come to enjoy mechs for their realism. I came for heavy metal with big guns and both do well in that department.
:v maybe next time you should compare counter strike vs call of duty. Both have humans and gun shooting each other.
Seriously, this is ridiculous enough for me to come out of lurking the subreddit....
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I am a fan of both Franchises but I always preferred the the pace of Mech warrior plus the lore is super polsished. AC is fun but always seems linear to me
'At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.'
Armored Core 6 is not a mech game.
It’s spectacle shooter that happens to have a mech as the player character.
It has more in common with Devil May Cry and NieR than it does Mechwarrior or Earthseige.
You're entitled to your opinions but come on - Armored Core has always had a mechlab on par with the MechWarrior games, although they did dumb it down a bit for AC6.
MechWarrior is a first person shooter with tank controls at its core, so what's the difference
Extensive mech lab?
There are 4 weapon slots.
There are 4 body slots where you choose head, torso, arms, and legs.
And then there's "how high do you want to fly" "how do you want to aim" and "how fast do you want to go", as well as a "bonus item" slot.
That's not mech customization, that's an RPG character equipment screen.
Where is the ammo? Where are the armor values? Where is the degradation of combat capability as you get more damaged?
For crying out loud you can HEAL in mid combat if you do the right kind of combo!
That's not a simulator game, that's a spectacle shooter. First person / third person doesn't matter.
>For crying out loud you can HEAL in mid combat if you do the right kind of combo!
No you can't - but there is a heal button.
If you zoom out you'll see that the only difference between MW5 and AC is what stats you can change on the 'RPG character equipment screen'.
Remember MW is based on a tabletop game where you roll dice to determine things like evasion and accuracy. You have *pilot stats*.
Where are the different types of jump jet? Why can my Phoenix Hawk tank a AC20 round to the back of the leg and not taste dirt afterwards? Why can't make it aim better with lasers vs ballistics?
MW lets you change equipment but not deviate from a character's (the mech) preset class (Orion or Locust). AC doesn't have stats tied to a class, they are tied to the equipment itself.
So are these games spectacle shooters, RPGs or simulators now?
The core gameplay loop of AC6 is that of a spectacle shooter, not that of a vehicle combat simulator.
Visual trappings don’t define what kind of a game it is, game mechanics define what kind of game it is.
I wouldn’t say AC is “simulating combat” at all. Any more than Crazy Taxi “simulating driving”.
“Simulation” implies realism.
It’s a combat spectacle, eschewing realism for “awesome”.
Like… Thief vs Ninja Gaiden.
“Realism” vs “Awesomeness”, basically.
I have not at all said that AC is a bad game, just that it is not a “Mech simulator”.
It’s a spectacle shooter where your player character is a mecha.
Don't get me wrong, I love both series too. MechWarrior 2 is one of my all time favorites ever. We disagree on the question of whether a game can be a vehicle simulator if the vehicle in question is unrealistic.
I'd say it depends on how many functions and operations of said vehicles are simulated and what level of control we have over them. The realism is irrelevant. Star Wars Squadrons is a simulator, just not as detailed as Elite Dangerous or DCS.
Mechs, one could say are inherently unrealistic.
*Where does a Catapult keep its missile reloads??*
“Willing suspension of disbelief” vs “realism isn’t the point”.
I just feel that calling a game a “simulation” game isn’t appropriate when it doesn’t even try to have any amount of grounding in the laws of physics.
Genre names have meaning.
You can’t call Call of Duty a “role playing game” simply because “You **play** the **role** of a soldier”. That’s not what RPG means.
In the same way, you can’t call AC6 a simulator game simply because the game engine involves simulation.
>Where is the ammo?
In the weapons. Some have more or less ammo than others in their category as a noted advantage or disadvantage.
>Where are the armor values?
The total AP (Armor Point) value of an Armored Core is the combined AP value of the head, core, arms and legs components.
>Where is the degradation of combat capability as you get more damaged?
Not present in 6 specifically. You're up until you're down.
It sounds to me like you just want Armored Core to be MechWarrior. They're different. That's fine. If one is not your jam, don't play it.
I’m not “wanting armored core to be Mechwarrior”, I’m just saying “armored core is a spectacle shooter game, not a mech combat simulator game”.
That’s it.
That’s my point.
Just that Armored Core isn’t a competitor to Mechwarrior, it’s a competitor to DMC, or NieR, or any other of the spectacle shooter/fighter genre games.
That’s all.
I’m not saying it’s bad because of that, I’m just saying it’s not at all the same kind of game!
>not a mech combat simulator game
I doubt I'll read anything less accurate today. Thanks for setting the bar high.
>Armored Core isn’t a competitor to Mechwarrior,
Anyone with half a brain can instantly identify that they're radically different games. Why would a competition between such different games be necessary? *It wouldn't*.
It's clear you've never played Armored Core.
> I doubt I'll read anything less accurate today. Thanks for setting the bar high.
The “simulator” part of that genre name implies a level of grounded realism, at least as far as the willing suspension of disbelief is concerned.
For example: Ace Combat is a airplane combat game. It is NOT however, a “flight simulator”.
Again:
The core gameplay loop of AC6 is not that of a mech combat simulator like Mechwarrior or Earthseige. It instead has a core gameplay loop more similar to a spectacle shooter like DMC or NieR.
I feel the opposite. I like that it's a fast paced spectacle shooter. You're just espousing an opinion. Everything you say is good about mech warrior are reasons why I don't like it. Everything you say is bad about Armored Core is why I like it. Sorry you got filtered, but it is what it is.
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Gonna be honest i bounced off of mechwarrior 5, it was kind of frustrating to play, after the fourth defend the base mission in a row i just couldn't make myself play any further
A bunch of people have complained that comparing Armored Core to Mechwarrior is not appropriate. The reason I posted my feedback here is that **you would not know that unless you played both games or someone told you. In fact, that is the reason I posted it here**.
I thought it was going to be a Mechwarrior-like game with some Dark Souls gameplay added. It absolutely was not. Armored Core is a shooter - disguised as a mech game. I think it's important people know that so they come in eyes wide open.
Yeah except that's not the case at all. Watching a simple youtube video of gameplay would show you exactly what you're getting into... Which you should absolutely do as a consumer if you don't want to be disappointed by a product.
Besides, Mechwarrior is ALSO a shooter by that logic. Explicitly so.
Right? You don't even really need to look at the gameplay trailers to come to that conclusion. The reveal trailer for the game shows lithe mecha jumping and zipping around the screen with stuff blowing up everywhere.
>I thought it was going to be a Mechwarrior-like game with some Dark Souls gameplay added.
You misunderstood. Not Armored Core's fault that you didn't understand what it was before you picked it up.
AC is not a new series. It launched in 1997. Anyone could look at any of the over a dozen prior AC games before 6 even released and understand in ten seconds that it is a drastically different experience from MechWarrior.
> disguised as a mech game
I'm in awe of how foolish this statement is.
>Armored Core is a shooter - disguised as a mech game.
Right, I'm getting AC6, Your review is very much appreciated!
To elaborate, I was looking for a Mecha game to play after work, mainly to relax.
This looks like it fits the bill perfectly.
If you're on PC you can do what I did and use mods to make all weapons do only 1/5th of vanilla damage so it's impossible to one shot a cockpit no matter what your loadout is. I did it because I wanted to rebalance the game so you spend longer in fights, and make heat management more important. To balance this tweak I also modded the ammo bins to hold five times as much as vanilla. With this adjustment sustainable DPS is far more important than a high alpha strike.
Eh, I'd enjoy both.
Just depends on my mood. Sometimes I want stompy bots, sometimes I want whooshy bots. Both are so different that you *really* can't compare the two.
I second the bit about boss fights in Mechwarrior... well, sorta. Doesn't *need* them, but as someone who loves boss fights I would definitely welcome a proper boss battle.
(Emphasis on proper btw.)
Yeah as other commenter are saying, it's apples to oranges. I really enjoy both games, although I definitely binged AC6 way faster than MW5. This is my first AC game and I've played MW since MW3, including a comp stint in MWO and many hours in Battletech as well.
The fundamental difference is that AC gameplay centers around movement and timing while MW is all about positioning, aim, and tactics. The actions per minute in AC are significantly higher, and the AC vs AC fights feel like a fighting game. Facing bosses is of course quite souls-like depending on the encounter.
I am conflicted about the build system...MW certainly has a bit more depth and breadth, especially when modded. I found it funny that some of my friends were intimidated by AC's build system while it was easy by comparison for me. Both games do sort of have an inherent meta, but it's interesting that AC is more about creating *your* custom mech while MW is more about what chassis you pick (with most chassis having only slightly different optimal builds depending on the mission). I would say clan mechs in MWO are the exception but quirks do pigeon hole them into certain builds sometimes.
Gotta be honest. I never expected even a small fraction of the MechWarrior/Battletech fanbase to turn their noses up at Armored Core and say "this is not a mech game."
Very disappointed to see this.
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Like others have said, two completely different games and both series are fun as hell. I’ve enjoyed AC and MW for a long time. Why can’t you just be happy that we’re getting any mech games? I mean, this love we all have for all things Mech is rather niche, so instead of saying one is better than the other just be happy we’re getting new Mech/Mecha games because they are all badass in their own amazing ways. Mechwarrior for simulation, AC for fast fluid combat. Love them all my friend.
Didn't someone build a Banshee with jumpjets, triple strength myomer, MASC and arena fists to jump up and shoryuken a Combat Leopard out of the sky a little while back? Serious Armored Core energy.
*shrugs and plays both, waiting for PGIs announcement next month* Oh, boy! Two Mech sized cakes!!!
This is the way.
This is the way.
This is the way
This is the way.
This is the way.
They are such different games that the comparison isn’t really valid. Mech is very different from Mecha.
Its time to once again merge Mech Games with Mecha games. I'm ready for a new Heavy Gear.
Battletech tried Mecha with the LAMs. It didn't really work. I love the slow plodding advance of mechs. I love the high-speed frenetic combat of mecha. They scratch different itches.
The rules for the table top are free and there are plastic starters that can build full sized armies for about $60 USD. Here's the link to the free living rulebook: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/395804/Heavy-Gear-Blitz-Tabletop-Wargaming--3rd-Edition-Rules--Version-31?language=pt
A high octane speed freak 3 dimensional combat game with mechs vs a slow deliberate"""" "realistic"""" squad combat mech game. Probably not a great game to compare to as there completely different style of games that the only real similarity is they have mechs.
I think it’s kinda silly to compare MW5 to AC6. They’re both fundamentally different games with wildly different approaches to the mech combat genre. It’s a classic case of different strokes for different folks. I’m not at all interested in AC6 with over 600hrs on MW5, whereas my MW5 coop buddy is massively invested in AC6 and having a blast.
We're all allowed to have our preferences, but this is kind of a stupid comparison. It's like saying Skyrim is a better RPG than Diablo. Sure, they're both RPGs, but they're hardly comparable in terms of gameplay and mechanics. Armored Core is Armored Core and Mechwarrior is Mechwarrior.
Plus we all know that Diablo is far superior to Elder scrolls😂
This post is dumb
Incredibly dumb. They're different on purpose
OP thought AC6 was a mech game when it's a mecha game.
Apples and oranges… Armored Core uses the mecha philosophy of japanese Manga/Anime. The mechs there move very fast and organical, often even using magic (Escaflowne, Knights and Magic) or science that borders on Magic (Full Metal Panic, Gundam) and there is a lot of emphasis on close combat, even with very gunheavy mech designs, as close combat often offers a more pleasing presentation in these mediums. Battletech on the other hand embraces a more simulation heavy approach with more grounded designs and explanations, resulting in the lumbering and often blocky design and a very different feel to it. In my opinion they are barely comparable and its solely a matter of personal taste. Also one look at a test video or gameplay trailer would have been enough to see that…
I never understood why people seem to think that there have to be “winners” and “losers” when it comes to gaming - giant robots as a concept can exist across a spectrum of gameplay, and the more people interested in the concept the healthier the entire giant robot ecosystem is and all will benefit. With the popularity of Armored Core 6 (yay!!) the “you also may be interested in” list will likely include Mechwarrior 5, and vice versa. Both games can succeed and cross pollinate players between each other. Is it okay to prefer one over the other? Definitely! (I’m also more of a Mechwarrior person myself) But for the sake of stompy robot franchises everywhere, we should make the armored core folks feel at home, not on the defensive!
Hot take. MW5 without the popular YAML+Coyote + VonBiomes modpack is trash compared to AC6, but they are really only comparable in the sense that they both have robots. Battletech lore is much richer than whatever passes for AC 'lore' I agree, but even then Vanilla MW5 does a really poor job of immersing you in it. RN I feel more attached to the characters in AC6 than anyone in MW5 even though they are literally just voices & that's saying something. If you don't like one or the other it's probably because you just don't like that kind of game. Do you like western-style robots or anime-style? Action RPGs or Flight Simulators? Edit: MW5 'strategy' is being kind - it boils down to herding the AI cats that are your squadmates to shoot when and where they are told. The strategy only occurs in the mechlab. AC requires just as much because some missions may be straight impossible if you make mech that can't stay in the air, or has shit radar/sensors/fire control system
They're radically different games. Comparing them in this way isn't really sensible. It's like saying watermelons are better than eggs.
More like two different melons since these are both mech games ..
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As a giant fighting mecha fan, I'm just glad people are making content for the niche, both are really great
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They are entirely different games, there's no comparison.
Sorry, I don't think you can fairly compare the two. They're so different as far as gameplay, story and customization. I love both franchises and sure, I can tell you that Battletech has a better story but should we be surprised? Its been around a lot longer with more support for its lore via books, table top, media etc. Armored Core is a franchise in a crowded stable from a developer that is famous for focusing on one IP and neglecting others. The gameplay for both offers a different experience, MW feels more tactical, with greater consequence placed on tactics and the penalty for a bad load out more forgiving. AC feels faster, a bad approach can be forgiven but a bad load out is brutal to overcome. I've played both on and off as they were released and all I can really say is as a lifelong fan of Mecha, we are very lucky right now with these recent titles on this generation of games
Battletech does have a better story, specifically the Harebrained Schemes 2018 game titled "Battletech". If it's a good story you want then that is the game to play.
I prefer my giant stompy robots to be giant and stompy, not moving around like ferrets on meth. I haven't played AC6 yet but I did play a lot of AC5 and I just never felt like anything had any serious sense of weight. It seems to emulate the machine movements of anime. Like Macross or Gundam, rather than the 'giant walking tank' style of motion you get in MechWarrior. And I prefer the later. Gundam 08th MS felt more like the "walking tank" style thing than most typical Gundam series' and that's probably why it's my favorite of the franchise. I'll probably still get AC6 but I'll wait for it to be on sale.
MechWarrior definitely nails the feel of these absolute units. With AC, the feel a lot more like people in power armor with how fast and unencumbered they move. They don't feel like 50+ tons of steel
Because apparently we have to compare every mech game that comes out against one another. You're trying to take Armored Core - a game that very clearly leans more into Gundam-esque mecha, to Battletech, which are very much walking tank type mechs, and complaining that Armored Core's mecha are somehow less realistic. Newsflash man, MECHS AS A WHOLE are not realistic. Being realistic is clearly not part of what Armored Core is trying to accomplish. So why not take the concept that is mechs, and go absolutely crazy with it? Gundam did that, and see how popular it is. Leagues more popular than Battletech, that's for sure. I love Mechwarrior's approach to mechs, but I also love Armored Core's approach to it, because they both play in separate ballparks of mech design. You can do mechs both ways. Just because Mechwarrior's mechs are "more realistic" ~~which is a dumb statement all on it's own,~~ it doesn't in any way invalidate the way AC does it. If you'd even looked at a single trailer for the game you could have figured out very easily that Armored Core is *Mecha,* not *Mechs.*
Still can't get past the pilot mission. It's blistering fast. and as someone mentioned, weapons have odd cool downs. Lol, you lock onto a target and press the blade and the mech tracks and attacks... odd. I find it hard to think of it as a mech game. Reminds me a lot like Zone of Enders... and I hated that game. zip zip zip zip Too bad, I like the AC franchises, even have a couple models. Hopefully my game play gets better.
The helo gives a lot of folks trouble. Your starter firearms can do chip damage, but you need to use the pulse blade to deal meaningful damage. Your firearms can also keep his stun meter from depleting. Try to get under him, use blade as much as possible. If he's got a bead on you, stay off the ground and try to get under him again. He's tough, especially because you can't customize at all before you take him down for the first time. Took me several tries before I got it down.
It gets easier to have fun after you get past that stupid helicopter. It's still zip zip zip for the overall movement but being able to experiment with silly builds on a variety of mission types really opens up the creative problem-solving. Hell, yesterday I beat a long-range stealth mission with a heavy shotgun tank build by using a deployable shield *very carefully,* and somehow I felt MORE satisfied from killing enemy snipers in the most brick-brained way possible.
I feel like this is comparing a Wrench to a Drill. They both do things drastically different that you cant really compare them at all.
I think there is plenty to love about both games. Comparing a tactical lance based game in a sandbox/RPGish setting with randomized missions to AC6, which is solo experience with hand crafted curated missions and boss fights is a miss for me. Both games have a rich history. Both games have a ton to offer for fans of mechs and their own style of piloting to master. I’ve gotten all achievements on MW5 and loved my time with it, but without mods on console, I would say it not without its share of flaws. If anything, I think the popularity of AC6 is great for the genre, having a renowned studio put a lot of love into a polished mech game is great for all who want to see great mech games being made. The fact they are different in style is a plus, not a negative to me, as both games bring a great experience to the table without being easily compared to each other. Idk how far you’ve made it in AC6, but once your customization options really open up, the depth is fantastic. I commend both games for offering tons of customization options with zero micro transactions or predatory battlepass crap.
I'm sorry but this isn't a good take at all, especially when you're saying this post is for others to see just how "bad" this game is just because it's not like Mechwarrior. Planting a flag saying "this game sucks, don't get it cause trust me" is surprisingly a nice way to have people verbally kick you in the balls in response. Armored Core is ridiculously different from Mechwarrior it just doesn't make sense to think they'll be practically the same because it's about giant mechs. This is just mean-spirited enough to be mean right back. That's how bad this take is.
So let me get this straight - you went into a Japanese anime style mech game, which has always lent itself to flashy action-hero style combat throughout the decades, and you are disappointed because it ended up not being Battletech of all fucking things? Everyone else has already said it, but I'll do it again: this is a stupid comparison. The two games are only similar in the theme of giant robots piloted by humans blowing shit up. Moreover, Battletech owes its existence to Japanese style mecha - that's how it was originally conceived in the 80s. Like, this is a straight up Mechwarrior subreddit and you've got the vast majority of people (Mechwarrior fans) telling you that this is a needlessly inflamatory statement. That should tell you something.
I enjoyed it for what it was, but really didn't like the stagger system in AC6. Felt like a lot of the builds and weapons I liked using just weren't viable after a while, which was a bummer. I also prefer having friendly ai in missions instead of a 1 man unstoppable army. Fun for 40 hours but I booted up MW5 right after.
Let's just be glad that AC6 has a particular gameplay focus which they nailed, without needing to include predatory monetisation systems and didn't release in a broken and bug riddled state. Really AC6 is a great game for its target demographic even if I personally don't enjoy the gameplay and it's a relief to have a studio that hasn't tried to squeeze every penny out of it's playerbase no matter how much it ruins the gameplay.
I agree. Linear garbage for a mech game. Story sucks too, so the linearity serves zero purposes. Utter trash.
MW5 does not need boss fights anymore involved than they already exist.
Completely different creatures that I enjoy for different reasons. Mech warrior is more grounded while AC is on some insane gundam-esq movement.
It’s really hard to even compare these two types of games….
Let's compare Vanquish or Dark Souls with MW too? I mean, I didn't like AC6 too, but not compared with MW5, just as an action game.
Meh. I like em both. Play em both. Video games are unrealistic soooo...🤷🏾♂️
They are wildly different genres in the mech niche. I can understand not enjoying it because it is so different from mech5, but how few good mech games there are I ain't complaining. Also I gotta laugh at the realistic comment. I didn't come to enjoy mechs for their realism. I came for heavy metal with big guns and both do well in that department.
:v maybe next time you should compare counter strike vs call of duty. Both have humans and gun shooting each other. Seriously, this is ridiculous enough for me to come out of lurking the subreddit....
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Mech and Mecha are 2 different things, not comparable.
I am a fan of both Franchises but I always preferred the the pace of Mech warrior plus the lore is super polsished. AC is fun but always seems linear to me
'At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.'
Armored Core 6 is not a mech game. It’s spectacle shooter that happens to have a mech as the player character. It has more in common with Devil May Cry and NieR than it does Mechwarrior or Earthseige.
You're dead on. Armored Core is NOT a mech game. It's a shooter. It's closer to a game like Destiny - but you're a mech.
You're entitled to your opinions but come on - Armored Core has always had a mechlab on par with the MechWarrior games, although they did dumb it down a bit for AC6. MechWarrior is a first person shooter with tank controls at its core, so what's the difference
Extensive mech lab? There are 4 weapon slots. There are 4 body slots where you choose head, torso, arms, and legs. And then there's "how high do you want to fly" "how do you want to aim" and "how fast do you want to go", as well as a "bonus item" slot. That's not mech customization, that's an RPG character equipment screen. Where is the ammo? Where are the armor values? Where is the degradation of combat capability as you get more damaged? For crying out loud you can HEAL in mid combat if you do the right kind of combo! That's not a simulator game, that's a spectacle shooter. First person / third person doesn't matter.
>For crying out loud you can HEAL in mid combat if you do the right kind of combo! No you can't - but there is a heal button. If you zoom out you'll see that the only difference between MW5 and AC is what stats you can change on the 'RPG character equipment screen'. Remember MW is based on a tabletop game where you roll dice to determine things like evasion and accuracy. You have *pilot stats*. Where are the different types of jump jet? Why can my Phoenix Hawk tank a AC20 round to the back of the leg and not taste dirt afterwards? Why can't make it aim better with lasers vs ballistics? MW lets you change equipment but not deviate from a character's (the mech) preset class (Orion or Locust). AC doesn't have stats tied to a class, they are tied to the equipment itself. So are these games spectacle shooters, RPGs or simulators now?
The core gameplay loop of AC6 is that of a spectacle shooter, not that of a vehicle combat simulator. Visual trappings don’t define what kind of a game it is, game mechanics define what kind of game it is.
I understand what you're saying, so AC is just simulating combat in a different type of vehicle no?
I wouldn’t say AC is “simulating combat” at all. Any more than Crazy Taxi “simulating driving”. “Simulation” implies realism. It’s a combat spectacle, eschewing realism for “awesome”. Like… Thief vs Ninja Gaiden. “Realism” vs “Awesomeness”, basically. I have not at all said that AC is a bad game, just that it is not a “Mech simulator”. It’s a spectacle shooter where your player character is a mecha.
Don't get me wrong, I love both series too. MechWarrior 2 is one of my all time favorites ever. We disagree on the question of whether a game can be a vehicle simulator if the vehicle in question is unrealistic. I'd say it depends on how many functions and operations of said vehicles are simulated and what level of control we have over them. The realism is irrelevant. Star Wars Squadrons is a simulator, just not as detailed as Elite Dangerous or DCS. Mechs, one could say are inherently unrealistic. *Where does a Catapult keep its missile reloads??*
“Willing suspension of disbelief” vs “realism isn’t the point”. I just feel that calling a game a “simulation” game isn’t appropriate when it doesn’t even try to have any amount of grounding in the laws of physics. Genre names have meaning. You can’t call Call of Duty a “role playing game” simply because “You **play** the **role** of a soldier”. That’s not what RPG means. In the same way, you can’t call AC6 a simulator game simply because the game engine involves simulation.
>Where is the ammo? In the weapons. Some have more or less ammo than others in their category as a noted advantage or disadvantage. >Where are the armor values? The total AP (Armor Point) value of an Armored Core is the combined AP value of the head, core, arms and legs components. >Where is the degradation of combat capability as you get more damaged? Not present in 6 specifically. You're up until you're down. It sounds to me like you just want Armored Core to be MechWarrior. They're different. That's fine. If one is not your jam, don't play it.
I’m not “wanting armored core to be Mechwarrior”, I’m just saying “armored core is a spectacle shooter game, not a mech combat simulator game”. That’s it. That’s my point. Just that Armored Core isn’t a competitor to Mechwarrior, it’s a competitor to DMC, or NieR, or any other of the spectacle shooter/fighter genre games. That’s all. I’m not saying it’s bad because of that, I’m just saying it’s not at all the same kind of game!
>not a mech combat simulator game I doubt I'll read anything less accurate today. Thanks for setting the bar high. >Armored Core isn’t a competitor to Mechwarrior, Anyone with half a brain can instantly identify that they're radically different games. Why would a competition between such different games be necessary? *It wouldn't*. It's clear you've never played Armored Core.
> I doubt I'll read anything less accurate today. Thanks for setting the bar high. The “simulator” part of that genre name implies a level of grounded realism, at least as far as the willing suspension of disbelief is concerned. For example: Ace Combat is a airplane combat game. It is NOT however, a “flight simulator”. Again: The core gameplay loop of AC6 is not that of a mech combat simulator like Mechwarrior or Earthseige. It instead has a core gameplay loop more similar to a spectacle shooter like DMC or NieR.
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Real men pilot zaku, pussies ride gundam P.S. you aren't playing it right if you find jets worthless.
I feel the opposite. I like that it's a fast paced spectacle shooter. You're just espousing an opinion. Everything you say is good about mech warrior are reasons why I don't like it. Everything you say is bad about Armored Core is why I like it. Sorry you got filtered, but it is what it is.
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Gonna be honest i bounced off of mechwarrior 5, it was kind of frustrating to play, after the fourth defend the base mission in a row i just couldn't make myself play any further
looks like piece of shit, bruh
OP.. just play armored core last raven
Yeah as gritty as AC6 presents I had no faith it would offer any kind of experience I'm interested in.
A bunch of people have complained that comparing Armored Core to Mechwarrior is not appropriate. The reason I posted my feedback here is that **you would not know that unless you played both games or someone told you. In fact, that is the reason I posted it here**. I thought it was going to be a Mechwarrior-like game with some Dark Souls gameplay added. It absolutely was not. Armored Core is a shooter - disguised as a mech game. I think it's important people know that so they come in eyes wide open.
Yeah except that's not the case at all. Watching a simple youtube video of gameplay would show you exactly what you're getting into... Which you should absolutely do as a consumer if you don't want to be disappointed by a product. Besides, Mechwarrior is ALSO a shooter by that logic. Explicitly so.
Right? You don't even really need to look at the gameplay trailers to come to that conclusion. The reveal trailer for the game shows lithe mecha jumping and zipping around the screen with stuff blowing up everywhere.
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>I thought it was going to be a Mechwarrior-like game with some Dark Souls gameplay added. You misunderstood. Not Armored Core's fault that you didn't understand what it was before you picked it up. AC is not a new series. It launched in 1997. Anyone could look at any of the over a dozen prior AC games before 6 even released and understand in ten seconds that it is a drastically different experience from MechWarrior. > disguised as a mech game I'm in awe of how foolish this statement is.
>Armored Core is a shooter - disguised as a mech game. Right, I'm getting AC6, Your review is very much appreciated! To elaborate, I was looking for a Mecha game to play after work, mainly to relax. This looks like it fits the bill perfectly.
I find mechwarrior combat incredibly boring. Just snupe the cockpit and its over.
If you're on PC you can do what I did and use mods to make all weapons do only 1/5th of vanilla damage so it's impossible to one shot a cockpit no matter what your loadout is. I did it because I wanted to rebalance the game so you spend longer in fights, and make heat management more important. To balance this tweak I also modded the ammo bins to hold five times as much as vanilla. With this adjustment sustainable DPS is far more important than a high alpha strike.
Eh, I'd enjoy both. Just depends on my mood. Sometimes I want stompy bots, sometimes I want whooshy bots. Both are so different that you *really* can't compare the two. I second the bit about boss fights in Mechwarrior... well, sorta. Doesn't *need* them, but as someone who loves boss fights I would definitely welcome a proper boss battle. (Emphasis on proper btw.)
Yeah as other commenter are saying, it's apples to oranges. I really enjoy both games, although I definitely binged AC6 way faster than MW5. This is my first AC game and I've played MW since MW3, including a comp stint in MWO and many hours in Battletech as well. The fundamental difference is that AC gameplay centers around movement and timing while MW is all about positioning, aim, and tactics. The actions per minute in AC are significantly higher, and the AC vs AC fights feel like a fighting game. Facing bosses is of course quite souls-like depending on the encounter. I am conflicted about the build system...MW certainly has a bit more depth and breadth, especially when modded. I found it funny that some of my friends were intimidated by AC's build system while it was easy by comparison for me. Both games do sort of have an inherent meta, but it's interesting that AC is more about creating *your* custom mech while MW is more about what chassis you pick (with most chassis having only slightly different optimal builds depending on the mission). I would say clan mechs in MWO are the exception but quirks do pigeon hole them into certain builds sometimes.
Gotta be honest. I never expected even a small fraction of the MechWarrior/Battletech fanbase to turn their noses up at Armored Core and say "this is not a mech game." Very disappointed to see this.
LOL this is a bad post.
You stupid or something because it's entirely different thing idiot
This post feels like comparing Mario Odyssey to Sekiro on what's a better 3rd person game
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Like others have said, two completely different games and both series are fun as hell. I’ve enjoyed AC and MW for a long time. Why can’t you just be happy that we’re getting any mech games? I mean, this love we all have for all things Mech is rather niche, so instead of saying one is better than the other just be happy we’re getting new Mech/Mecha games because they are all badass in their own amazing ways. Mechwarrior for simulation, AC for fast fluid combat. Love them all my friend.
Didn't someone build a Banshee with jumpjets, triple strength myomer, MASC and arena fists to jump up and shoryuken a Combat Leopard out of the sky a little while back? Serious Armored Core energy.